Artist: Pantera
Label: Atlantic Records
Release Date: 2/25/92
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Vulgar Display of Power Artist: Pantera Label: Atlantic Records Release Date: 2/25/92
Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Solomon:
Think about it: You're living in the post-Metallica "Black Album," Nirvana-dominated world, and this bad boy comes along. Looking back, Vulgar seems a bit tame when placed along side subsequent efforts in the fields of black and death metal, but considering the time period and major label support for this band, this record packed a major wallop. Listening to this record again on CD almost ten years after first buying it on tape and letting blare out of my dad's speakers doesn't quite hold the same appeal as it once did, but, man, wasn't this one the shiz-nit? I don't think I was even aware of the term "power metal" back then, but the label fits. Vulgar was like latter-day thrash, taking the velocity and "mosh" elements of speed metal and giving it more groove and heaviness. Pantera fans could go into many rounds debating over what the band's "definitive" record is, but, for me, this was my first real exposure to the band and Vulgar remains my baby. Cowboys and Vulgar certainly paved the way for the Texas quartet to become the official ambassador of American metal to the rest of the world throughout the very non-metal 90's, kegs and strippers not far behind.With regard to the overall brutality of the record, you have to give props to Terry Date, who I believe to be a major force in metal. I know both he and Vinnie Paul produced Vulgar, so I can't say who was more responsible for what, but Terry's production work with Pantera and Overkill's The Years of Decay and Horrorscope are milestones in my mind. The new recording technology (was it Digilog?) for cassettes might have had a lot to do with it, but I always remember those records had superior punch when I popped them into the car stereo. Of course, the fact Pantera attacked their instruments with Southern-fried ferocity helped out, too. Rex's driving bass, Vinnie's percussive groove and bombast, and Dimebag's power riffing and lead shredding just about blew everything else off the map. One cool aspect of the music I noticed is the "power trio" approach to many of the guitar solos. Often, the rhythm guitar just drops out and Dimebag wails away with Rex and Vinnie holding down the fort ("A New Level," "Rise," "No Good"). Phil's voice is in full, murderous form. His lyrics, while angry and confrontational, are acutally smart and often have a positive side to them. He may rage with "I crush your rush, I rule you fool," but he's also there to say "Forgive, forget, forgive, be a man, not a child."
The first three tracks are immediate winners. "Mouth For War" is a straight-edge metal stomp, while "A New Level" and "Walk" set the standard for heaviness on the record. "No Good (Attack the Radical)" is also a favorite, from the cool opening riff to the charging crunch of the outro. The chorus is fun to sing along with, too. "By Demons Be Driven" is an important lesson in direct, trap-tight, machine-gun dynamics. I know the band made a video for "This Love," but of the two "ballads" on the disc, I prefer "Hollow." Phil's voice and lyrics are touching, and I love how the band revs up the tension before bursting out with a killer guitar riff over the chorus.
If I wrote a history book on 90's metal, Vulgar would take up a whole chapter by itself. A definitive moment in the evolution of US extreme music.
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