Requiem for DIMEBAG DARRELL - RIP (PANTERA on fire, Reinventing The Steel)
Written: Nov 24 '04 (Updated Dec 15 '04)
Product Rating:
Pros: Heavy Metal, dude. Raw, mean, cruel. And well deserved!
Cons: There will be no further PANTERA records...:o(
The Bottom Line: Heavyweight champions strike once again, with a traditional record that simply sets Nu Metal on fire. Goddamn Electric demigods! A noticeable requiem for DIMEBAG DARRELL (RIP)
silktempest's Full Review: Reinventing the Steel [PA] by Pantera
"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott 1966-2004
Planet Caravan (BLACK SABBATH) from PANTERA's album Far Beyond Driven
We sail through endless skies Stars shine like eyes The black night sighs The moon in silver trees Falls down in tears Light of the night The earth, a purple blaze Of sapphire haze In orbit always
While down below the trees Bathed in cool breeze Silver starlight breaks down the night And so we pass on by the crimson eye Of great God mars As we travel the universe
...
(a minute of silence for one of the greatest riffmakers ever seen on Earth, brutally murdered in the day I write this update...)
We all know PANTERA. Impious riffing from riff master (PhD in Tony Iommi's University) Dimebag Darell. Sickening tongue-in-cheek aggression from malevolent Phil Anselmo (the never-ever-smiling dude). Amphetamined bass lines from dissonant Rex Chapman. Solid, massive drumming from subtle monster Vinnie Paul, soon-to-be John Bonham's heir. The formula that made PANTERA the greatest American Heavy Metal combo after METALLICA's downward spiral in early 90s.
Once upon a time, they were a fancy Hair Metal band (similar to POISON and LIZZY BORDEN), but let's put aside their obscure past. All the ludicrous cheese was buried underneath a many tons relentless assault in the serial torpedoes Cowboys From Hell (1990), unbridled brilliant Vulgar Display of Power (1992), astonishing Far Beyond Driven (1994) and macabre The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) .
2000 saw PANTERA unleashing another heavy forgery of riffs and malevolence, Reinventing The Steel. This was a mixed blessing. Not many bands in America could rock and slash like PANTERA. But there weren't many novelties to broaden the band's fanbase, once they stubbornly kept their feet firmly rooted in no-holds-barred Heavy Metal. This proof of genuine attitude meant some conservative hints as well, but at least the record is quite good and, after all, Nu Metal puppets could never equal the masters (with the possible exception of SLIPKNOT, themselves a hugely PANTERA-influenced act). Back to school, kids!
Tracklist:
1 Hell Bound (* * * *) 2 Goddamn Electric (* * * * 1/2) 3 Yesterday Don't Mean S#it (* * * * 1/2) 4 You've Got To Belong To It (* * * * 1/2) 5 Revolution Is My Name (* * * *) 6 Dead Rattle (* * * 1/2) 7 We'll Grind That Axe For A Long Time(* * * 1/2) 8 Up Lift (* * * 1/2) 9 It Makes Them Disappear (* * * * 1/2) 10 I'll Cast A Shadow (* * * 1/2)
(As usual in PANTERA records, the first half is largely superior to the closing one).
Hell Bound is all about overdrive, Collossus bestroding, responsible growling. Harder than hardcore. MADBALL meets HELMET!
Goddamn Electric (goddamn of a track) unfolds as L7-corrupted Thrash Metal sludge in its Mammoth pace. Anselmo presents his Apocalyptic singalong (?), quasi-accessible. There's also a steady solo (with a cameo from SLAYER's Kerry King, one of this band's beloved heroes) spreading the tradition. Great SABBATH offspring!
Yesterday Don't Mean S#it is a galloping piece of aggression. A handful of flashy soloing, loads of mean riffing and kitchen-sink howling all around. Dimebag in his most accurate and Vinnie showcase of restraint and precision. Another stellar number.
You've Got To Belong To It is a post-JUDAS PRIEST vicious rampage, the "experimental" number. Reminiscent of SEPULTURA's Cut-Throat (from ROOTS!), with additional weird noises and a HENDRIXian wrecked solo. Wondrous!
Revolution Is My Name pays a straightforward Stoner Metal tribute to BLACK SABBATH, MOTORHEAD and KISS. A chorus borrowed
from FAITH NO MORE and a SABBATHical solo caps the "hit" of this album and its most "radio-friendly" number. To me, that's pretty good dude!
Death Rattle is a dead-end, with its frantic cling-clang massive rifferama slowed down to the pace of parody (the solo sounds like a streamlined DREAM THEATER). Too similar to previous numbers to stand on its own.
We'll Grind That Axe For A Long Time is a snail's pace profane Heavy Metal anthem of arrogance. Unfortunately, too much insular, insipid pointing-finger bravado spoils the party. They sound better elsewhere.
Up Lift - Speed Metal? No, just 10 deceptive seconds. What follows is predictable mid-tempo doomy boogie, not really uplifting stuff after all the maraunding first half. But enough METALLICA tempo shifts and odd guitar pyrotechnics to keep the track moving on.
It Makes Them Disappear! Wow...A moody number after all? No, another deceptive moment, but what follows is worth the wait, epic doom and gloom. One of PANTERA's "power ballads" of sorts. NUCLEAR ASSAULT and TESTAMENT fans will be excited (if only they could deal with Anselmo's "poetry"...)! Even some post-Punk spots make their appearance. The last pleasing number and the most distinguished one (my favorite, BTW).
I'll Cast A Shadow - the very same they cast in several numbers here. Bleak statements, once more, canvassed around monolithic rifferama and ghoulish production. Pretty much what we had elsewhere in the album. Therefore, it sounds too familiar to leave lasting impressions. Good, not great.
In the end? Not really the reinvention of steel, but a nice choice anyway, if you are in Heavy Metal steel wheeling! Good ride dude. Turn your amps up to 13. Time for PANTERA!
Ounce for ounce, decibel for decibel, few bands can even approach the fury that is Pantera. For years they have been unleashing their anger in front o...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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