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Member since:15.11.2000
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Back when this album was released in 1992 Pantera were called 'power metal' but today I suppose it would be dumped in the category of nu-metal even though it still piss' all over most of todays nu-metal scene in terms of sheer power and aggression.
I suppose it is some kind of tribute to this album that for years after it's release there were endless guitar samples from many of it's tracks appearing on virtually every heavy industrial album being released. This is mainly down to the unbelievably solid guitar sound that Pantera have managed to produce for these tunes. It defies belief that such a compressed slab of sound could have ever been vomited forth from any normal guitar as it sounds more like some kind of incredibly heavy nasal hoover noise than anything else. The guitars on this album have such crushing weight and precise driving energy that it's hard to believe that they were ever actually played instead of programmed.
Unfortunately the thing that lets this album down are the annoying guitar solo's in every track. I am a big fan of a powerful guitar solo when it actually needs to be there but on this album many of the tracks are busy storming along when the guitarist (named diamond darrell, with a name like that I think you can tell where this is going) obviously say's, 'hold on lads, I feel a bit of widdly-woo action coming on' so the band stop rocking while he does a bit of gratuitous fret-wanking and then starts the song again when he's finished. One of the worst culprits for this is the track 'Live in a Hole' where the entire track just pointlessly empties out while the guitars wibble and squeal for a bit. Technically it's very impressive but also very pointless.
Most people who were into this album will remember it for two tracks, 'Walk' and 'F**king Hostile'. The bouncing chunky gated guitar riff on Walk just screams 'CLASSIC RIFF' at you the second you hear it. This is a bastard of a heavy track that rolls along with almost mechanical precision while vocalist Phil Anselmo displays some fearsome throat action. I'll even forgive them for the solo on this one as it almost fit's well.
F**king Hostile is possibly one of the most furious thrash tracks ever made. The speed and precision of the playing on this track is just ridiculous. This is also one of those occasions that if anyone else tried the chorus 'to see, to bleed, cannot be taught. In turn you're making us F**king Hostile', I would be laughing them out of the building but Pantera are one of the few bands that have the sheer insane fury to pull it off without it just sounding like little boys being rude and daring.
My favourite track on the album is 'Rise'. Once again this track feature guitar playing thats so fast it really shouldn't be humanly possible but also has chunky gated riff sections where the gaps between the guitar chuggering are more important than the sounds themselves. For sheer apocalyptic fury this track is unequalled except possibly by the 'Broken E.P.' by Nine Inch Nails. Unlike the majority of thrash albums the lyrics on this track and on most of the album actually do have something positive to say instead of just pointless ranting. The basic premise seems to be that oppression and hatred are totally unnecessary and even though you might have to live in this world you don't have to be a part of it if you believe in yourself enough.
Obviously this album is not going to be too everyones taste but if you listen to what passes for heavy music today I would urge you to get hold of a copy of this album as it contains more barely contained fury and anger than a dozen modern nu-metal albums. You could say that 'Vulgar Display of Power' was a blueprint for todays modern metal scene but I have yet to hear anything that even comes close. Bands like Slipknot, Korn and Limp Bizkit are just a total pantomime compared to this.
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Diamond Darrell? Don't you mean Dimebag? Sure I'm not a Pantera fan, but this guy is legendary for his solos (RIP). This is a review that needs more information on the album itself, with more focus on the tracks rather than the background.
stephenjwz 02.03.2002 02:34
what is "power metal" without solos? They are acknowledging their roots in glam metal (eugh, listen to their albums pre-"power metal" and see) which is unfortunate, but some of the groove of the solos is essential to a great metal track. The ones on "this love" and "mouth for war" are amazing, although i agree that they shouldn't be mandatory to every track. if it was all solos, or all lumpy heavyness, then it would not have such diversity or widespread appeal.
PaulTangaroa 21.12.2001 05:46
There are a lot of parts to this review that I do love, and the choice of favourite track in "Rise" is completely agreed with, some parts I can't agree with, such as the criticism of the solos, or just the general dislike for them. Solos, when done right, are an integral part of the intensity of heavy music that chooses to use them, and the solos on this album are done perfectly, at the perfect times, with the perfect mood. I don't mean to be contradictory and I guess it's to everyone's personal tastes, but I think that Dimebag and Pantera in general are magnificent song writers ("This Love", say no more!) so I think everything was done for a reason. But, as a review, this is a bloody awesomely written and put together review, so excellent stuff! :)
Upon its release in the mid-1990s, Pantera'sVulgar Display of Powerproved that, even in an ... more
era of alternative rock supremacy, heavy metal fans were still a force to contend with. Blending eerie, surging grooves with thrashy speed metal riffs, Pantera c...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Upon its release in the mid-1990s, Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power proved that, even in ... more
an era of alternative rock supremacy, heavy metal fans were still a force to contend with. Blending eerie, surging grooves with thrashy speed metal riffs, Pantera...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: a face melting blinding onslaught of rage and menace for the metal head Disadvantages: heavy but basic riffs will leave technical sophisticates unimpressed
Advantages: Pantera's unique sound at a very intense and grindable stage + dimebag darrell -nuff said Disadvantages: its perfect, it can only be bad if you don't like the grindy style
Advantages: a face melting blinding onslaught of rage and menace for the metal head Disadvantages: heavy but basic riffs will leave technical sophisticates unimpressed
Jul 18th, 2001
(Jul 20th, 2001)
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