Pantera
Power Metal

Foreword that has nothing to do with this review: in my past reviews, I have given ratings that may seem exaggerated, sometimes given due to hasty judgments, other times to not belittle the album, seeing 5-star ratings given in a flurry to albums that definitely deserve less.
For example, a 5 I gave to Deliverance by Opeth, on a scale from 1 to 10, would correspond to a 7.5, while a 3 given to Hypnotize by System Of A Down would correspond to a 5.5. Now I will give a rating on a scale from 1-10 and a somewhat imprecise evaluation from 0 to 5. Now you might be asking, and why do I care? You're right :)

The year 1988, a new singer named Philip Hansen Anselmo joins the lineup of the Texans Pantera. Then a twenty-year-old with an excellent vocal range, the young singer showcases solidity and power, perhaps the classiest performance of his career. His entry into the band marks the beginning of the climb to charts and success in the Metal scene, making the 4 one of the most popular and well-known formations in the entire Heavy landscape.

"Power Metal" is an energetic, aggressive, melodic album with balls. It's a good healthy Heavy Metal album and it is absolutely not a Pantera album. Even the members themselves deny their past, so much so that on their official website, their career begins with the splendid next album "Cowboys From Hell", which marks the almost total abandonment of Heavy Metal for a Thrash landing.
Only Anselmo's voice still recalls the old times (which will then inevitably lower significantly with the next 2 albums due to the singer's excessive alcohol dependence). Returning to the album in question, we have to ask what is there of Pantera in an album that even Pantera themselves deny?
Surely one of the things that most reminds you of the Pantera of the 90s are Dimebag Darrell's solos (R.I.P.). Fast, precise, fluid, and use of the whammy bar to the max. The late guitarist was already on another planet at the time. Rex and Vinnie Paul don't even seem like distant relatives of the devastating rhythm section of the more famous subsequent albums; they are closer to Judas Priest. Anselmo has already been discussed, so let's move on to the best episodes of this tasty LP, now hardly available.

The opener "Rock The World" showcases all the qualities already described previously. Pumped bass, cadenced drums, never high rhythm, and highs worthy of Rob Halford. The title track is different, fast and aggressive, thanks to the double bass and Phil's nervous screaming. The album is tinged with AOR in the melodies of "We'll Meet Again". Seductive voice and obsessive chorus. "Down Below" reminds of "Shattered" from "CFH". Beautiful and perhaps the best of the lot, "Hard Ride", a track with a somewhat glam and mainstream sound, but absolutely fascinating. "P.S.T. 88" closes the album surprisingly, showing us an already decidedly Thrash side.

For those who want to discover not exactly the origins, but how the first course of Pantera concluded, "Power Metal" is the ideal album.
Recommended for all Heavy music enthusiasts.

"Hard ride with me
It's a matter of time before
You fall down on your knees
Hard ride stay free
It's a matter of time
'fore it's too late"

Rating: 7