Once a week I'll turn the blog over to Dan Marsicano for his Retro Recommendation, giving you a chance to learn about underrated and overlooked gems from metal's past. This week, Pantera is in the spotlight.
Remember how awesome Pantera's fifth album Cowboys From Hell was? No, that was not a typo; no matter how many times the band members said it in various interviews, Cowboys From Hell was not their debut album. Before the band broke through in 1990, they were a glam metal band for the better part of a decade. While they languished in mediocrity during much of this time, one album did stand head-and-shoulders above the rest of the garbage. That would be 1988's Power Metal, the subject of this edition of Retro Recommendation.
This was the first album with vocalist Phil Anselmo, and what a performance he gives. Clearly influenced by Rob Halford, his shrieks and falsettos will shock any fan used to hearing his gravely screams and throaty barks on Vulgar Display of Power. Anselmo could belt out some intense high notes and there are plenty of opportunities to do that on anthems like the title track and "Rock The World." He shows restraint on the ballad "We'll Meet Again," which was clearly a prelude to "Cemetery Gates" in tone and composition.
With Anselmo came a new thrash direction. "Down Below" and the epic "Over and Out" have prominent double bass work from Vinnie Paul and speedy riffs from Diamond Darrell, as he was still called back then. Darrell was still finding his own style of playing, but his skills as a soloist was evident. The shredding he does throughout the album is over-the-top, yet appropriate for the music Pantera was playing. He also lends his vocals to the awesomely-offensive speed metal closer "P.S.T '88."
With a new lineup in place, the band was still finding their footing, and it shows on a few tracks. "Proud To Be Loud" is so cheesy that even Motley Crue would scoff at it, while "Hard Ride" sounds like an outtake from the Turbo recording session. Even on the lesser tracks, there is a fist-pumping energy to the music that leaves an impression. It would have been fascinating to see what could have become of Pantera if they stuck to this glam/thrash hybrid for a few years.
Power Metal is a sought-after collector's item due to it being out of print. While the other glam metal albums Pantera made are of mixed quality, Power Metal is a fantastic album. It's catchy, fun metal that shows that Anselmo could actually sing at some point in his career and "Diamond" Darrell had his guitar mechanics down even at a young age. For bridging the gap between the glam metal of their earlier album and the groove-fused aggression of their later years, Power Metal gets the nod for this week's Retro Recommendation.
Comments
No doubt Power Metal was the best Pre-Atlantic Pantera album. You can definitely hear a bit of Cowboys From Hell in the sound at times and Phil brought something special to Pantera that was missing on the 1st 3 releases. Power Metal sounds more like a debut album as it shows where Pantera would go, but is kind of a mixed bag of sounds. It is a good album, but hardly fantastic only to be sought by those wanting to hear more of Phil’s non-harsh vocal style.
Interesting! I hope that everyone’s Sunday is going great and I hope that they are enjoying Grandparent’s Day and have a great week! I also hope that they had a nice Labor Day,Patriot Day and took time out of their day to remember what yesterday was about.