PanteraVulgar Display Of Power [20th Anniversary Edition]
ATCO/Rhino Records [2012]
(1 CD/1 DVD Set)
Fire Note Says: Make sure all of your valuables are secure before you unleash this metal classic again!
Album Review:
Pantera's Vulgar Display Of Power released in 1992 and if you remember the moment Grunge was commercial radio's new best friend and anything metal slid to the underground so I am not sure at the time anyone would have predicted the influence that this record would have over its next 20 years. The sheer visceral attack of opening track "Mouth For War" gave everyone who listened an immediate notice that Pantera not only didn't care about current music trends but wanted to shatter speakers across the land.
What happened on Vulgar Display Of Power was and is still quite unique. The record has a perfect balance with lead singer Phil Anselmo giving a stellar strong hardcore performance that forgoes most of his previous "singing" into a very direct and authoritative command presence that combined with thundering guitar riffs and concrete rhythms totally suck you into the madness. I will fully admit that Vulgar Display Of Power was and is not my typical listening selection but its cohesive strength demands everyone's attention. Honestly even if Pantera is not even close to your taste I guarantee you can find a musical respect for how tight this album is and, like its cover suggests, a real punch to the face.
The new 20th Anniversary Edition finds the album remastered and contains the newly uncovered track "Piss" that apparently was the only complete track from the sessions that did not make the record. Pantera fans will recognize the riff from "Piss" as it showed back up on their next record Far From Driven [1994] in "Use My Third Arm". In addition to the CD this new edition includes a DVD which contains unreleased live video of six songs from their 1992 Monsters of Rock performance in Italy and three music videos for "Mouth For War", "Walk", and "This Love". The extras are nice for fans and great from a collectors aspect but just having a remastered copy of this album is worth the revisit.
To this date Vulgar Display Of Power consistently gets accolades for being one the best metal records of all time. It doesn't even matter what the category is because Pantera brought such a perfect blend of guitar, vocals and strength that it undeniably shakes whatever system it plays on. Sure, Pantera will never be for everyone but Vulgar Display Of Power is one of those records to simply hear if you are giving a lesson - and that really says it all!
Key Tracks: "Walk", "Piss", "Mouth For War"
Bands With Similar Fire:
Tool
Helmet
Korn
Pantera: Cowboys From Hell [20th Anniversary Edition] [Fire Note Review 9/9/10]
Pantera Website
Pantera Facebook
Rhino Records
-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
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