Preaching power through strength and integrity, Phil Anselmo discards any further attempts at singing in favor of a militaristic bark and an unhinged roar, while the crystal-clear production sets Diamond Darrell’s pummeling riffs against a rhythmic backdrop so thunderously supportive that Darrell often solos without underlying rhythm guitar parts. Even the “ballads,” “This Love” and “Hollow,” have thunderingly loud, aggressive chorus sections. One of the most influential heavy metal albums of the 1990s, Vulgar Display of Power is just what is says: a raw, pulverizing, insanely intense depiction of naked rage and hostility that drains its listeners and pounds them into submission. Phil Anselmo displayed a vocal range that could switch from a growling shout to a high falsetto - listen to him match Darrell’s harmonic squeals at the end of “Cemetery Gates.” The album gradually becomes more same-sounding as it goes on, but the first half, featuring such brutal slices of thrash as “Psycho Holiday,” “Primal Concrete Sledge,” and the title track, pretty much carries its momentum all the way through. Pantera’s breakthrough album, Cowboys from Hell, is largely driven by the band’s powerful rhythm section and guitarist Diamond Darrell (as he was then known)’s unbelievably forceful riffing, which skittered around the downbeats to produce unexpected rhythmic phrases and accents, as well as his inventive soloing.
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover THE COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS 1990-2000, compiled of Cowboys From Hell (1990), Vulgar Display Of Power (1992), Far Beyond Driven (1994), The Great Southern Trendkill (1996), and Reinventing The Steel (2000).įLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 57:42 minutes | 701 MB To celebrate Pantera’s raucous legacy, Rhino will release both a new box set. For the next decade, the band continued to ascend to the top of the music world, earning four platinum albums and, with 1994’s Far Beyond Driven, a #1 debut on the Billboard album chart. With their 1990 album Cowboys From Hell, Pantera debuted their signature sound and invigorated the metal scene while enlisting legions of devoted fans around the world. Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: | Front cover | © Rhino Atlantic