Vulgar Display Of Power

Was alright, songs got a bit repetitive though

The greatest sense of relief when it ended

I liked this a lot. The singer is the weakest link, though. I like how clean the guitar and drums sound. Clean maybe isn’t the right word but it’s not muddied down like a lot of metal bands do with their stuff.

I must confess that this one kind of bored me. I wish I had more commentary on what specifically I didn't like, other than that I thought it was plodding and repetitive. Nothing interesting really going on here in terms of song structure; I'm told that these guys are more rhythm-oriented which, in theory, should appeal to me, but nothing here really piqued my interest.

had a good grove to it to start with but got grating quickly

A new low.

Not a fan of this era of metal. If I could give zero stars, I would. I got 3/4 of the way through before throwing in the towel. Genuinely, one of the worst albums I’ve heard.

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.

I tried. But Pantera won.

Classic, pure metal. Impossible not to head bang.

In all honesty, this hasn't aged well. I still like Walk and it's one of those songs I'll keep around as a song I need for workouts or to release some anger. But, an entire album of this white anger is way too much. Also, Phil Anselmo is a scumbag. RIP DImebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.

Lots of clean power chords, and alright yet uninspired drums. Vocals made this a difficult listen, and the songs were very same-y and repetitive. Not a Pantera fan after this album.

Way too much brutal energy and shouting for me. Couldn’t get through it. Not my thing.

I asked my husband if he listened to this album in the 90s. He said yes, and that it was their best. I liked some of the songs and added them to my library.

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.

Solid album, but after a while I started losing concentration. Really liked This love tho

Some serious riffage laid down on this album. Some of the solos Dimbag plays are face melting. The "groove" label is interesting, comes through on This Love, but the sound is majorly punk / thrash. Sadly, Phil Anselmo is a c*** and I can't see past it. I don't understand what he's trying to say on No Good (Attack the Radical). That people should move past America's history of racism?

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.

Слишком жёстко для меня. 4 из 10.

After having Iron Maiden earlier this week, this was a definite downgrade. Pretty fucking terrible, to be honest.

I think most agree this is the best Pantera album. I suppose I agree.

I get it that are quite the inspiration in the metal world, but just not my jam

Nah.

IT WAS PERFECT FOR MY MORNING SHIFT

They're jackhammering the road outside my window and this is the perfect thing to have on my headphones to drown it out. Pantera takes the speed and aggressiveness of thrash metal and puts a bit of southern stank on it with riffs that have a sludgy heavy swing to them. You can see why the Nu Metal guys stole this formula and just popped it up a bit to make it a touch more accessible. Fun guitar and bass playing from the full blast high octane solos that never overstay their welcome to the full bore downtuned chugging. Punishing drumming, he's kicking the shit out of the kit. The vocals range from agonized wretching screams to horrifying guttural growls, spewing out mad at the world dumb guy lyrics - good stuff, shame he's a shithead nazi. Ending with a terrible ballad is a hilarious move - who is that for?! lol

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?

Ik ken de hoes, ik ken 'Walk' (iconische riff) en ik weet dat die zanger er uitziet als een gast waarmee je niet wil kutten. Als iemand eruit ziet alsof 'ie kan flippen omdat je perongeluk net iets te vrolijk uit je ogen kijkt is hij het. En dan schijnen er nog wat incidenten met z'n rechterarm te zijn. Niet fraai. Maar terug naar het album. Dit is geen gezellig metal-album voor familiegelegenheden met een mooi 'Nothing Else Matters'je ertussen (al lijken ze met die laatste track wel een poging te doen). Dit is echt van die boze metal. Snelle thrash, maar dan met bozer geschreeuw. Ik vind het voor een keer wel geinig, maar dit is niet helemaal mijn hokje. Ik heb het dan vanaf een nummer of twee na 'Walk', of misschien eigenlijk iets eerder al, eigenlijk wel gezien en gehoord. Daarna is het met gepaste tegenzin uitzitten geblazen. Ik vind het vet hoe hard dit is, maar een heel album is voor mij teveel. Ik ga deze op twee sterren zetten.

high energy heavy metal music. there's plenty of albums that i've personally reviewed that make you want to headbang and this one is probably the most INSANE example of that. it's torture to not move your head up and down. compared to other anti-authority and political metal bands, this one is just straight up aggressive to the core. less "fuck the world we're in", more "fuck you dude i wanna deck you in the face". it gets fast but it's never messy, it's all planned out neatly from start to finish.

oh my goddd YAWNNNNN!!! i hate this type of music so fucking much bro.

If it makes you happy It can't be that bad If it makes you happy Then why the hell are you so sad?

A good example of my gripe with metal. Some of the songs had fun instrumentation but the vocals were annoying as hell (if you can call screaming vocals).

Good, old metal, methodical and constant

Album starts off with power, ends with power. The whole thing is a vulgar display of power. And confidence. Just saw these guys open for Metallica in Santa Clara. They still rock even though Dimebag and Vinnie are no longer with us. Zakk Wylde is a fine replacement for Dimebag though. This album though... should be in the Bible of Metal albums you must hear if you even think about calling yourself a fan of heavy metal. 3.77/5 = 4 stars.

I had a whole review typed up trashing this one, but it actually kinda grew on me. I still think the indiscriminate screaming doesn’t work, but some of this does. It would really be a 3, but minus one star for this guy apparently being Nazi trash.

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

Not my style.

Displays of power are always vulgar, no?

Dope

Don’t go for all his politics but the music is good

Oh fuck yeah it’s been a while since there was a good metal album on here, and I enjoyed the hell out of this one. Never listened to Pantera before but obviously I’ve heard a lot about them, and after listening to this album I totally get it. May run it back a time or two before the day is over. Must-listen #158.

I liked this album quite a bit, and I think it's a shame. Dimebag is a great guitarist. Vinnie is a solid drummer. I didn't mind Phil's vocals. I haven't heard his voice lately, but he definitely wasn't doing growls/screams properly so if he continued the same away I imagine his voice sounds pretty rough. If I were rating this just as an album: 3/5 If I were rating this based on the band members:0/5

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.

Nur Gebrülle!

A challenging listen. Not terrible

sexy bass! ESPECIALLY in “a new level”. it is a shame that the vocals are lacking because the instrumentation is so scrumptious. “walk” lacked any sort of vocal agility or capability which unfortunately ruined the song (even the insane lead solo couldn’t save it). “this love” feels SO MUCH like a cross between nirvana and nin. furthermore “rise” really felt similar to “march of the pigs” by nin. which i mess with. the tempo changes in “live in a hole” are really satisfying. really good overall (except for “walk”). still, i think everything else is so good that it negates how bad walk was. 5/5.

First listen, although I was vaguely aware of Pantera; Dimebag Darrell being a well regarded guitarist before his murder, and Phil Anselmo a huge douche. I really dug this. Not high art, but more variety and groove than I expected.

If you want white supremacist political opinions from metal artists go listen to Burzum, the music is much better. (This is satire, from a liberal leftie) x

Ok 2/5

Not my usual cup of tea, but I got hyped listening to this on the way to work.

Not for me Clive. I tried, I really did, apparently Walk is the essential song on this. I won't be revisiting.

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

A bit hostile for my taste. Ended on a high note tho.

Leider habe ich dafür überhaupt nichts übrig... Zu laut, zu dumpf, zu breitbeinig. 1/5

ehh it was alright but im not super into this kind of music so i didnt love it too much. Overall: 2/5

hurjaa menoa

Wow, hardest thing I have listen to. One song I knew previously, but might be too hard for me overall.

Negative. Not for me.

Aggressive

I can understand why this album is beloved. There's a lot of range here as well, not a 1 tonal album.

Huge, groove-laden and heavy. An immense metal 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.

I have the same problem with this album that I did with Metallica's black album: there isn't enough variety. It's all well and good for a band to have a unified, distinctive sound, but I do want to hear different ideas. "Hollow" was a nice change in texture, but too late.

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.

Probably one of the best metal albums oat. Don’t think there was single bad song on the album. My personal favorite song was hollow.

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

When I first started getting into metal, I really didn't care much for Pantera. I liked Walk and that was about it. Over time I've grown an appreciation for them and it makes for great workout music. High energy guitar riffs and a vulgar display of power.

Used my mouth for war

Don't be silly. For incels and 13 year old boys only.

Ts is not tuff vro 🥀

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.

One of my favourite 90’s metal albums.

the title says it all

perfect album name, perfect album cover, promotes exactly how the album is; so aggressive and so in your face, hell yeaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Heavy metal. Not my thing

It's loud and in your face but that's about where it ends for me. Not that exciting to me, overall. I'm just not much of a thrash metal person, though.

Vulgar Display of Power is a chaotic mess that’s definitely not my type of music. Even if it were, the vocals and drums feel weak, and most of it just sounds like noise to me. My ears still feel violated.

I got this album served to me on a Monday, and I've put off listening to it all week. Decided to just get it over with, and I hate it just as much as I expected. I don't like metal, I don't like screaming, it's all just too much and overwhelming. It's not enjoyable, and my ratings are purely based on my own personal listenability. This is literally not fun. I don't even want to give this a repeat listen, like I did with my other 1-star hard rock album. It's just a no for me, I got through it, and never need to again. I DID listen front to back though. I’ll give every album an honest listen.

Heavy riffs aggressive lyrics great music for gym walk is and always will be one of the greatest riffs of all time happy to have my first metal album looking forward to more

It's loud. I'm not particulary a fan of metal and this didn't change with this album. Some of the guitar parts were cool, reminescent of Nirvana or Alice in Chains, but it was mostly just loud screaming and guitar.

Its awesome, really, but a bit too hard for me

I find it so funny that the cliched sound in this scene involved such HUGE guitar sounds but such wet-cardboard drum sounds. And the demon-affectation of those vocals are not something I want or need to hear. Guitars + 4 stars Drums - 1 star Vocals - 2 stars

I was in 7th grade. And this was the greatest thing on Earth. One indelible memory about this album: my buddy Cory and I were hanging out at his house after school. We happen to look out the window and noticed a pair of Mormon missionaries making their way up his street. Quickly we started Vulgar Display and cranked it up to full volume. The Mormon boys knocked for a while and finally we threw open the door right as Phil belts out "FUCKING HOSTILE!!" They both looked around nervously and asked if our parents were home. We thought we were so funny. We were.

Their 6th album. Heavy metal / Thrash metal and some Grunge type vibes. Walk is a track that's lyrically hilarious and not in a good way. RE..SPECT ! WALK! Over and over again. This album sounds like the same bass and guitar chords played over and over again at either fast or super fast speeds. However you also get a track like This Love which had a clichè Grungey vibe. Hollow- The final track, odd ending to the album. Starts out as a Grunge ballad and cheesy. I get it, if you're a Metal / Thrash Metal head this album is important. Just not my thing.

Washing machine-inspired sound. A bit dated but still good enough

Crazy that they named a band after the pretty, pink flower from Terraria

I like pantera they make good heavy music

This only just a 4, more like a strong 3.5. Nothing much is really bringing back except the solos which were wicked. But most the songs themselves are pretty forgettable

Meh

Nope not for me

Some good stuff. Second tier behind other metal of the time.

Ha, ha....no.

Its ok, most of it is kinda flat other than the 2 main singles, and the last track. Pantera are just great at ballads

who unironically listens to sweaty angry men screaming

Puh. Und das gleich nach dem Frühstück. Der letzte Titel ist lustig: Seht her, wir können auch Metallica-Balladen spielen. Ok, es ist sicher innerhalb des Metal-Universums eine wichtige Scheibe. Aber den Rest der Welt hat sie vermutlich nicht beeindruckt. Mich auch nicht.

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

Solid 2.

Ah, yet another album that's effectively a soundtrack of me going to the gym

While a genre that is generally more favorable personally, this didn't quite hit the heights that were hoped for. It still earned a 3.5/5 which will be elevated to 4 for the purposes of distinguishing it from the other votes of 3 which it mostly surpassed. A better balance in vocal strength and instruments would have elevated the album, however the instruments at times over powered periods of vocals.

Not my genre in the first place but I couldn't really find any enjoyable tracks on the album outside of Walk. Definitely too much growling for me, although I'd happily play the album if I was ever in a rage room smashing things to bits. 1.5/5

Some catchy riffs, Walk being the standout. Never really clicked with Pantera when I first got into metal. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

Pantera = Anselmo. Y esito sería. Con una basta, dos ya bostezo, tres ya duermo. Ya terminó lo que el metal duro tenía. Fin.

There are better Pantera albums, but Vinnie Paul is a fuggin legend

One of the albums that saved metal in the 90s!! Not a bad song on here!! An all-time favorite!

Hard metal isn’t my thing these days. They’re good even though it sounds like a Metallica ripoff to me. Punishing guitars and drums, leavened by some more melodic interludes and lyrics about love and loss. Still, the unrelenting ragged growl of the frontman’s voice is too much, tips it into too aggressive and ugly for me now. It’s a 1 not based on artistic merit but to indicate that’s it’s not for me.

Fun riffage. Gets old quickly though. 2.5

La voce da "io so' semibbrutal, mi ascolto i gruppi death metal" stranamente non mi irrita. Molto bella "This Love" e in generale è molto ascoltabile.

I have never listened to Pantera much. I bought one of their albums (Far Beyond Driven) in high school, but my mom found it and was disturbed by the lyrics. She made me get rid of it before I could listen to it more than once. I got into Metallica after the above incident, and my mom didn't have the same issue with them for some reason. This is probably the first time I've listened to Pantera since then, and I really missed out on not listening to them during the years when a teenage boy would REALLY enjoy this style of music. If you like metal at all, you'll love this album. If you don't.. you won't.

Fav songs: Mouth for War; Walk; This Love; Regular People (Conceit) Super fun album IF you like metal. Otherwise at nearly 55 minutes, this would be a long, aural assault. RIP Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.

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.

Pantera is fine. This is fine.

i was wrong about pantera

Somewhere I saw that this is "groove metal." Folks get pretty nerdy about metal subgenres, but I can hear this. Sounds pretty basic in some ways, but probably cause everyone after was imitating. Lyrics about what you'd expect from angry texan and texan adjacent young men I guess.

Interesting riffs, a lot of annoyingly screamy vocals, the tempo of the whole album making it energetic. Metal.

Y'know what fuckin' rules? Metal music. Like, when I said in my BLACK METAL review/babble that I don't have high standards for metal, let's be clear about what I actually am: I'm a metalhead. I just love the sound of this genre, and there's very little in it that's not going to satisfy enough. Like I said, as long as there's loud riffs, thundering drums and some hard-ass lyrics, I'm a damn happy gal! And me being a metalhead is not something I actually think about too often. Like, to me it's just common knowledge that metal music is fuckin' amazing, so it's weird to me whenever I see that people **don't** like it. I was reading negatives reviews for this album on this website and I had to remind myself, "Oh, yeah, most people don't hear this stuff in the same way I do." Particularly this album and this band: good ol' Pantera. The cowboys from and the lords of groove metal. Whatever "groove metal" is supposed to be. Like, even though at this point now I've heard two complete Pantera albums, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what makes this subgenre what it is. I know I ain't the only one wondering how exactly this music "grooves." But that's hardly an issue to me, 'coz whatever this music lacks in groovery, it makes up for tenfold in, like, the exact thing that makes me love this album and other people, y'know, not: the brutality. This is some brutal-ass music. So brutal, in fact, that I almost feel the need to spell it "BROOTAL" so you have an idea of how I say it to reflect how brutal I think this is. This guitar tone, this vocal styling, these lyrics about being pissed off and kicking some unspecified ass in the butt... Yeah, that's all brutal as hell, and it's nonstop for a little over 50 minutes. It's amazing. And actually, the fact that I like this so much is a bit surprising to me. See, before now, although I love metal and a bit of brutality every now and then, I didn't consider myself much a fan of Pantera's album before this, COWBOYS FROM HELL. As far as I know, that's the primordial ooze! The origin point of groove metal! At the very least, it's one of the first-ever groove metal albums.And yet, I'unno. Every time I tried it before now, I just wasn't into it. I suppose I could've just been in the wrong frame of mind back then, but if I had to throw an additional guess on top... Well, maybe this album is just a little more refined? A little tighter in its groove metal-ness? Or maybe it's just because this album has "Walk" and the other one doesn't have a hit on that level to pull me in. For sure, I'll hafta give it another shot... However, I should finish this review first before I dive off on **that** tangent. I can't tell you how the rest of my group is gonna rate an album like this, since the last time they got something approaching brutality was ROOTS by Sepultura, and, well, they weren't a big fan of that... And come to think of it, I wasn't, either... Maybe it was a bit **too** brutal... This album, though? Oh, yeah. Ooooh, yeah. This is the **good shit**, 100%. If you ain't a metal fan, well, this probably just isn't going to convince yah... But for a metal gal like me? Fuck yeah. This: love. Goodness.

Not much to say besides this being some kickass metal. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump down to a 4. Admittedly, I don’t think I have a big soliloquy in me on this one. I think this is a great, great album that just doesn’t quite hit the same bloodrush of intensity as some of the other heavy metal albums we’ve gotten on the list so far. With bands like Black Sabbath, Metallica, Judas Priest, or AC/DC, I’ve found a really nice flow state where I’m in total sync with the band while listening, and I just never got there with this one. Realistically, it’s a multitude of small things that add up. The mixing is awkward in a few spots, & in those moments, the guitar/drums don’t have the presence necessary to fill up the soundscape. The vocals are occasionally too homogeneous in their delivery to the point where the screaming tone totally blanks out the lyrics. Perhaps most egregiously, I think the level of repetition on a good chunk of the outros here makes each track overstay its welcome; not too badly, but just enough to feel annoying. It would be less of an issue if a few tracks didn’t also have intros that last way too long. Those give an immediate “first minute is the whole song” sort of impression that’s hard to shake off. With all of that said, this is still kickass heavy metal, and I’d totally be at a 5 if these things were cleaned up. They’re just too persistently bothersome for me, but this is still a 4, bare minimum. The fact that this has an average below 3 on the site tells me that people either really hate 90s heavy metal, or those issues I mentioned are just amplified to a crazy degree for them. Regardless, I liked this a lot, but it’s just got too many little things for me to give it a 5, at least not on a first pass. It could totally go up though. It’s still a pretty recommended 4, though.

Vulgar and powerful, indeed. This can get you hyped, no matter how old it is or how old you are.

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

The first couple of tracks really blew me away. The guitar sound was just STELLAR. Like almost literally unbelievable. I don't know how I missed this band as a kid... maybe I wouldn't have been ready for it, I don't know. Regardless I was very impressed - They seemed to ditch some of the silly trope-y stuff of 80's metal and stick to the essence of what makes metal great. This record was very impressive on all fronts musically - great vocals, great bass, great drum parts, AMAZING guitar work (seriously just killer). The second half of the record was not as awesome for me - a bit too 'nu metal' I guess? The guitar work stayed phenomenal though. 3 tracks in I was ready to give this a 5 but I was back down to earth by the end of the record.

Better Than Coldplay.

The album is mostly a snoozefest, even when trying to be loud and in your face. There are some interesting ideas here in the lyrics.

What is it about metal bands where they produce a completely homogeneous album and then throw in an actual song as the final track. The whole album blended together for me in a bad way, and my loyal fans already know that I thought it was 10min too long. 2/5 just to separate this from the Korn album.

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.

i can't do this anymore

When I was younger I loved this album... now, it's try hard and knowing what kind of person Phil is, I can't really take it too seriously.

Not my cup of tea

Well, I guess it is my turn to say that an album was probably big for its time, but not much now. It is kind of generic and not that great. I think I only really liked one song.

Not super surprising, I’m sure, that I enjoyed this. Groovy and angsty and long!

Fun and loud!

this was pretty fun... fast!!

April 19, 2025 Album #594: Vulgar Display of Power by Pantera Genre: Groove Metal Keeping up with the Metal streak, I’ve only ever listened to Pantera with that one SpongeBob episode they collaborated on, haha. However, their classic album, *Vulgar Display of Power*, is my first time ever giving them a serious listen. I’m happy to say that I enjoyed myself while listening. Just listening to this I can tell the influence this had on 90s and 2000s Metal. Phil Ansemlo’s melodic yet angry and enthralling vocal performance is awesome here. His yelling contrasted with the ballads on this album show his skill, which I respect. My favorite performance from Phil here is probably on the closer, *Hollow*. It’s a genuinely touching song that only hits deeper when you understand the song’s background, and Phil’s vocals only amplify that. With that in mind, Phil’s amazing yelling being paired with Dimebag Darrel’s extremely raw guitar tone makes for an amazingly good combo. Darrel’s playing is tight, raw, and aggressive. One of my favorite songs on the album, *Rise*, shows this at its extreme, and it’s awesomely heavy. I also appreciate Rex Brown on Bass, especially on the song *Walk*, it being one of Pantera’s most well known songs. Its chorus is very memorable and catchy. That said, there were tracks I thought were just meh, like *Regular People*. However, this album is still very cool regardless of that. I’d still recommend giving this album a listen, it’s a metal classic and I can fully understand why. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Strong 7 to a Light 8 Favorite Tracks: Mouth of War, A New Level, Walk, Fucking Hostile, Rise, No Good (Attack The Radicals), Live In a Hole, By Demons Be Driven, Hollow

Damn. That really was a vulgar display of power, wasn't it? You know what else it was? Pretty frickin' awesome! Pantera is one of the most influential bands within the heavy metal genre. Not quite the most influential, obviously. However, their influence on the groove metal subgenre specifically is not to be understated. For those not in the know, groove metal is a subgenre that's kind of like thrash metal, but a bit slower and filled to the brim with crazy rhythms. Honestly? I love it. This album is full of banger after banger. Let's start by discussing the musicianship at work on Vulgar Display of Power. It's great! All of the band's members provide the intensity that's necessary for a band like this to work. I especially want to highlight the band's guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. His riffs and solos on this album are some of the best I've heard in the genre. Stuff like the riff on the opener, "Mouth for War" and the solo from its most popular song, "Walk" are just legendary. Of course, I also have to discuss the vocals. Phil Anselmo's vocals are just as intense as the instrumentation. I have to respect the ability to scream like he does without completely demolishing his vocal cords. Those two work with bassist Rex Brown and drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott to create a collection of amazing metal songs here. Admittedly, the album is a bit top heavy. That run from "Mouth for War" to "This Love" is just incredible, with the latter of those being the album's best song (in my opinion). The way that that song makes hard jumps from being kind of melancholic to groovy as hell really speaks to me. The latter half does have some great songs though, with "Hollow" being a great closer. Let's talk about the lyrics now! The album seems to have a bit of a common theme dealing with strength. Some songs give off the tough-guy image that Pantera is heavily associated with. "Walk" is the quintessential example of this. I've seen some people call the song overrated, and while I agree that there are better songs on the album, I still really like this song. However, despite the tough guy energy on the album (it's literally called Vulgar Display of Power), there's still some vulnerability on songs like "This Love" and "Hollow" that I can really appreciate as well. The latter half especially has some good messaging, with there being two back-to-back songs that appear to be anti-racist! Of course, it seems as though Phil "White Power" Anselmo has forgotten about his own lyrics, but let's just move past that and close out this review. Is Vulgar Display of Power the greatest metal album of all time? No. I don't think so. But is it like top 10 or 20? Yeah, probably. Between the legendary guitar work, strong lyrical theming, and the sheer influence this album has had on heavy metal, I think Vulgar Display of Power is an album worthy of its reputation. It's pretty great. Low 5/5.

Vulgar Display of Power Is The Greatest Album Ever. I Listen To It With My Buddies Before We Do Airsoft And It Feels Bad A$$! My Wife Doesn't Like Me Playing It All The Time From The Den But My Bro's Don't Care How Loud You Crank The Knob!!! - wraparoundsunglasses11281 the ultimate music for people who intentionally try to hit animals with their cars - thecouncilhasdecidedyourfate i have no idea why the album sounds like this. didn't Terry Date produce White Pony? like, the riffs are fine, but every drum hit sounds way too high pitched, especially that damn snare. if they wanted to make the heaviest album ever, they probably should have stuck with someone who didn't specialize in producing 80s metal. i'm writing this review in a white tank top and sport shorts. i didn't put them on, they just popped onto my body when i hit play. - m_crowley Listened to this album so much on tour in Afghanistan that the CD wore out in my Discman. I didn't even know CDs could do that! Even today, I still come back to "Walk" and feel cool as all get out. I gotta show my kids this! - McLovinFury i'm a 50 year old Black person from Chicago and i listen to Pantera every day! ROCK ON! - wonnywadke47 my dad used to listen to this with me in the car. we were never that close, but he's the reason i got into metal in the first place, and this album is where it all started. even now i still come back to it from time to time. miss you, dad. hope you're alright up there. - puddingthievesforhire All these youngsters playing punk today should bow down if Phil Anselmo ever walks past them -- he's the reason they're even able to do breakdowns int he first place! - EffingHostileTrucker

"Pantera" is music I can't relate to at all. Aggressive guitars, aggressive screaming, aggressive drums, etc., topped off with an aggressive cover. I'm assuming the lyrics aren't about loving your fellow human beings or flowers. I'm sorry, but I absolutely don't need that.

I simply was not in the mood and couldn't be bothered with any thrash doggerel dogma today. And there's one way to stand up to vulgar displays of power: RESIST! I don't much care if Pantera are probably some of the good guys; fuck off, this isn't what my ears want right now. I heard it out diligently (of course) and it just made me feel angry. And now of course that's got me thinking... perhaps that was the point all along ✊🖕🤷‍♂️

Not my favorite genre but pretty good

I really liked Pantera in the late 90s, and preferred the album "Far Beyond Driven".

I like the instrumentals of metal, I dig the vibe

Excellent album that I owned when I was young. I listened to this all the time, it really brought back memories. Great guitar work and vocals. There is a lot of power behind these songs, they are very hard hitting. Definitely listen to this when you are in the right mood. To me it's perfect for the genre and time it came out. I heard them play live one time and the guitarist (Dimebag Darrell) was phenomenal. It was absolutely incredible, like his fingers were floating all over the fretboard. Probably the best live guitar work I have ever heard. Too bad he was killed at a relatively young age.

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.

90s sounds — gotta love ’em! This album is once again one of those base-camp records for my musical taste. The hit songs might feel a bit worn out, but overall, I just really like this one.

While familiar with this album, it was never in heavy rotation, as by 90's I was deep in the extreme/death metal scene and "normal metal" had very little appeal to me. So basically I heard this album song by song from bar jukeboxes and DJs playing it. It's got hooks, a dry sound that was popular in the 90's and it's massively lacking in the bottom end of the soundspectrum. Give me Bolt Thrower any day all day. This however is a decent album, it was very important to many of my friends and did do well in general. Personally I just do not have any passion to go with it.

Endelig litt metal hihi

It's all yelling.

Vulgar attack on my ears. I can appreciate the soundscapes and portrayed anger. But I would never listen to this again. It's too larger-than-my-ears.

Not keen on this. Lyrically terrible and surrounded by noise. I enjoyed the song which chants: “RE - SPECT - WOK”

No knowledge of this band at all. Good melodic thrash metal.

Metal

panetra

Enjoyed it, but not really to my taste.

I knew Walk and always thought it was kind of a cool song even if my friends and I would mostly head-bang to it as a way to be silly. But I've learned that, beyond that song, there is nothing else here for me.

Sounds like the cover. You will run through a wall. I don't like it but my wife has strong feelings

great album

Pedal to the metal Hell Yeah!

If you had no vocals, i would have given this a 4, but minus two for all the unnecessary screaming

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.

No This is one of the newer metal bands I've heard from this list. I don't like metal in general, and I really didn't like this. I prefer the older stuff if I HAVE to listen to metal. Somebody please tell me what is appealing about this genre? About the ridiculous singing voices? About the repetitive nature of the drum parts? Even the guitar parts? What's fun about all the songs always being at the same energy level and rarely dropping? I don't get it and I never will. I have a rule that, unless I really hate an album, it has to get at least two stars because it's still a piece of art that someone worked really hard on, and I can appreciate it for that alone. I can appreciate the craftsmanship, the technical achievements, and production and see that it deserves two stars at a minimum. But I hated this so it gets one star. Not sorry. Standout Track: Mouth for War

There's some good guitarwork like on Live in a Hole and Hollow, but most this album doesn't resonate with me. I prefer metal with higher and more melodic vocals and guitarwork.

One of the reviews for this album called it “punishing.” Another called it “tedious.” Add in loud and you’ve got my summary. Also, WTF was the ballad at the end? 1⭐️

Great representation of its genre, but I just don’t have the energy for this kind of music these days.

Genre defining album. It makes no apologies for "shouting", being too "tedious", or too loud. There should be some indication with an album cover of someone getting punched in the face that it wasn't going to be smooth jazz from a long curly haired guy playing a soprano saxophone.

It`s not my thing!

I appreciate them bringing thrash metal to the fore after Metallica' Black Album. It's needed. I personally am not a fan of speed metal. But racism is absolutely not needed. Hallow, however, is a great mix of genres. 3.5/5

It does exactly what it says on the tin. I just don't think I quite have the energy for this these days. I am pleased that I've found 'Walk' though, which was on a playlist that used to go on at the soccer arena where I used to play indoor ball in Texas, and that comes with some very happy memories. So that's worth a whole bonus star.

1/5 not melodic enough to overcome the screaming

It's raw and visceral and so much dumb fun (even if they're uh, problematic these days)

I'm not going to deny that when I started out I listened to a metric fuckton of Pantera, but eventually I realized how overrated it is and what a subhuman waste of skin Phil Anselmo is. Racist band for wife beaters and rednecks.

It's okay. I guess the riffs are pretty solid, but I don't really see the magic in the album, and Hollow seems disjointed and badly mixed. I guess I could've given it some extra points for being early to the genre, but I'm not feeling it too strongly.

Like a punch to the face. Amazing.

I didn't think I was a metal fan, now I KNOW I'm not a metal fan. Guitar is fine, but vocals are horrendous.

Not as bad as I anticipated rhythmically interesting at times in ways that typical metal does not achieve.

Angry heavy metal

Great album. Exactly what is says on the box - powerful aggressive and violent. This is a no skip album filled with strong tracks. 5/5

1/10…groove-trash metal

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.

As far as metal goes not bad at all! The guitar playing was fucking awesome

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

I like metal and listen to plenty of it so it’s not a genre thing, this is just so boring

So listen, I know this is somebody's jam... but it's not mine. This is probably better discovered at around 17, rather than the 51 I am.

go girl give us nothing.

Nice hard and energetic listen. But a whole album of this kind is a bit too much for me.

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.

zero

I really am going to struggle with most of the metal on this list. I’ve never liked Pantera. Anselmo’s dogshit politics aside, they’re just really fucking boring to listen to. Just endless chugging. When the album ended and Spotify kept playing different Pantera songs I didn’t even realise. Rubbish.

heavy af. makes me want to be 16 wear eyeliner and flip off my parents and do kickflips and steal some dweebs lunch money

Loud and boring with the style of vocals that suggest the singer is trying to sound nasty and brutish but could also be trying to pass a large stool.

Heavy!

Groupe connu de nom uniquement, je suis passé à coté dans les années 90. J'étais à fond dans le black / death / grind metal à cette période. Cet album parait mou par rapport à mes gouts à l'époque ! 33 ans après j'apprécie les riffs, les chorus de guitare et l'ambiance groovy générale. Bonne découverte donc, qui pourrait rejoindre ma collection. =>4/5

A very timely album. Having listened to a lot of Pantera recently and seen them live for the first time ever.

Pretty solid metal album

Inspired by the cool riffage and shredding solos of thrash metal, Pantera took these elements and synthesized them into more groove-centered songs. Hence, groove metal. This was first explored on their previous album Cowboys From Hell, but it was Vulgar Display Of Power that ended up turning the most heads. In my opinion, Vulgar Display is mostly held up by a few solid tracks, particularly the first four. After that, the songwriting begins to stand out a lot less. This is especially tiring past the 40-minute mark, which makes me wish the album wrapped up a bit sooner. Not enough interesting songs to keep me engaged the whole way through.

I have a habit of giving 5's to every album that I already own. Not very subjective I know, but in the early days of me being on this generator it helped with the 'pressure' of rating an album everyday. Plus you're familiar with the album so it kinda makes sense. In all honesty, I want to give yhis a four. I'm familiar with it. But it doesn't reach the levels of Cowboys from Hell. They found the sound they wanted and never gave any other stylistic change a chance. Phill's voice was getting rougher and gone were the more high vocals he sporadically did. They had their groove and dumbguy hardcor vibe and while I have nothing against that, there could have been more to this band. If you're looking for great groove metal you could easily go for Cowboys From Hell or Machine Head's Burn My Eyes or Chaos AD by Sepultura or anything by Rob Zombie. They stick the landing more imo. Still giving this a 5, cause a man who doesn't stick to his guns ain't worth a damn.

Son and husband jammed out to this in the car. Maybe they made this more of a 4 than a 3. 4/5

It has its moments, but nothing really drew me in. I would have loved it when I was 14 though. 3.5/5

Vulgar Display of Diff

I like Pantera, I’ve listened to a few of their tracks and have some of them in my playlists. Not really listened to much else, so this was relatively new. I liked it. It was powerful, heavy and angry. 4 stars for me, enjoyable enough.

2.3 Ah Pantera. The band I tried so hard to like when I was getting into heavy(er) metal. All my friends liked them, Fucking Hostile and Walk were played at literally every club night, and yet I just found them grating. Terrible sound production, a dickhead frontman who brought out the machismo side of the bellends at clubs/festivals that I hated. Just couldn't do it. Really sad to see them on this list, given all the amazing metal bands out there they could have gone for.

Vulgar display of a front man yelling white power and guitars with confederate flags.

Idk why, but I actually fw Pantera's music in general. I think the two albums that came after Vulgar Display of Power are better, but this is still an overall great album with some of the band's best songs. Mid 9

I’m into it

Classic thrash album. Dude's will hear this and say "hell yeah". I saw many shows at the venue where Dimebag Darrel was killed and it definitely looked like a venue where someone would get shot at.

Pantera's *Vulgar Display of Power* (1992) is widely regarded as one of the most influential groove metal albums of all time. Combining raw aggression, technical mastery, and memorable songwriting, the album cemented Pantera's place as a defining force in 1990s metal. Below is an in-depth review focusing on its lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, and a balanced critique of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## Lyrics Lyrically, *Vulgar Display of Power* channels themes of anger, defiance, and introspection. Tracks like **"Fucking Hostile"** express unfiltered rage against societal norms and authority figures with lines such as "The truth in right and wrong / The boundaries of the law," which critique hypocrisy in law enforcement[2]. Similarly, **"Rise"** calls for unity against oppression, while **"Mouth for War"** turns personal frustration into motivation. On the other hand, songs like **"This Love"** and **"Hollow"** delve into emotional vulnerability. "This Love" explores the struggles of a toxic relationship, while "Hollow" addresses loss and grief, making it a spiritual successor to "Cemetery Gates" from *Cowboys from Hell*[1][2]. Despite the album's aggressive tone, these tracks reveal a surprising depth in Pantera's songwriting. However, some critics argue that the album leans too heavily on "tough-guy" posturing in tracks like **"Walk"**, which has been both celebrated for its simplicity and criticized for its perceived machismo[5]. While the lyrics resonate with many listeners as empowering, they can also come across as one-dimensional. --- ## Music Musically, *Vulgar Display of Power* represents Pantera's full embrace of groove metal. Dimebag Darrell’s guitar work is central to the album’s identity. His riffs are heavy yet groovy, with tracks like **"Walk"** featuring simple yet iconic chugging patterns that have become synonymous with the genre[3][7]. His solos are equally impressive, blending bluesy phrasing with shredding techniques that showcase his technical prowess. Vinnie Paul’s drumming is tight and dynamic, providing a solid backbone to the grooves. Tracks like **"By Demons Be Driven"** and **"Live in a Hole"** highlight his ability to shift between pounding rhythms and intricate fills[5]. Rex Brown’s bass work complements Dimebag’s riffs effectively but rarely takes center stage. Phil Anselmo’s vocal performance is raw and visceral. He abandons the high-pitched falsettos of earlier albums for a more aggressive style that alternates between shouting and melodic singing. While this approach suits the album’s tone, some fans miss the vocal diversity showcased on *Cowboys from Hell*[2]. Despite its strengths, some critics have noted a lack of variety in the riffing. Many songs rely on mid-tempo grooves and similar structures, which can feel repetitive over the course of the album[2][5]. --- ## Production The production on *Vulgar Display of Power* is both a strength and a point of contention. Terry Date’s work ensures that every instrument is clear and punchy. Dimebag’s guitar tone is particularly noteworthy—thick, heavy, and razor-sharp[3]. The drums are crisp and impactful, enhancing the album's aggressive energy. However, some critics have described the production as overly polished or "stinky," arguing that it sacrifices rawness for accessibility[2]. This has led to debates about whether the album represents a commercialized version of Pantera’s sound compared to their earlier work. --- ## Themes Thematically, *Vulgar Display of Power* is an exploration of strength—both physical and emotional. The album resonates with listeners who feel marginalized or oppressed. Tracks like **"A New Level"** celebrate self-empowerment, while others like **"No Good (Attack the Radical)"** confront societal issues such as racism[4]. The juxtaposition of aggression and vulnerability adds depth to the album. For example, while "Fucking Hostile" exudes unrelenting anger, "Hollow" provides a poignant reflection on loss. This balance makes *Vulgar Display of Power* more than just an angry metal record; it’s an emotional journey. --- ## Influence The impact of *Vulgar Display of Power* on metal cannot be overstated. It helped define groove metal as a genre and inspired countless bands with its emphasis on heaviness and groove over speed. The album also proved that metal could be commercially successful without compromising its intensity—it reached #44 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified double platinum in the U.S.[3][7]. Pantera’s refusal to follow trends during the grunge-dominated early 1990s further solidified their reputation as trailblazers. Their influence can be heard in bands ranging from Lamb of God to Slipknot. However, some critics argue that Pantera's success contributed to the rise of less sophisticated "tough-guy" metal bands in subsequent years[1][5]. While this doesn’t diminish Pantera’s achievements, it highlights the mixed legacy of their influence. --- ## Pros - **Iconic Riffs:** Tracks like "Walk," "Mouth for War," and "A New Level" feature some of metal’s most memorable riffs. - **Emotional Range:** Songs like "Hollow" showcase Pantera’s ability to balance aggression with vulnerability. - **Tight Musicianship:** Dimebag Darrell’s guitar work and Vinnie Paul’s drumming are standout elements. - **Cohesive Themes:** The album effectively channels anger into empowerment. - **Cultural Impact:** It remains one of the most influential metal albums ever released. --- ## Cons - **Repetitive Structures:** Many songs rely on similar mid-tempo grooves. - **Overly Polished Production:** Some fans feel it lacks the rawness of earlier Pantera records. - **Lyrical Simplicity:** While empowering for some listeners, tracks like "Walk" can come across as overly simplistic or macho. - **Limited Bass Presence:** Rex Brown’s bass lines rarely stand out amid Dimebag's dominant guitar work. - **Polarizing Influence:** The album inspired both groundbreaking bands and less sophisticated imitators. --- In conclusion, *Vulgar Display of Power* is a landmark album that captures Pantera at their peak. Its combination of aggression, groove, and emotional depth has made it a timeless classic in metal history. While not without its flaws—such as repetitive songwriting and polarizing lyrical themes—it remains an essential listen for any fan of heavy music.

pau no cu do phil anselmo de resto, é só ruim, nada vai me convencer do contrário

pior que eh importante pro desenvolvimento do trash metal né. mas num gosto não. btw phil anselmo é um nazista filha da puta.

I dont think I have ever listened to Pantera... strap in... here we go! Ahh, its the shouty gutteral kind of metal for angsty people. No wonder I have never listened to it.

Pretty good overall. Excellent instruments, acceptable vocals.

Fuck yeah.

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

Pantera at it's finest, Thrash metal del bueno

Not really for me, but I can tell how influential it is(was?) for 90s and 00s metal

Hell yeah fuck you!!

No thanks

Absolutely no chance

Why does anyone listen to this crap? How did this album make the list of the greatest 1001 albums of all time--what album did it knock out? Every song sounds exactly the same, except part of the last one. Somewhere the members of this band are wasting away in Margaritaville right now, flabbergasted that they got rich out of churning out this noise.

what the fuckkkkkk

Hopefully one day I’ll be able to appreciate

Something about this makes my brain freeze over. I have no thoughts.

Non esattamente il mio genere ma apprezzabili.

Oof too noisy for me

I can appreciate the music but I hate the singing so much. Not for me.

Not my thing. The songs are boring, mixing is too bass heavy. I don’t understand the point of those super mid-cut guitars. It’s supposed to sound heavy and “powerful,” but it just makes everything sound flabby. Drums sound like toys. It’s the irony of our time that heavy metal tends to be the lamest, doinkiest shit.

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

One of the best metal albums I've heard, a nice balance of tunes that never verges into pastiche or cheesiness. I prefer these guys to Metallica.

Did not enjoy

tenes q estar en el mood, pero si estas; obviamente es de lo mejorcito q hay

Not quite my gender

Nice

Imagine listening to this twice before 9am. For 92 it sounds incredibly dated. So unbelievably dated. Feels like metallica had already done this ten years earlier. It has that marching beat that I don't like in metal music. Very one tempo, very uninteresting, very hollow sounding. When there's a guitar solo and the rhythm drops out it sounds so empty

Just not into it

More like trash metal, am I right?

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.

Not for me

Sounded like Metallica. I suppose it's good if you like metal, but not really my cup of tea.

Nah, aint no metal kid.

Not a fan of being screamed at for an hour.

Fantastic power tunes, especially the first half (Side A, if you will).

Superb metal album - though it is difficult to separate the art from the artist (the singer has what might generously be called "questionable" political opinions) the music is strong enough to stand on its own. Fat, powerful riffs, growling vocals and hooks a plenty. Create your own mosh pit and have a blast (beat). Best Tracks: Mouth For War; A New Level; Walk

Pure agression

Personal viewpoint - I hated this. Shouty cock-rock.

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.

Absolutely fire. Makes me want to fight stuff.

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.

Metal classic, must listen for anyone looking for angry yet beautiful sounds

Gosh, it's good, but also terrible. Great guitar work, and I'm sure it I'd listened to this when I was young and cranky I'd enjoy it. At least in short doses, a full album is far too draining.

I’ve seen this one on the list and have been waiting for it. I liked it as a teenager but my tastes drifted away as I got into my later teen years and beyond. I probably haven’t listened to this record at all in the 2000s. I made sure I listened to this on my main stereo system and at a good volume. First off I was struck by how well recorded and produced this record is. It’s not just slapped together. Proper isolation of instruments and soundstage that I was not expecting or remembering for this type of music. Passion check. Emotion check. Music that makes you bop check. Now I’m off to listen to more Pantera.

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.

I fancy myself a discerning metal head. This album is an absolute masterpiece. Dimebag's riffs are iconic, Vinny has so much groove to his playing and Phil rounds it out with the all the angst you could want. The production of this is top notch. The album art is spot on. A sonic punch in the face.

Classic metal album. I resisted it when it first came out. But eventually couldn’t evade its “power”. It hits hard. Great from front to back 1001 album worthy: Yes - 38/66

Understand why this album is on the list but I like my metal with a bit more self awareness and humor. Much of these songs lyrically are very similar which is kind of what defines this band but I think the best parts of this album are when the musicians are playing. I liked regular people. Generally something I only listen if someone else really likes this type of metal.

I haven’t listened to this record very much since its release back in ‘92, but I have to admit that I enjoyed this album a lot more than I remembered from 30+ years ago. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-vulgar-display-of-power?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

dudes rock. just under an hour of guys being dudes. pantera will never not be good.

What a great album! absolutely massive!

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.

One of the best metal albums of the 90s - Walk, A New Level, Hollow, Fucking Hostile and more. The trashiness of this album is excellent and Dimebag's guitar is unreal. RIP Dimebag and Vinnie.

This is not bad but not a genre I'm into

Pantera is waaaaaaay better than the Beatles. Sorry. This is an incredible album start to finish.

Oh boy, well I mean I know a lot of people really like Pantera, but they have never been one of my favorite bands from the early metal scene, of the big four I'm way more a Metallica guy than anything, but there were a few good songs, but I think that the problem is that for me all of Pantera sounds exactly the same as every other Pantera song, overall I didn't hate this album but I definitely prob won't listen again!

I did not have high expectations for this album but it really impressed me. Probably the best metal album from the 90s

Uh yeah Pantera. They're alright. This album starts great and "Walk" is a classic but after "Fucking Hostile" this album just nosedives and I don't care about any song

An all time great album that changed music

Classic metal album

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.

Pior que não é uma música ruim. Mas é um tipo de música que eu prefiro ouvir em outros artistas. Dito isto, gostei de Walk, Fucking Hostile e Live In A Hole.

muito barulhento, 1,5

This landmark album stands among metal's greatest achievements. The foundation of thick, powerful guitar riffs is complemented by a dynamic groove tinged rhythm section. Phil's hardcore-influenced delivery helped pioneer a fresh approach that reinvigorated heavy metal during the dawn of the grunge era.

Heavy with some excellent grooves. You can hear the influences (early Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, Rollins, Judas Priest,…) and tell who was influenced in turn mid-90’s and beyond. On By Demons be Driven there is a definite ca-ll back to Judas Priest Breakin’ the Law. RIP Dimebag

There's definitely some talent here. When the drum and bass would hit a groove, it was very impressive. I didn't care for the vocal or lyrics. I was also worn out by the end of it.

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.

Mostly screaming and cursing with occasional displays of talent

I don't get this kind of music at all. Just boring to me.

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

I don't get how this was "era-defining". There is nothing on this album that wasn't done by others before. In most parts, it's quite repetitive.

Good for heavy metal I guess. Most songs sound the same to me. The song “No Good” is pretty good.

Awesome

Absolute classic album ! 5 stars no doubt !

Prob 3.5

Utter crap

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.

Nice record no low points. I like some metal for sure.

Good album.

Rating: 10/10 One of the greatest metal albums of all time. So damn groovy and heavy.

1/5

Too much screaming for me

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

very good metal album, I understand the accolades. Really like Walk and This Love.

I just do not like Metal. And whilst this I found this slightly more enjoyable than other metal albums as not quite so lyrically dumbits still a 1 for me. Top of the shit pile but unfortunately still shit.