Pantera
Vulgar Display Of Power

THE REVIEW

In 1992, the music scene was predominantly dominated by Grunge, initiated by Nirvana, and the Big Four (except Slayer) and many other metal bands began to follow a more commercial and catchy music style, a classic example being Metallica's famous "Black Album." But somewhere in Texas, there was a band that, in 1990, had released an album titled "Cowboys from Hell," a masterpiece of early '90s thrash metal that featured NWOBHM elements. Two years later, they released their third album (if you don't count those with Terry Glaze and "Power Metal"), titled "Vulgar Display of Power." A must of thrash metal that, along with the subsequent album "Far Beyond Driven," would kick-start the "groove metal" movement.

Phil Anselmo had already demonstrated his vocal skills with the previous album, but his singing style resembled that of Rob Halford (singer of Judas Priest). He needed to distance himself from that melodic yet powerful voice, and indeed he moved closer to a more angry, aggressive, and pissed-off voice than ever, "Fucking Hostile" is proof of that. Many have dubbed him the "new" Henry Hollins, who was the former singer of the legendary Black Flag. Dimebag Darrell (back then known as Diamond Darrell) also showcased his fabulous guitar skills, but here he gave his best, with his massive and fast riffs making the songs more spectacular and compelling, and his solos are devastating yet melodic (listen to all the songs). His drummer brother Vinnie Paul, in the previous album in a song named "Domination", showed us he has bigger balls than a bull. Here, he gave a rather stunning performance, which can be heard in "Rise", showing how fast and devastating he is, and the song in itself is spectacular, so powerful it could demolish a twenty-story building. Rex Brown also gave a good demonstration of his bass-playing skills on this album, especially evident in "Regular People", but in the next album, he will prove himself worthy of playing the electric bass.

The album itself is a must, with the first seven songs each better than the last, and the absolute best ones being "Walk", their battle anthem that was always played live, "Mouth for War" is a great track that echoes classic thrash metal. "Fucking Hostile" is a short song of about two minutes and is one of the fastest and most brutal on the album, then there are the two semi-ballads "This Love" and "Hollow." It's a pity that after these, there's a drop in momentum with songs like "Live in a Hole", "Regular People" though still maintaining a good level, and "By Demons Be Driven", which in my opinion, is the one that ruins the album.

In a nutshell, "Vulgar Display of Power" is a thrash metal must-have and a step forward for the Texan band, even though it doesn't reach the level of "Cowboys from Hell," it remains an excellent album that I highly recommend to any metalhead in search of an aggressive album.