Reviews (page 4 of 8)
A solid staple of a groove metal diet. Big fan, almost a 5.
Lets go! One of my favorite metal songs, Walk, graces this album as I am treated to all the other songs Pantera has to offer. Another case of, I'll listen to them eventually. The time is finally here and I am enjoying what I hear! I may have to give it a second listen to find some gems, but Rise is sticking out and F****** Hostile was wild. I wonder if they were the first to get an F on an album track. I wouldn't be surprised if Slipknot got some of their influences here with the singers lower voiced moments that shift to screams. This can especially be heard on No Good (which I am liking as well). Love the album cover, too. That is me when I was first introduced to metal music and my life was change forever.
It’s like I’m a young headbanger again! I loved this. Couldn’t sit still.
This is a lot of fun, and probably my most enjoyed metal album so far on this list. Really great! Knocking a star off for being a little over long and homogenous
Do I actually like metal now, or do we just keep getting really good metal albums? This is definitely closer to the thrash and death metal stuff that I'm not into, but there are some serious bangers on this album. Of course I know "Walk," but it might not even be my favorite track. The vocals are less clear than the other metal bands we've had (Sabbath, SOAD, Iron Maiden), but the instrumentals are very crisp. Some fantastic, heavy guitar work. I like this a lot. Favorite tracks: This Love, Walk, F*****g Hostile, By Demons Driven. Album art: Super DIY. The text blocks are great. Could work as a punk album cover too. This man's neck will never be the same. 4/5
4 - Not quite my genre, but makes fun to listen to.
Absoluter BÄNGÄ. Geil Rotzige Riffs, dreckiger sound und schön sauer der Dude. Ich finds großartig. klingt bissi wie Metallica phasenweise. Insgesamt machts schon Bock zu hören, aber nichts was ich in meine Musiksammlung aufnehmen würde, like actually buy it . Aber weils ne erfrischende Abwechslung war 4*
A lot of firsts on this list. this was my first full listen through of a Pantera album, and i gotta say, it was fucking good! some songs i've heard before, but i was damn well hooked by this album. the composition was well planned, music was great, and overall it was a great listen.
Good metal album. Has moments where you want to sing along.
Classic metal zone vibes. One of the most famous metal songs: "Walk"
Some of the best metal ever. Glad to see this record included
Fat fkn riffs. The way they manipulate the tempo is sick. Walk, This Love and Live in a Hole are my highlights.
Another classic. The raw Pantera energy is hard to match by bands even today, and the crunchy guitar tone is to die for.
nice work, ya fuckin dimebag. sorry Columbus Ohio killed u fav track: hollow
VULGAR!🔥🔥🔥
Heavy metal. Can’t go wrong!
Great album.
I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I've never heard this album before, probably because they pivoted to this genuinely heavy sound after I'd moved on from my teenage crush for heavy metal. Because of this, I'd always associated the name Pantera with the never-ending army of hair metal/hard rock bands of the later 80s, so I *will* say that I was impressed with the opening crunch of "Mouth for war" that almost never lets up throughout the nearly hour-long album. I'm sorry for them (and me) that this album came right on the heels of Slipknot's "All Hope is Gone", as it doesn't really give Pantera enough breathing room to either distinguish itself or particularly impress me. I can see why they saw Metallica's "Metallica" album as the opening for them to go hard where Metallica went softer, and they *did* fill that gap, apparently much to the delight of disaffected angry white guys who wanted faster and harder power chords and double-bass drums, although I'll admit that it felt like I was listening to unfamiliar early Metallica songs for much of the album. I trust both Wikipedia and the "1001 Albums" entry that this was a powerfully influential album, and that Dimebag/Diamond Darell pioneered groove metal and was a metal guitar genius, but as I listened to blast after blast on the tracks I mainly just felt (a) continued ear fatigue left over from yesterday's Slipknot onslaught, and (b)relief that I hadn't actually missed much by not sticking with the metal scene into the 90s. It was also kind of disturbing to see in their videos (which seem to be mainly of their concert performances) all these almost skinhead-looking white teens and men thrashing about and chanting along like they were in the final scenes of Pink Floyd's "The Wall". But fun to find out that Christian Bale was drumming to "By demons be driven" in that "The Big Short" scene.
Never been a fan, and listening to a full album only makes me appreciate Metallica more
I'm nowhere near the target audience for this. WAY too heavy for me. However, I do recognize the musicality... and the being able to read the lyrics does help give it some substance. This isn't for me, but I don't regret listening to it.
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
I do love me some speed metal, loses a star for any time I listened to the lyrics or they lasted more than a few seconds
It was very noisy, but strangely calming
A good album, I liked Walk and Hollow the most.
For an album that supposedly established the groove metal sound, this one really doesn't groove all that much. It's essentially a thrash metal record played at 3/4 speed. To top it off, most of the songs sound virtually interchangeable with only the big singles really standing apart because they're the only songs that don't just chug along at the same old rhythm for 5 minutes at a time. Given how homogenous the album is musically, it basically lives and dies by the frontman's performance, and Phil Anselmo has fully settled into his tough guy act here. Gone are the Halford-style sirens and dynamics, instead replaced by a heavily distorted in-your-face shout. Instrumentally, most of Dimebag's solos are pretty interesting and memorable though the all gain no-low-end tone he goes for takes some getting used to. They all really show off how he had developed and found his defining trait as a guitarist. Anselmo's scenery-chewing macho man act also sells this whole "I refuse to apologize for being the worst person you know" thing very well too. I found most of the best songs were in the first half, which was a pretty common problem across Pantera's catalogue (only Great Southern Trendkill really bucks that trend.) I guess this is a historically significant one, but there was much better metal than this coming out in 1992; they were just the only one among those bands to have a distinct image, which certainly counts for something.
5 for the music 1 for the racist dickhead Meet in the middle
not a big fan of thrash metal tbh, but this love IS a well known and good song so 🙄🙄. also whenever i listen to thrash metal it reminds me of this divine machinery movement
This hurts my molars.
I like and respect head banging for sure, but Panters is hit and miss with me. “Walk” is awesome, but I prefer it on a playlist.
It's okay, but gets a bit repetitive after a while. The slower tracks in 3/4 are embarrassingly corny.
Dimebag is one of the all time greats. Didn’t love the album though.
walk is a banger. Great cover art a little homogenous in side a
Fun album. Never really listened to Pantera much. Walk is a great track.
This definitely reminds me of my high school days, but it’s tough to listen to them knowing they are white supremacist or at least empathic to the cause. Some great riffs though.
Pantara er for prollet til min smag. Det er fede rytmer, men hader dem måde vokalen skal tvinges frem på.
I was never a Pantera fan. It just seem like angry redneck music. That said, there's a few tracks on here that are incredible. The opener and This Love are surprisingly catchy. The entire album was better than I would have thought. I don't know that I have a place in my life where I I need this to soundtrack. I don't know that I want a place in my life where this is a fitting soundtrack. I like it for what it is though. I'm glad Pantera doesn't serve my needs. How lucky am I to not be this fucking angry anymore.
Despite my attempts as a teen I was never that into metal, I've accepted it's not for me. Despite that this is a really cool album that is enjoyable if you give it a chance, easy to appreciate.
llega un punto que solo suena como mucho de lo mismo, ya después de la mitad aunque me había gustado el flow como que es too much
Pretty good, not easy listening probably would grow to enjoy more on repeated listening
Okay
Nothing too revolutionary, but some of these were real bangers. I think they could've been a little more creative with the riffs and some of the songs sounded pretty similar, so that's my main criticism. But overall, this was an okay listen, and I'll definitely return to some of these songs when I'm in the mood for them. Favorites: Mouth For War, Walk, Fucking Hostile, This Love
3.25 wouldn't skip it, but wouldn't go back to it.
Riffs galore. Heavy, powerful, tough, agile, groovily chugging. Quick changes to the tempo, meter, or rhythm - almost like some of Metallica’s proggy thrash but the songs are 4 min instead of 7. Anger and aggression consistently at the forefront. Kinda music that makes you want to fight a brick wall
Bit of metal to start the day. Pretty solid, although not my go-to of the genre
Hasn’t aged amazingly
Ehh… not my favorite metal. Kind of funny at the end.
Pretty cool
solid one
Alright, but a little samey.
Pretty good to put on for a weightlifting sesh. The music itself just kind of tidal waves over you, and I have literally no memory of anything I just heard though.
Its ok but there is much better material from other bands if this genre.
Classic metal album, I did try this when I was in high school but wasn’t ready for the full thing, but I loved walk. I actually enjoyed the songwriting and intensity of this, the drums are great but the guitar tone pisses me off. Still I rate it for what it is
alright
I'll happily listen to this - I like the overall sound, it's sort of my definition of "metal". But it's a bit samey, no really standout songs, similar guitars and double bass drums (both good though) throughout.
Not bad but not being a metal fan did get a bit repetitive
Very powerful
este es mi álbum favorito de Pantera y probablemente uno de mis discos favoritos de metal. me gusta particularmente lo violento que suena. sí bien es una característica del metal, en este álbum siento que lograr encontrar ese punto de diferenciación con la agresividad.
Well, it's not subtle. I have a problem with this sort of thing. Distorted guitars, bass heavy mix, screaming, howling vocals. I really can't tell one from another. Not just one song from another. One band from another. I was listening to this thinking, "This is really long album!" and when I checked, it had finished and Spotify had been other music for 20 minutes. I'm sure there are people who can identify Groove Metal and Grindcore and Thrash Metal and Speed Metal, but I'm not one of them. I'm not going to deny for a moment that the virtuosity on display is impressive, but to what end when the slow numbers all blend into each other and the fast numbers are SO fast they wouldn't be out of place on a Ravin' Rabbids soundtrack. I can see the appeal if you're 17 and society sucks, man. But if you're a grown-up then it kind of seems a bit ... well.... vulgar. Also, read the biography. What a great bunch of lads.
first ballot entry into the cover art hall of fame. i would love to hear a version of this album without vocals. some of these guitar riffs are just so sick and catchy as hell - the way the guitar interacts with the rhythm section has me movin an groovin. not really into the poor man's metallica vocals or most of the songwriting but i suppose they wouldn’t have sold many albums without a singer. as far as this era of heavy metal goes, though, dimebag darrell's guitar work is upper echelon.
3.5 Awesome. Rob Van Dam’s theme is on here!
Would have been 5 stars if Cemetery Gates was on here.
Fine
Maybe it's the internal rage I've felt of late, but I enjoyed this, when I previously would not have. 3.5
This certainly is thrash metal.
I was surprised that Vulgar Display of Power shares more in common with the heavier alternative music that I listened to at the time this was first released.
Not my cup of tea but good
It's fine I guess. The tracks are better listened to as part of a playlist rather than as an album - it gets kind of repetitive. You won't really find any thought provoking, groundbreaking metal here either. Just straightforward power riffs and headbanging.
Pretty silly, but still a fun listen. Drumming is satisfying.
Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: This Love, Hollow Maybe I only like the earlier roots of the heavy metal genre... To expand on this, I really like Black Sabbath, I've enjoyed most of what I've heard from Metallica, and Iron Maiden. For this album, I really like the instrumentals; the guitar and drums. The almost-revving up nature of the music is sweet. I guess this instrumentation lends itself to the "Groove Metal" subgenre? Anyways, when the lead vocalist (Phil, right?) actually sings, I enjoy those songs. They are fleeting and few in number on the album. The screaming I can sort of do without. Don't get me wrong, the whole aggressiveness of the music got me pumped up when I was biking to work this morning. I suspect I would be similarly pumped if I were listening to this at the gym. This gets a 3. If the vocals were toned down (less screaming more singing) even just a little bit it might be a 3.5 or 4.
3,4/5
It all started to sound the same
6/10
I’m not a metal guy. The typical vocal style just isn’t something I want to listen to. After finishing this album *my* throat feels sore. But there is a lot in the instrumental side of the genre I enjoy. “Fucking Hostile” and “Rise” have that hardcore punk type of fast tempo that I love. Some bits of other tracks remind me of other iconic metal tracks from the 90’s.
Walk is a fun track. The others are decentish.
Listening session: march 17th, while commuting to internship Listened to before: heard a couple of songs before Thoughts: some of the guitar riffs and instrumentals are nice but the screaming vocals got a bit repetitive after a while so it’s not something I would listen to regularly Favourite tracks: A New Level & This Love
I still don't think Pantera are particularly original, but it's still better than whatever Metallica was doing at the time.
This was the deathknell of 80's and early 90's metal. Shortly after this release Metallica wad abandoning Metal it to put out mainstream music. Megadeth was being dumbed down and slayer and anthrax were far from their heights. It's a solid album but was the last ray of sunlight on the genre before grunge and eventually nu-metal took over the scene.
They sound like they want to be Metallica and I can't blame them, and for an album's length of time, I'd let them; it sounds pretty good, though some of the Pantera musical stylings might start to feel a little old by the end. They do have moments of variety, though, it's not a slog Not quite a 4 but enjoyable
Not a fan of metal. I did not enjoy it
Not bad, but a lot of the songs blended for me. I didn't have a lot of time/energy to review this one, but put it on a couple times while I was out. I had a hard time discerning between the beginning and end of the record.
Decent listen.
If I had been in more of a mood to punch face this would have scored higher. Solid 3 still and amazing guitar work by Dime
Metal is just not my scene, I love rock, I love the guitar here, it's just everything else I can't really get across the gap. It's nice in small doses and I have heard some Pantera I like but yea I dunno. That being said 'Walk' pretty much rules.
I enjoy the guitar-work. Somewhat like the vocals, but sometimes the lyrics feel forced/overly-edgy. The songs kinda blend together when trying to remember them.
3.5 This album has taught me that the type of metal I really like is groove metal.
Decent, but not one of their best.
Solid rock album. Almost an hour of listening to screaming gets old though.
Album 1070 of 1089 Vulgar Display Of Power - Pantera (1992) Rating : 3 / 5 This one comes in loud and aggressive right from the start. There’s no easing into it . The album kicks the door open and pretty much stays at that intensity the whole time. The biggest standout for me is the guitar work from Dimebag Darrell. The riffs are thick, the tone is huge, and the shredding is seriously impressive. Even if this style of music isn’t always what I reach for, it’s impossible not to respect the technical skill behind what he’s doing. Some of those riffs really lock in and hit hard. For me personally, though, the album started to feel a bit repetitive after a while. The intensity rarely lets up and many of the songs stay in a similar lane musically. Fans of this style probably love that consistency, but I found myself wishing for a little more variety as the album went along. Still, there’s no denying the impact of this record. It’s powerful, aggressive, and clearly an important album within metal. Even if it’s not one I’ll be revisiting often, I can definitely appreciate the musicianship and the energy behind it.
Would I be listening to this album every day? Probably not. Would I listen to it when I want to see the whole world burn? Hell yeah!!! 3.5/5
Didn't find this that vulgar. Considering how heavy it was I could appreciate elements. 3.2/5
De albumtitel geeft vrij secuur aan wat de band met hun schijf wil bereiken. Het nummer Fucking Hostile is een voorbeeld hoe dit muzikaal onderschreven wordt. De schreeuwer heeft wat minder kleur dan collega's. Het is gewoon niet heel interessant. Het album zit hierdoor dicht bij een vergeetbare 3. Het bijbehorende gitaargeweld is gemaakt om te headbangen. Dat gaat bijna vanzelf; mogen we het dan toegankelijk noemen?
Not a big metal fan, but i had fun with this too. I can kinda hear some nirvana influence, and a little bit of goth rock too
Hea algus thrash metal žanrile. Pillimängus on tunda hinge ja inimlikkust, aga samas on see kuradi täpne ja siin on meeldejäävaid riffe kuhjaga. Vokaal on plaadile sobiv, aga pole päris minu maitse (eelistan meloodilisemat laulu). Mõned lood lisan kindlasti enda jõusaali playlistidesse. 3.4/5
Sum somgs i really loved sum were just not the vibe yesterday
Rápido, desordenado y caótico. Algo que siempre me causa conflicto con este género, es la voz del vocalista(s). Esté álbum no es la excepción, aunque los instrumentos suenen hermoso, como en Walk. La voz rasposa y gritando del vocalista es lo que no termina de convencerme. Hasta pensé en agregar This love a mis me gusta, pero empezó a gritar.
This is a power grid that pumps voltage to faraway places. Full of intensity that can jolt, burn, and destroy, but also provide light in the dark. It sometimes pulses at a hum and other times at a frenetic speed that's addictive.
The sonic equivalent of our 47th president - angry screeds thrown in all directions full of bile and rage, motivated by a long list of resentments - real and imagined - presented with a cartoonist tough guy attitude straight from the 7th grade playground - and a just touch of white nationalism. That being said - this concept works better as a rock n roll album than a political platform. It's influence on the next decade of metal is unmistakeable. - for better or worse. There are plenty of good ideas here (sonically) if you just don't look too closely. And having some existing grievances can't hurt with your ability to feel something from this album. I imagine this album (much like the current occupant) is a 5 or 1 for the general population so I'm going 3...
Talented musicians that sound almost the same every song. I'm not the target audience so not the albums fault. Last song is a completely different tune and it's quite nice
I mean it's good. I enjoy doom metal or something more atmospheric a lot more than this. I also don't really like vocals (once again) but instrumentals are pretty solid. Ofcourse This Love is absolute nasterpiece and I love but the rest of the album is just okay. Yes there is Walk but I think it's overrated and sounds lot like other songs.
Waiting until song 5 for variation from the scream singing was a bit of a test, despite enjoying the music. Enjoyed it more after, bringing from a high 2 to a low 3
Growing up o/s of Metallica I would generally avoid anything with scream vocals. Partly, I think, because bands like Slipknot were so popular at the time. This made me miss bands like this. I probably missed the moment, but the energy is good. Low 3
I love the core ingredients of this record - how primal, furious and repetitive the band are, and the screamy vocals. I am less enamored by the singing vocals and also wish it developed a bit more as I worked my way through the track list. Still - a cool sound.
Liked the music but they guys voice wasn’t great
I liked this way more than i expected i would.
Ok first thought - how can such a heavy album sound so thin and shallow? It's like they finished recording and then just dialed the bass and low mids back a little bit. Weird choice. Like even the bass drum has no depth to it. I've heard Pantera before of course, and while they've always landed in the 'fine but nothing special and I don't get the cult following' camp for me, I've never noticed that this record sounds this way. But you sort of get used to it after a couple songs. Walk is great, I've always liked that song. There are a lot of things to like about this album and a lot of things not to like. I don't really like the rhythm guitars but the solos are generally great, tone and playing. I've never been sold on this kind of vocals, they are definitely the weak link on this album and make it worse, verging on ruining. The drums are played well but mostly sound like shit. Bass is buried under a mountain of distortion and hard to pick out. Some of the grooves are fantastic but get repetitive. 3.25/5
6/10
Good at what they do
Decent but one paced
This was a great album for hearing how metal band can create such a dynamic sound and feeling with the right arrangement and tone 3.5
Tras escuchar este disco me he vuelto 2 veces más gordo y el triple de racista. No es un secreto que Pantera se considera el creador del Groove metal, y este album es justo el que define su sonido característico. También influyeron enormemente en estilos como el nu metal. El álbum es crudo y agresivo, cumpliendo con el título. Suena poco procesado y con un sonido que mezcla la producción de finales de los 80, sobre todo en la batería, y un rollo más metalero noventero en guitarra, bajo y voces. Personalmente odio el sonido de las guitarras de pantera, pero este disco es en el que más se salvan. A pesar de todo esto el álbum tiene varias carencias y chochadas que hacen que nadie que sea medianamente enterado en música te hable nunca de Pantera. Las letras son una mierda por norma general, solo hace falta escuchar el estribillo de Walk (canción más escuchada del grupo btw e irónicamente la más floja de album) que parece escrito por un gitano de Coia si tuviera un A1 en inglés. Phil Anselmo en dos años, entre el primer y segundo álbum, paso de ser uno de los mejores cantantes del metal de la época a un borracho, drogadicto, racista que solo sabe gritar como un yonki cuando te vas sin darle 30 céntimos para "el bus". Hay dos motivos por los que Pantera tiene tan poco prestigio. En primer lugar el ya mencionado Phil Anselmo y su kkkfilia. En segundo lugar tenemos la fama que se han ganado sus oyentes como padres borrachos gordos racistas divorciados (o casados, pero en ese caso tienen que pegar a sus mujeres). No es un mal grupo ni un mal album. Puede que tenga bastante relleno y en general no llegue a mucho, pero hay un par de temazos como This love. A pesar de que le vaya a clavar 3 estrellas, es una pena que hayan asesinado a Dimebag Darrell porque realmente era el pilar base del grupo. Después de eso no siguieron y siento que los últimos discos son muy muy buenos. El great southern trendkill es un pedazo de intento de album conceptual de Groove metal con el tema floods que es flipante. Enfin siempre me causará curiosidad saber a qué hubieran evolucionado. 7/10—>3/10 WHITE POWEEEEEER
Really annoyed that metal comes up as one of my least favourite genres on here when two of my favourite bands are Tool and Deftones, I love Sabbath, and other favourites are at least metal-adjacent... somehow when metal is great it's transcendent, but at its worst it can, I dunno... lack subtlety? Anyway this was listenable and I was especially digging the funky grooves, but not sure the lyrics are for me. I'll give it a 3, which doesn't fix my genre problem on here but at least won't make it worse.
This is more in line with my metal preferences. There are some good riffs and melodies on top of them. I have a fondness for ´Walk’ as it was one of the songs on the setlist of a band of metal heads at my last school.
Good for what it is, great musicianship brought down by generic tough guy vocals
Maybe the most aptly named album thus far. I liked that vulgarity and power, but was missing cowboys the whole time, solid for the genre
Ett sånt album som många kommer sätta högt betyg på men jag vet inte. Helt ok, aldrig varit massivt panterafan
Crisp, precise metal, with the occasional cryptic lyric. With this release by Pantera and others by Slayer and Sepultura in the 1990s, metal began to splinter and morph far more rapidly during this decade. While not my bag, it is clear that this band was very influential to metal.
Great album but I'd say the mix can feel a bit lacking outside of the mid to high. Loved Hollow.
i like some of pantera’s stuff but unfortunately i am incapable of getting into metal music mostly because of the lyrics. some of their instrumentals are very good though and i recognize the talent. just not typically my vibe.
Le drum sonne presque aussi bien que mon drum électronique à 300$. 2.5 étoiles pour Pantère A
Panterra is a tight example of metal from this era. Good drumming and guitar work. Angry energy. Walk is great live.
Pretty strong production value going on here. Sounds very polished for a thrash metal album. The compositions go down hill around track 6. Starts strong but can't hold on.
it’s kinda funny i grew up listening to music like this because of my dad, and i remember at the time, when i was younger, i HATED music like this, but i feel like the older ive gotten, the more ive grown to appreciate it. decent !
OK
Enjoying this far more than I thought I would! Good stuff.
Prima, niet helemaal mijn ding maar wel grappig
This album would been a 2/5 if Dimebag Darrell weren’t playing his absolute heart out at every given opportunity. R.I.P. Highlights: Mouth for War, F**king Hostile, This Love, Live in a Hole, Hollow
Never really been into thrash or metal, but I actually had fun with this one.
Favourite track: Walk
Another band that I had a small phase with. I was 15 and thought maybe I will become a metalhead, so I got two Pantera albums on cassette. This being one of them. The metalhead phase didn't stick and I think I liked the other album better. "Walk" is a fine track but the rest of it sounds too similar for me. Except the final track which sounds like classic Metallica.
Didn't convince me to enjoy a full Metal album, but is has a few certified bangers
I love atmospheric, prog like metal. I can appreciate some slash metal (Reign in Blood for example). Something about Pantera just doesn’t appeal to me though. I guess I think of Pantera as a previous evolutionary step to nu-metal. It’s also so… angry? I can appreciate the rhythm section and how technical it is, and there are some pretty sweet guitar parts scattered on the record. I don’t love the vocals though.
Day713 - walk is on the mt rushmore of heavy metal songs.
Been listening to Walk since i was a kid and this album i've seen many times because it is a iconic Metal album. Overall it is well mixed. but i can't really consider myself a Pantera fan, i mostly know the hits. For metal music i would think this is essential listening if this had been a 1001 metal albums you must hear.
Very well written and performed metal. It's not my genre, but I liked it!
Solid riffs but probably wont revisit as an album. 6-7
Some riffs were good, but overall the album was monotonous. I'd give them a better score, if I listened to it live. Metal genre is often much better at a concert.
I liked this alot more when I was younger. Its still decent but once you get theough the first handful of great songs it falls off pretty hard. Up through fucking hostile its great then becomes s wet fart the rest of the way. When the vocals are not strained dude has a real bad voice. Not Hatfield levels but real bad. But when he puts a strain on them they are great. The guitar work from dimebag is great all around. Dude knows how to make the strings scream. The drums too are excellent throughout. The slower ballads are awful though. Real real bad. Its still decent baring you can not pay attention to what that dumb shit singer is like but not even close to as good as I remember it.
3 stars. Metal is not for me.
There's some interesting things going on with this album. All of the touchstones are there in writing but it just hasn't clicked for me. Maybe it will in the future.
Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought.
American metal bands, why so angry? So far Metallica are the only American metal band on this list so far who aren't Just angry. It was at least nice they they weren't just generically angry on Rise and No Good and had some vague things to say about racial injustice. I've never quite gotten into Pantera but I respect them. I have the best of. I've said before I need atmosphere, melody or both. They have the former but it's almost the same chugga chugga every song. This Love and Hollow briefly break things up. A bit of melody comes through in Fucking Hostile (ironically), This Love and Hollow but sparingly. But given Cemetery Gates was on the preceeding record (and amazing) I was longing for something similar to break it up. And I've never liked Dimebag (guitar playing or person). They said, I can listen to much of this as single songs. I just can't do that much rage. High 3.
I'm not the same person I was when this album came out, so I'm not sure if it's actually good or if I just remember being Angry At My Parents. 3 stars? 4? Really no clue.
Hard as heck! Riffs that will tear you apart, brutal drums that leave you concussed, vocals that match the rage.
Oujee äijjähevin mestarteos. Testosika hönkii ja rumpu paukuttaa niin perguleesti. En oo koskaan tykännyt mahottomasti siitä miltä pat nearin tää rieska saundaa. Jotenkin liian särähtävää. Kultakorvasempi osais arvioitsia paremmin mikä sen tekee. Varmaan helvatasti tota treblee. Ois varmaan täyven vitkun levy jos ois noi tietyt nyanssit enempi omaan mieleen. Biiseissä ei sinänsä oo vikaa, mutta sit ton alta ne ei liiaks erotu edukseen. Oisko sillä lehmäpoikahelvetti-levyllä vähän vähemmän tuotettua lopputulosta ja ei sit kuulosta niin pahasti tämmöttiissiltä. No, tää on mitä on. Hyvä linja löydetty pisteytyksissä ja sillä jatketaan. Pahottelut kaikille jotka tätä bängäs nuoruusangsteissaan 1000% voimakkuudella ja oottaa itku kurkussa että jokainen ihminen maailmassa antaa tälle vintsan.
well the title of the album is certainly accurate
Well....now we know what testosterone injected directly into the testicles sounds like... I first listened to this album around when it came out and I was about 14. What kind of music are 14 year old boys listening to these days in 2025? The guitar riffs are pretty crunchy,.drums are mostly groovy and Phil Anselmo sounds like a coked up werewolf. I remember seeing Pantera (I think at Ozzfest) and the crowd kept setting fires all throughout the grass that security struggled to keep up with. Great riffs and energy on the music, as an older guy now,.the singing/screaming can feel like a bit much.
Just not a band I'd ever really listened to. I'll probably take some flack for this but I was actually expecting more given the love they get and whilst this wasn't by any means a dud, it also didn't grab me beyond _Walk_ which might be the only Pantera song I knew coming in.
Call this a low three, was nearly a high two. I liked it more than I expected but my expectations were rock bottom. I’m just never going to like metal that much - my tolerance for it ends at something like Type O Negative or Lacuna Coil. The second I get those gruff manly man yells I lose interest and wander away. Enjoyed the parts of it that were more melodic and tuned out any time it sounded like Walk.
Walk
bangs but also doesn't do tooo much for me
High octane death metal. Solid vocals, great drums and guitar. Something I was into in my youth, but I definitely didn’t enjoy this as much as I once did. Still, if you’re into death metal, can’t go wrong with Pantera!
This was probably the defining album for groove metal and really set the direction that heavy music would take throughout the 90s. I’ve listened to it so many times over the years that it honestly comes off kind of sleazy now, especially with that tough boy anthem energy, but there’s no denying how influential it was for its time.
I don't listen to 90s metal at all, but this was OK.
Entre que soy yo poco metalero y que ellos son nazis lo pillé con pocas ganas, pero al final ni tan mal. El groove metal es menos groove de lo que me gustaría pero hay temas que están potentes. Las vocals sí que me sacan un poco del rollo (no me gusta el metal). Que hubiese tocado RATM el día anterior puso el listón muy alto. Eso sí que eran grooves y no este proto nu-metal.
A raw display of pure guitar bliss.
Quite good for its genre, even though that is generally not my thing. I prefered the thrashier songs. 3.5 stars
Cool riffs, but I just can't get on with metal vocals. If this were an instrumental album I'd like it a lot more. Having said that, listening to a bunch of metal albums from this list has kind of made it grow on me slowly. If I'd heard this as the first album, I'd probably rate it a 1 or a 2
This Love // By Demons Be Driven //
Loud shocking hard metal vulgar
At first this did not catch my ear. Then it grew on me a bit. Still not really my style but a decent listen.
Not bad but I guess I like Thrash, Death and Blsck Metal more. This reminds me of Nu Metal which I can’t stand.
Fucking Hostile > walk > mouth for war Always here for an angie shout and this album delivers. Behind the emotion there is a lyrical cadence and guitar solos / riffs that I can get behind. There’s a reason this one is double platinum and feels like people were waiting for someone to go sicko mode in 1992
I respect the craft, but Pantera is definitely a little heavier than I like my metal. I enjoyed a few of the songs, but overall its just not my vibe.
Re: statement from a couple weeks ago of me not being a metal guy My exposure to Pantera is limited to Sandy Cheeks’s workout routines and the couple songs my dad uploaded to my iPod when I was 12. This was an aggressively fine choice. Good but nothing great.
I wonder if all of the bands on this list are also annoyed that their songs go from excellent to okay once their singers start.
Overall, not a bad album, maybe a tiny bit too intense for my liking, but I was familiar with Walk, but the rest sounded pretty much the same. I would say that this is alright, but only in certain cases, whenever you feel like listening to that kind of music.
Was never super into this band. This album as a whole is okay.
I like the thrash metal instrumentals but the screaming vocals are a bit much. It's a good album but I'd much rather listen to any of the early Metallica albums instead. Walk is the highlight for me.
Joa. Metal am Morgen vertreibt Kummer und Sorgen.
Instrumentals heavy and goes v hard, vocals not my thing (A little grating and imo didn't sound mixed well with the instrumentals), growing on me through the album, by the end I can see why people like it but not my thing :)
That was a power chord workout. I'm exhausted.
Super tight playing with a unique reverb free guitar tone, Van Halen style playing on the solos with a bit more aggression. Great soundtrack for lifting weights or rioting.
Great album. I never rocked out a PowerPoint in my stupid little cubicle so fast
Sonically, I really dug this album, even if it was a harder sound than I typically prefer. The rhythms and tempo changes were captivating. hard-charging, and infectious. How do they play that damn fast?!? Where the album lost me is in the vocals. Don’t get me wrong, the lead singer has a cool voice, but it’s not for me. Overly aggressive, angry singing isn’t my vibe. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the introspective and socially conscious lyrical content. This album is a hard one to rate. I’m glad I listened to it and learned more about who Pantera is, but I’m not sure I’d revisit any of it. It’s too heavy for my soul.
Funny, catchy, memorable guitar riff in the first track. Albums that start off with a bang are always worth paying attention to. Unfortunately, Pantera goes down the well-trodden path of "recruit an absolutely horrendous and incredibly stereotypical singer (for the genre)". In fact, the singing isn't bad when it follows a melody – but it rarely does. Walk is a clear standout because the singer manages to squeeze a good melody out of the very strained and painful singing. In contrast, there are a few songs towards the album's tail end that sound identical to one another – which could be partly due to sonic exhaustion after half an hour of monotonous noise (with some highlights). Rise, Regular People, and By Demons Be Driven are the main culprits here. Live in a Hole would be too, but it's saved entirely by its guitar solo near-ish the end. This Love is excellent. It's a great compromise between the darkly horrific scream-vocal style and a similarly dark, more brooding, much more musical feel. A slow, extended blues progression can be hit-or-miss, but in this track it works wonders. Easily the best song on the record. Hollow, the album closer, is in close second in virtue of sounding like the gates of heaven compared to the nigh-torturous run of tracks before it (from Rise to By Demons Be Driven.) Those harmonised guitars... man. And that soft, sparkling arpeggio guitar in the back. And Anselmo's back to his singing voice, which is orders of magnitude better than whatever the heck he was doing before. 3/5 Key tracks: Walk, This Love, Hollow
2.5-2.7 ISH, didn't like the vocals that much, not a massive metal fan. However, the instrumentals were quite good throughout the album, maybe I would get more used to the vocals on future listens?
"skat vi har altså Metallica derhjemme" Sådan føles det lidt at høre Pantera for mig. Jeg er dog overrasket over hvor meget jeg egentlig nød at høre meget af det, dog i moderation. Jeg skal ikke bede om det hele på en gang. Så Metallica noddet skal også ses lidt som et kompliment, men heller ikke mere end det. Tror at jeg til enhver tid ville vælge Metallica over Pantera. Men "Walk" er en kæmpe banger jo! Og "This Love" havde også en fed power ballade ting kørende, hvis jeg skal fremhæve et par tracks. 2.5-3
-was expecting some corny hair metal BS but i ended up kinda fuckin with this. still far from my preferred style of metal but i enjoyed the harsh vocals and slower, more atmospheric stuff -gets a decent 3.5 -Favorites: This Love, Hollow
I don’t see the difference to Metallicas Justice for all. Maybe a bit groovier. Less intellectual. But how exactly was this influential? I liked some of the songs (Mouth for war, Live in the hole. Hated the middle part (especially walk. Found this one stupid). A bit monotonous.
Not my thing, but Pantera is iconic and this is a good album.
I certainly understand why this album made the list. It is a huge shift in the metal genre - brutality of sound and relentless riffing. But for me, I dislike the songs, the guitar tones and the overall posture/image of the band.
Never really got into Pantera but I like a few of the riffs on this one.
Solid thrash metal album! I kind of wanted a little more bass, but it still was good. Too bad dime bag Darrel was such a piece of shit.
Pantera is one notch above slayer for me. Still not enough melody to revisit full albums often, but occasional song on a playlist hits just right.
Ok
It’s fine for what it is… I think I like the music more than the vocals which is probably a little related to Phil Anselmo’s later spiral. Overall it’s not bad but not really my go to style for music.
Lively
Really like the seamless transitions between songs. Not a fan of the lead singer's voice. It's very stereotypical metal, nearly screamo. Some great guitar work and decent lyrics. 6/10
Walk What did you say? Respect Walk Are you talking to me? Simpler times
Aff
I am always confused by the name groove metal, because if you are expecting metal with funky rhythms, you’d be disappointed. Subtle this album is not but if you want riffage and aggression you would be in the right place.
While it's not quite my taste, I still enjoyed listening to it. I'm also glad to see some more metal representation on the list. Overall it was fine, I wouldn't go out of my way to reach for it again but I wouldn't turn it off if it was playing
I had fun
Some cool and memorable riffs. Definitely not an energy that I can really associate with, but still can be a fun listen.
Vulgar Display of Power may be held as Pantera's ultimate statement, but it's fine. Yes, the vocals are good, Dimebag's guitar-playing is stellar, but the overall hyper-agro feel of the album wears on the ear. When combined with the knowledge of who Anselmo has revealed himself to be in the last decade, the album becomes even harder to listen to. I used to like Pantera a lot as a teenager, and it was nice to revisit this record, but it just isn't as good as I remember.
Seems decent like well made but just not what I’m feeling like right now
Can I just shock you? I like Pantera. I put this off for a very long time, on the assumption it would be - your friend and mine - dreadful noise. It is in many ways, it's loud, abrasive and in yer face, but it's also melodic, skilled, varied and has, with the last song, an quite hefty emotional gut punch. Well done Pantera, this was about as good as you're going to get from me.
cheesy godflesh
I like music but vocals too yelly
90s Avenged Sevenfold. More annoying than metal. The hits are ok, This Love being the best. But the formula-driven guitar chugging and yelling all seem thin after a few songs.
A competent Heavy Metal album where the lead vocalist sound like he really needs to get some medication for his sore throat. My favourite track on the album was "Walk". I also liked the track "This Love" which sounded more like Nirvana at times.
I'm not a big metal fan but l like some songs very much. I find this album ok but I miss something. Somehow the songs are too similar but in total ok.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Rest In Power Dimebag⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ And fuck that other guy! Calvin Coolidge, whoever the fuck
A little more melodic than some of the other metal albums we’ve had. Not really my thing though.
https://youtu.be/Yy_XpN-PFNc?si=PFf8AXlr-qUkiAOm
I didn't particularly like this, I'm not sure why.
Unexpectedly fun listen.
Blind album and artist. Once I got listening, it got me in a groove, but i can't stay in the groove all the time or go out of my way to play this.
Grew out of metal, but this album is a classic for the genre. The Walk is a good song even if I have to be in the mood for it. Overall, it is what it is: great for the genre.
Très groovy et headbangy mais rien d'extraordinaire.
Still not used to growly vocals, although the composition is good
Good album. Vulgar display of vocal cord abuse. Love “Walk” though: “Can’t you see I’m bothered by persistence? … Be yourself, by yourself. Stay away from me.” What great lyrics.
Good
Idk what to call it but the rhythm riff style works well for them but it does get a bit monotonous after a while. I couldn’t really tell. A huge difference between the songs form just the music. Lyrics were cool enough overall but I felt like I should be working out in a basement to get the most out of them. Between a 2/3. Nothing really bad about it I just wanted some variety or emphasis on the different things those instruments can do.
this usually isn't my genre of choice, but i did find myself enjoying the album as i got further into it. i feel like the second half of the album actually got more melodic, and the first half was reserved for the intensity that you would expect from a metal band, but overall i was pleased with it. my only real exposure to Pantera was guitar hero 2, and Cowboys From Hell, so this was a pleasant surprise.
Some of these riffs are insanely heavy. This album boasts the cringiest moment in metal history though…..”WALK ON HOME, BOY” Pantera rests in a grey area. Equal parts awesome, heavy, mean and douchy
11/1001 Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power Heard before? ❎ Revisit? 🫳 On the whole, I do like this album, but it's one of those that I would have to be in the mood for. However, I can appreciate just how influential it's been on metal in all of its forms.
Pantera is quite a controversial band, especially now in 2025. However you feel about them, this record permanently changed metal. They made it more aggressive, but more groovy at the same time. It has that Southern stank to it. "Mouth for War", "A New Level", "Walk", "Fucking Hostile", and "This Love" are all standout tracks.
I like metal but have never listened to a Pantera album before. I was OK I feel but nothing ground breaking or anything interesting enough to make me listen again or try an another album. Quite sort of generic really…
It's not my usual go-to, but this isn't too bad. I like the mad guitars. It's a bit too much guttural screaming for me and got a bit much after a while. "Walk" brings back memories of attending "Freak Night" night club when I was a kid. Lovely stuff.
Really don't have much to say. Classic metal and kinda epic but not really my style. I can respect it for what it is and it's legacy though. A lot of the songs sound the same... A New Level is probably my favorite?
My throat hurts listening to this. Slightly heavier Metallica. Got kind of bored of the singing snd similar guitar riffs after about 3 or 4 songs. 5/10
Given the fact that the other metal "Gods" on this list really disappointed me with their full albums, I had pretty low expectations of this going into it. Thankfully, I was wrong, and this was better than I originally thought it would be. Pantera keeps it pretty simple and their songs don't jump all over the place for no reason. Each song has their own lane and it stays in it. The only thing I didn't like was the singer, just not my cup of tea, but he's bearable.
Not my usual cup of tea, but I got hyped listening to this on the way to work.
I am not the biggest Heavy Metal fan. I like some of it. The dividing line for me in terms of how fast it can be for me to like it is oddly enough Pantera. I can handle Pantera, but when it gets much faster (with some exceptions) I don't care for it because the music makes me anxious. This is a good album. The guitar playing, drumming and even the bass playing (which you can hear here in contrast to other metal albums) are all excellent. This would be a 4 but for the terrible singing and lyrics. The lyrics may not even really be that bad and would be neither a positive or negative if sung by an even semi decent singer. 2.5/4
hurjaa menoa
Wow, hardest thing I have listen to. One song I knew previously, but might be too hard for me overall.
I can understand why this album is beloved. There's a lot of range here as well, not a 1 tonal album.
I’m happy that this genre does something special for others. That’s good for them and I guess it my loss that I found this a bit one note. Fantastic workout album but I’d definitely not revisit it as it didn’t make me feel much of anything. Fantastic production work and the whole band is TIGHT, but I’m not much of a fan of screaming/yelling lyrics (also some of these lines are a bit embarrassing and work only when yelled in context, so… sure I guess) All that being said, it’s fine. I enjoyed the slower moments. My standouts: Walk This Love Hollow
I generally enjoy groove metal and had heard some Pantera before, but never this album. Dimebag Darrell can fucking shred, but there weren't any standout songs on the album. Some of the lyrics were questionable and it distracted from my enjoyment of the instrumentation in a few songs.
There is certain metal bands that I like, but I have never really sought out Pantera. So I was coming into this album totally fresh, not really knowing any of these songs. There are some definite highlights here, but overall it was kind of a mixed bag for me. Walk is pretty cool tune. I guess it's their most played song on Spotify, so theoretically it's their most popular song. Does that equal the best? Not necessarily, but it can be indiciative, and if this is the best it gets, I quickly realized this wasn’t going to be a 5 star album. I liked Rise as well. I'm usually very amazed by how guitarists/drummers can play as fast as they do in certain metal songs. Rise is one of those tunes at different times. This song reminded me of Helmet's Unsung at points, which should be obvious to anyone who knows both (released around the same time). That's a tune I love, so I was drawn into Rise in a similar fashion. Meanwhile, Hollow was a cool closing track. It kind of blows me away that the album just goes along kicking you in the face the whole time, and then we get to Hollow, whose first half is a complete departure from everything else you just heard. It gives me a bit of a One by Metallica feel, even if it isn't nearly as long or as epic. Regardless, a great closer to this album. All the same, I see how people would predominantly only have two ratings on this - great (5) or truly horrible (1). With bands like these, there is limited middle ground, though perhaps amazingly that's where I landed. Some good songs. But remember when I said I’m typically amazed by really fast playing? That happened on the vast majority of these tunes, which led to some boredom, as most of this record ended up sounding pretty homogenous to me. I see how people could be into this, it's just not my thing other than in small doses. That said, it was worth the listen and I picked up a few new tunes for my own library, which means it wasn't time wasted.
very different compared to what i usually listen to. very enjoyable and reminded me of the time i used to listen to punk although this album isn’t punk at all.
kom mér á óvart. frekar mikið af góðum riffum en einhæft og nokkuð þreytandi. talsvert sundurslitin hlustun. gef þessu því 3,5.
A quite enjoyable and appropriate level of angst for an accompaniment to my weekly Tesco shop.
Another hard-rock, metal album that I am inclined NOT to like. Musically I appreciate the variety in tempo and tone from song to song. This is on perfect display on "This Love" which slows things down and offers a beautiful example of shifting dynamics. But the singing style is relentlessly aggressive and in your face, which keeps me from buying in. 3 stars
Ne znam je li u pitanju neka deluzija jer bih trenutno radije bila u moshpitu nego gdje jesam ali ovo nije grozno. Najdosadniji tip metala, ali je barem neka smislena buka.
Its awesome, really, but a bit too hard for me
Washing machine-inspired sound. A bit dated but still good enough
Crazy that they named a band after the pretty, pink flower from Terraria
Meh
Some good stuff. Second tier behind other metal of the time.
Its ok, most of it is kinda flat other than the 2 main singles, and the last track. Pantera are just great at ballads
Has this back to back with Megaderh and not really being a metal fan this wasn't my ideal soundtrack while I was staying away in London. It was fhough a considerable step up in quality from that shite. I knew This Love before and a couple of the other songs, I find the constant aggression in the music and themes exhausting so a low 3.
Heavy metal is so hyper-masculine. I kinda did like "This Love" bc it sounded more hardcore than heavy metal
Some catchy riffs, Walk being the standout. Never really clicked with Pantera when I first got into metal. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
Fun riffage. Gets old quickly though. 2.5
I remember when I first heard Pantera in elementary school, I though this was the heaviest shit ever, and almost too heavy to bare. It's surprising to me how soft their music sounds now that I've listen to a lot more metal. I mean, it's still on the heavier side, but it's so far from some of the most heavy music out there. I find that when riffs are as slow as they are here, they need to be very heavy and groovy for me to like them, and this album, despite begin classified as groove metal, often delivers on neither of these aspects (there are still some good ones, through, like in This Love). The overall quality of the riffs is fine, but none of them blew my mind. Actually, the faster, thrashy songs here (Fucking Hostile, Rise) were my favorite by far, but these are the ones that divert the farthest from the rest of the album's soundscape, so it's not really a compliment. I don't know, I was expecting more.
Separating the artist from the art is always something I struggle with - this is one of those cases where it's particularly difficult. This album feckin rips. It's hard from the beginning and doesn't relent. The guitar work on it is beautiful and really makes it shine. It's novel, and stands apart from other metal albums in the same era. I do think Pantera are a great example of a band that should have quit while they were ahead though. Famously they fell apart because they hated each other. Dimebag was murdered, and then Phil went full-on Nazi. Unforgiveable. It's not the first album I would recommend to a budding metalhead, but I do think it's an excellent signpost that could point you in the direction of the kind of metal you might like because it does an awful lot. All-in, I really like it, but I can't award it more than 3* because of the 3 decades of controversy
Better Than Coldplay.
My standing issue with these metal albums is that they seem to establish one sound and then ride it way longer that it has any need. The screechy growly unclean vocals are fun for a little bit, but they need contrast to really say much. While the soaring guitar solos all feel about the same by the end. I don't understand music well enough to know why this just doesn't hit like Judas Priest, but it doesn't. This Love is good because it changes the style of music for the first time on the album, which I think demonstrates my complaint precisely. Was gonna round up to 3, but I feel like I've been waiting on this to end for a while so Imma round this 2.5 to a 2.
Not super surprising, I’m sure, that I enjoyed this. Groovy and angsty and long!
Fun and loud!
this was pretty fun... fast!!
Not my favorite genre but pretty good
I like the instrumentals of metal, I dig the vibe
Better than I thought
Not my kind of music, but i kind of like these thrash metallic vibes. There are some progressive elements and usually these records are really well recorded and mixed. For this kind of soundscape anyway. Not my favorite, but wouldn't mind hearing it again sometime in the future...
Such a welcome surprise on this listening exercise. Also really cool album but it contain one major flaw from my point of view. While reaching sixth track I was rather sure that I would already mentally be on last tracks. Album doesn't evolve or kinda go anywhere. And sounds bother me also as s representation of time.
No knowledge of this band at all. Good melodic thrash metal.
panetra
Enjoyed it, but not really to my taste.
So much screaming. I can do metal for a song or two, but a whole album is just to much to ask. That being said, I do think I would enjoy listening to most of these songs as one offs.
Great representation of its genre, but I just don’t have the energy for this kind of music these days.
Not as bad as I anticipated rhythmically interesting at times in ways that typical metal does not achieve.
I liked it more than I thought I would, but some of the tunes felt as though they blended into each other in a way that was hard to discern from one another.
Listened to most of this while waiting for the night to end during the traitors: 10/10 perfect vibe powered me thru to the end. But also not great cuz I don’t rly like music like this lol.
Apparently Pantera is okay
One could probably switch singers and players with other metal bands and couldn’t tell the difference. Another way of saying they all sound very much alike.
Pretty solid metal album
It has its moments, but nothing really drew me in. I would have loved it when I was 14 though. 3.5/5
I’m into it
Probably a good day to get a metal album, as I listened to it on a run (although my slow run turned faster than I intended). Didn't hate it - it rocks pretty hard, and I appreciate the clean production allowing the musicianship to come through, and the vocals weren't too roary. I'm sure this is because I'm not a regular listener to the genre, but the tracks did start to sound a bit samey after a while.
Good energy
Something about this makes my brain freeze over. I have no thoughts.
Non esattamente il mio genere ma apprezzabili.
gets a pass because it’s a best friend favorite and pretty entertaining all around but very much just not music for me. sorry to all my conservative metalheads i hope you’ll forgive me
Not quite my gender
Essential album in the evolution of Thrash metal as it grew out of its 80's infancy and continued to spread in the 90's.
Sounded like Metallica. I suppose it's good if you like metal, but not really my cup of tea.
It was pretty easy to overlook Pantera because they didn't have the same commercial appeal to Metallica and other metal bands. Also, I feel like I lumped them in with like Slipknot because their fans looked like a bunch of freaks. I had heard Walk before (shoutout the Madden 2010 soundtrack) and that song still is a standout here. Pantera feels like a metal-head's favorite band because they didn't try to distill anything. This Love is probably the closest they get to sounding like Metallica. It is ironically my second favorite track from this album behind Walk. Everything else is not up my alley for music, but you got respect how much these guys shred. Landed at a 3.5 here, but skew more towards a High 3.
Metal is basically one of my bread and butter genres, however I didn't really get into the genre until I was in college, and by that time, I was mostly into bands like Mastodon and Gojira, branching out into more technical, atmospheric stuff like Dillinger, Converge, Wolves in the Throne Room, Krallice, Gorguts, ISIS, etc ("hipster" metal, if you will, lol). So groove metal (aside from whatever Gojira mixed into their music) was never really my thing. Kinda always found it too "meathead" for my tastes. That said, while I probably wouldn't go back to listening to Pantera after this, it's definitely a good fun listen. Rhythms on drums are great, Dimebag's guitar work is fantastic, Anselmo has got a unique voice somewhere between Hetfield and Jens Kidman (Meshuggah). Walk sounds like one of those songs that are somehow 90's as hell, but also timeless. Not really my thing as far as metal goes, but it earns it's place on this list, not just from its influence and legacy, but just being a solid as hell metal album.
A bit of blasphemous of me to say so, but I think this ambit would have worked better as an E.P. with the best songs collated on it, instead of a lacklustre album that initially fooled us with its harder sound.
The guys from that one SpongeBob episode!? Jokes aside, this album makes you want to dive head first into a brick wall at full speed. Not a fan of metal but certainly respected it. 7/10.
Solid.
This is not bad but not a genre I'm into
I really wanted to love this album, and at the beginning I was into it, but I had trouble getting through it unfortunately. That could have something to do with my personal tastes, but it's meaningful. I see this as the perfect transition album between 80s hair metal and 90s heavy metal. It's clear that bands like Avenged Sevenfold worship these guys, and that they were really trying to take the things they liked about the 80s and inject it with raw energy, making metal abrasive again. Dimebag kills it and I love the sound. It's just that the songs aren't as gripping as I'd hope. It's an odd one too because depending on how a song was striking me I considered 2 or 4 stars, so I think 3 is the right answer for me.
I really liked the drums, the bass, and the guitar The grooves. I could see how it would influence some other metal bands that I know better. But I just couldn't ever really get into it.
Doesn't really seem to ebb or flow, very constant and wore me out.
awesome guitar work as usual, but this band definitely has like 2 albums better than this and there’s some songs on this i already forgot lmao
Good for heavy metal I guess. Most songs sound the same to me. The song “No Good” is pretty good.
Prob 3.5
It’s still not very often I want to listen to metal and some of this the vocals are too harsh for my taste. “But be yourself, by yourself, are you talking to me”is incredibly hilarious. Regina George school of metal.
3.3 stars rounded down. Aggressive, raw and engaging but the album and many tracks are too long and west out their welcome.
Good album.
I didn’t love it. However, if I was in the mood for it, I can totally see why someone would like the music. It’s not my cup of tea. But while it was hard core rock, it had some musicality to it. I get it, just don’t enjoy it much
3.2 Got a bit tiresome by the end of it, but that more on the vocal than anything else. Cant really argue its influence, to this day. There are still skids walking around with Pantera shirts
I like the energy that Pantera brings, but this one divulged into a slower style that went on for just a bit too long. This album almost feels like it has shades of jam band in it. I felt like I got in a rhythm a lot of times when it had my attention. 3.5 but I'm rounding down for length and the fact that I likely won't listen to this one again.
For some reason I always thought of Pantera as a later 90's/early 00's band. Then realized that I'm not sure I know a single Pantera song. This shit is heavy af. I really enjoy the instrumentals but the scream singing I can only take so much of. Of course then we get This Love which doesn't immediately scream in my face. That was probably my favorite song on here. Hollow is also starting out solid. Going low 3 on this one - just not my jam.
For what it was, I didn't mind this. Don't think I'll listen again though.
Noisy as hell, definitely annoying, but deserves to be on this list. Felt like a lot of the same thing over and over but it was so atypical that it would be hard to get tired of it. Extra points for the cover Fav Songs: Mouth for War, This Love, Hollow