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Class 6(66)

Pantera: The great southern trendkill

05/11/10  ||  InquisitorGeneralis

Introduction

Seeing the video for “Revolution is my name” from Pantera’s final record Reinventing the Steel is the exact moment that I went from being a casual hard rock fan who liked Van Halen, AC/DC, and Judas Priest to becoming a fucking metalhead who likes screaming, blastbeats, and whammy bar sodomy all over his guitar solos. Now, is Pantera the most trve, grvm, and brvtvl band to ever emerge from the dark forests of the American South? Absolutely not. Were they a hard drinking, hard smoking group of genuine metal dudes who helped save metal from grunge and hair all while helping attract a whole new generation (i.e. mine) back to metal in the mid to late 90’s? Yes they certainly were. Pantera have been the gateway drug for millions of metalheads to more extreme shit. They even had a record debut at No. 1 in 1994 with “Far Beyond Driven”.

So what did they do to follow up this monumental success for a metal band? They released their most brutal, heaviest record to date that took a shit and a piss all over pop culture and mainstream ideas, “The Great Southern Trendkill”. It is a classic with a few noticeable flaws that definitely occupies a special place in the band’s discography. I never got to see them live…which fucking sucks. I am sure that Pantera would have been able to put aside their issues in time had Dimebag not have been murdered. Well, thankfully they left a bunch of good fucken metal records to listen and drink booze to. Let’s take a look at one of the most interesting ones…

Songwriting

8.5: One of the best things you can say about Pantera is that each on of their albums has its own distinct sound and feel. You know what I mean…you can easily identify the sound and feel from “Cowboys from Hell” and “Vulgar Display of Power”. The same goes for “…Trendkill” whose songs range from the fast and abrasive like “Sandblasted skin” and “Suicide note pt.2” to the heavy and pummeling like “13 steps to nowhere” and “War nerve”. There are a few misses on here though. “Floods” and “10s” are just plain boring and slow. I appreciate the effort to try and sludge things up southern style, but “Trendkill” shines when it is kicking you ass, not doing heroin with you.

The title track is an absolute beast that starts off as a blistering thrasher but finishes with a southern, groovy breakdown and guitar solo combo that is one of my favorite sections in any Pantera song from any album. Period. Every Pantera record suffers from some filler; even a total CFH Fanboy like me can admit that. The filler on here is limited to the uninspired “10’s” though. While “…Trendkill” might not get the recognition as its predecessors do for having classic songs there are several fucken dominating tracks on here that stand up with anything else the band has done.

Production

7. I am not a huge fan of the drum and vocal sound on here. Hence, the score is not amazingly high. Does it sound like it was recorded in a Norwegian forest and is being played back on a Teddy Ruxpin? Nope, not that bad. Not really bad at all, just not as good when compared to “Far Beyond Driven” and “Vulgar Display of Power”. The sound does not ruin it for me, I just think it could be better. Less vocals and kicks that don’t sound flat as hell, is that too much to ask? Still, the guitars sound great and rest of the drums are alright so major harm done. This was the first record Pantera did on their own in their home studio so I think there are some production growing pains going on. They got shit right on “Reinventing the Steel” though, then they broke up. Then Dime got shot. Fuck the world.

Guitars

8. Dime was the man, but this is not my favorite Pantera record guitar-wise. Still, not-my-favorite-Dime is still better than 99% of all other guitarists. His playing seems more focused on shredding and tapping rather than laying down those godalmighty riffs that made Pantera famous. I am not saying anything is bad, actually Dime’s playing is as solid as you would expect. He tears it up on the opening title track and definitely is on-point throughout the rest of the record. The riffs on “War nerve”, “The underground in America” and “Living through me” do have an older, groovier feel to them though.

Vocals

8. Phil really turned up the abrasive dial on his performance here. If you are looking for the funky falsettos from “Cowboys…” here you will be sadly mistaken. Except for the somber ballad “Suicide note pt.1” Phil goes all metal, all the time on “Trendkill”.

Bass

7. Rex Brown in like a comic book inker, he does his does well and definitely adds to the experience but most of the time you don’t really notice that he’s there.

Drums

8. The above-average score here is more for the sound than the playing. The kicks just sound a bit muffled. In terms of playing though Vinny Paul is on point. “13 steps to nowhere” is definitely one of his heaviest performances. Like his bro on the guitars he thrashes and speeds it up for “Sandblasted skin” and “Suicide note pt.2”. While never a monster on the kick drums, Vinny does toss in some interesting bursts here and there. Overall, his performance is solid. I admit, I often overlook him these days in favor of the more technical blast machines that are stealing the headlines nowadays. There can be no doubt though that his groovy, aggressive style was the perfect backbone for Pantera’s sound.

Lyrics

7. While I wholeheartedly agree with this album’s theme of fighting the mainstream, staying true, and respect it does get a little old after a while. When then lyrics are about something else they turn to you, you guessed it, heroin. However, I always sing along with “Drag the waters” every time; the chorus is damn catchy. While the lyrics on here are much, much better than any bullshit about grvm necro trveness or battling dragons with runic heroes they are not as memorable as the lines from prior records. Duh duh duh duh duh duuuuuuuuuuh, I’m broken!

Cover

10. A big ole’ Texas fukken rattlesnake. What else do you need bitch? I love this cover almost as much as I love people getting punched in the face. It is simple, representative of the band, and just plain cool.

Logo

7. The band name in red. Nothing fancy going on here but it suits the band.

Booklet

N/A. Lost it.

Overall and Ending Rant

Pantera amped up the aggression and anger on “Trendkill” and it resulted in a classic, quality record. However, it is usually mentioned after “Vulgar Display of Power” and “Far Beyond Driven” for a reason; the songs are not as memorable. However, if you want Pantera to beat the fuck out of you instead of work your boner with smooth grooves, this is the album to turn to. It is definitely Pantera’s heaviest and most abrasive record…but not their best. Still, it is a classic and a big fuck you to everyone else who was sucking dick and selling out in the late 90s. This is not the best Pantera record but it is a classic because it is soo fucken distinct. For better or worse no other record by the Cowboys from Hell sounds like this, not even close. I have been listening to it regularly since the moment I got it ten years ago. Sounds classic enough to me.

8

  • Information
  • Released: 1996
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Website: www.pantera.com
  • Band
  • Phil Anselmo: vocals
  • Dimebag Darrell: guitars
  • Rex Brown: bass
  • Vinnie Paul: drums
  • Tracklist
  • 01. The Great Southern Trendkill
  • 02. War Nerve
  • 03. Drag the Waters
  • 04. 10’s
  • 05. 13 Steps to Nowhere
  • 06. Suicide Note, Pt. 1
  • 07. Suicide Note, Pt. 2
  • 08. Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)
  • 09. Floods
  • 10. The Underground in America
  • 11. Sandblasted Skin (Reprise)

Class 6(66) -reviews

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