How many people can say that they have had a college professor who was once a member of a relatively popular German metalcore band in the 90’s? I know, completely random, but when I first listened to Beissert’s newest album, The Pusher, I was immediately reminded of the band Colour Trip (who had a member in their midst who would go on to be a college professor of mine), along with some Clawfinger as their goofy sidekick. While in college, said anonymous member of Colour Trip used to trade burned CD’s with me, and even gave me a limited pressing of a Colour Trip vinyl. You don’t know how cool it is to be able to shoot the shit about metal with your college professor. Anyway, Beissert is truly a child of Colour Trip during their hardcore moments, which is mixed up with some quarky moments that totally remind me Clawfinger, along with some low key moments with clean vocals. The Pusher is definitely a colorful album that you really can’t completely pinpoint, but I don’t think I’d call it anything other than “not bad.”

For some reason, after listening to The Pusher in it’s entirety, I was simply not impressed despite all the original sounds I had heard. None of the songs, with all their originality, never really stuck with me to a significant degree, and forgive me for sounding “mainstream,” but finding a catchy moment in a song is a great way to earn points in my book. I know there will be oodles of people who will undoubtedly like this oddball group, and really, there is plenty to like, but with the exception of a few tunes such as “Durch die Haare in das Kind,” I was not drawn into much of the album’s sensibilities.

I’d suggest the listener venture into this album with open arms with no trepidation. I was not a huge fan, but there is so much this album has to offer to such a wide array of individuals, that it would be a crime, as a music lover, to not try this out at least once. Head over to the band’s Myspace and take a ganter, you may end up finding your favorite band, or, like me, another band with too much quark and not enough staying power.

NOT BAD

Similar Artists: Colour Trip, Clawfinger, Dyse, The Lord Weird Slough Feg

1.    The Pusher
2.    Die Dunkelheit uns mit sich nimmt
3.    Die fabelhafte Welt der Agonie
4.    SaxonBloodRock
5.    Uphillfight against the Sun
6.    Unaussprechlichen Kvlten
7.    Durch die Haare in das Kind
8.    Eerie Discipline
9.    Aal ins Gekroese
10.    Yggdrasil
11.    Bloodsown
12.    Gedanke und Erinnerung

Beissert – Vocals
Boldog – Guitar
Hornung – Bass
Schiebert – Drums

Agonia Records

http://www.myspace.com/beissert

Most bands of the post thrash/groove variety often fall into the moat of commonality with no hope of breaking free, California’s Canobliss though has a slightly different take on a well worn sub-genre which definitely helps liven up their 2010 relase, Man is the Enemy from what would have surely led the band into banality much like their counterparts.

What makes Canobliss different than the competition is the surprisingly effective vocal assault of Johan Maldonado who turns fairly straight forward riffs into something much more complex and epic; a true sign of a great vocalist. Johan is no Ronnie James Dio, but he nonetheless excels at really turning this band into a bright spot by bringing a range off gritty thrash style, to a soaring power metal quality that brings forth comparisons to quality Annihilator releases at their best.

While Canobliss as musicians are surely competent at both composition and musicianship, I don’t think they would be as memorable without the voice of Johan. I don’t want to take away from the talents of this band, because these guys are not hacks by a long shot, however, the very nature of their music is quite generic from the get go. With Johan though, the riffs and drums just seem to fit much better with a fluidity and depth that is brought together by the vocals.

Man is the Enemy is the third full length from Canobliss and I think if opened up to the Machine Head market, these guys could potentially gain some speed. Definitely a decent effort.

GOOD

Similar Artists: Annihilator, Machine Head

1. Hit the Floor
2. Pale Rider
3. Man is the Enemy
4. Derrama tu Sangre
5. Comatose
6. No Angel
7. Black Cadillac
8. Zombie Parade
9. Coffin Case Passion
10. Tools of the Trade
11. Earth A.D.D.

Johan Maldonado – Vocals
Samson Pedroza – Guitar
Jon Russo – Guitar
Chenzo Vidalez – Bass
Mike Russo – Drums

Self Released

http://www.myspace.com/canobliss

The Spanish have thrown me a zinger! The band is called Gozerk and they have arrived to bless thee with groove laden, Slayer love making death metal. Having released a new EP in September, Gozerk want to show that Europe has what it takes to take on the American groove kings. Make no mistake though, these guys are sloppy and wouldn’t know virtuosity if it kicked them in the nuts, but there is an undeniable flare to the madness that was making me headbang a bit at my desk. The dudes in Gozerk are young and will probably find themselves using this band as a learner’s permit when they reach higher echelons of metaldom. Nonetheless, when they and their fans look bad fondly, they will see a promising career beginning to take flight, ignoring all the rough edges.

http://www.myspace.com/gozerk

Baltimore’s Anubis Unbound, a metalcore/melodic death metal band, released their first full length last year in the form of Through Cursed Eyes. This is the first I have heard from this outfit, and one thing I am very happy to hear is a lack of deathcore in their music. While Through Cursed Eyes isn’t “old school” by any stretch of the imagination, it’s certainly an album that doesn’t pander to what all the kids consider all the rage these days. However, what Anubis Unbound does supply is ample amounts of not so original metalcore and melodic death riffs circa 2004, and that really isn’t anything to brag about.

Through Cursed Eyes is essentially an album of rehashed riffs from riffs that were rehashed from original melodic death metal riffs. Get all that? Stick with me now! Anubis Unbound means well, but the music they create isn’t going to get them anywhere, let’s be honest here. In addition to all too familiar riffs, the vocalist Justin Severn is not very good mixing nu-metal with death metal growling, and perhaps most apparent is the band’s lack of ability to stay together! At the very least, a band needs to be tight, and all too often Through Cursed Eyes drops the ball.

I just don’t see how this album can be marketed. This sound was a fad, and like any fad, it fades. Anubis Unbound is trying to identify with a fading identity.

BLASPHEMY!

Similar Artists: Lamb of God, The Autumn Offering, Diecast,

1.    Constant Pressure
2.    Love, Lust, and Eternal Damnation
3.    Beyond Broken
4.    A Single Rose
5.    Last Day of Darkness
6.    Distorted
7.    Love Avenged
8.    When Innocence Dies
9.    Mo(u)rning Song (Bass Instrumental)

Justin Severn – Vocals
Brian “Ziggy” Smith – Guitar
Ryan Plunkett – Bass
Tony Marley – Drums
Jarred Sleeth – Guitar

Self Released

http://www.myspace.com/anubismetal

Review by CODY

When someone mentions Machine Head and “awesome” in the same sentence, I can’t help but laugh. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a fond dislike for all things Machine Head. Their last album The Blackening was hailed by many in the metal community as one of the greateste records of the year, and I couldn’t help but cringe and whisper “why?” I bring up Machine Head because it’s unfortunately relevant to the sound of Ohio’s Deflagration. You see, no matter how well produced your music is, or how tight you are as a band, if your band sounds like the post-thrash rumblings of Machine Head, I am going to be immediately turned off, and yes, A Call to Arms sounds like Machine Head.

I hate basing my dissatisfaction for a band based on my (dis)interest in another, but Machine Head is just so fucking awful, that they have reserved their own little leper metal island for themselves. So when a new band comes along, and their style seems to echo that band from that shitty little leper island, I am turned off. With that said, it’s very obvious that, as I alluded to earlier, Deflagration have put together a worthy piece of metal that can and should be distributed to the masses. Just because little ole’ me doesn’t really dig it, doesn’t mean it’s not acceptable. Confused yet? Well let me explain.

A Call to Arms is an album that has all the right moves…for it’s sound. IF you are a fan of post-thrash in the style of Machine Head, then there is literally no reason why you would not like this, in fact, Deflagration plays Machine Head metal better than Machine Head. Other similar artists that one could compare Deflagration to would be Lamb of God and Devildriver in the groove department.

I tell ya, I really want to like this album but I simply do not like this style of metal all that much. There are some good solo’s and all around well put together musicianship, but the riffs just don’t stick with me and I find myself wanting to skip to the next song. Like I said though, if you are a fan of the bands I compared Deflagration to, them please do yourself a favor and check out the band’s Myspace and purchase this release if you like what you hear.

NOT BAD

Top Tracks: Color and Ash, So There I Was, Vile Chrome Bastard Machine

Similar Artists: Lamb of God, Devildriver, Machine Head, A Perfect Murder

1.    Relentless
2.    Heavy Lefty
3.    Chainlink Hammerhead
4.    A Call to Arms
5.    Idol Eyes
6.    Split Wide
7.    Color and Ash
8.    Bleed the Line
9.    So There I Was
10.    Ain’t No Different
11.    Vile Chrome Bastard Machine

Beau VanBibber – Vocals, Guitar
Eric Mendoza – Bass
Tony Ritzler – Drums
Skot King – Guitar

Self Released

http://www.myspace.com/deflagration

Review by CODY

Hailing from Halifax Nova Scotia, relative newcomers Uncooperative Death have released their debut record Uncooperative Death, and are setting out to bring us their take on metal. Oddly though, describing that sound is proving to be quite difficult for me with a mishmash of all kinds of influences ranging from groove metal, to NWOBHM. With all these different sounds and influences, I find myself having to give this CD multiple listens to truly absorb it in detail. Does this mean it’s a thought provolking, revolutionary release? Well, not quite.

Uncooperative Death maintain a traditional thrash sensibility combined with a  strong groove, however, an old school NWOBHM vibe holds true throughout, with a dose of stoner metal, hardcore and post thrash. While it may initially sound cool to have all of these elements, Uncooperative Death as an album proves to be less than catchy. This isn’t to say that Uncooperative Death reaches Machine Head levels of sheer boredom inducement, but I find it mildly laboring to sit and listen to the entirety of this record. Despite my rather laissez faire take on this piece of metal, there are several moments scattered throughout this CD that are praiseworthy, like the main riff  and accompanying vocals in “Left Behind,” which showcases a straight up crossover flair which is pretty decent. For the most part though, much of Uncooperative Death is just forgettable.

I think if I were to give this band one piece of advice, it would be to tighten up their sound, and give their listeners a much more straight forward slab of metal instead of trying to shove so many different things into one song.  I won’t tell a band how to write riffs since that is purely on artistic merit, but if Uncooperative Death can sharpen their sound, they may have an avenue to write some memorable music down the line.

NOT BAD

Top Tracks: Left Behind, Solanum

Similar Artists: Skeletonwitch, 3 Inches of Blood, Bison B.C., Alabama Thunderpussy

1. The Blame
2. Bloody Bathroom
3. Solanum
4. Murderous Apotheosis
5. Let Me Bleed
6. Left Behind
7. Chew the Leg Off
8. Cavity
9. Ambivalent Disclosure

Dan Cormier – Guitar
Liam McLaughlin – Drums, Vocals
Tristan Mailman – Guitar, Backing Vocal
Paul Sarrazin – Bass, Lead Vocals

Chew the Leg Off Records

http://www.uncooperativedeath.com/

http://www.myspace.com/uncooperativedeath

Review by CODY

New Prosthetic Records signees Unholy and their debut record New Life Behind Closed Eyes, combines the groove of Pantera with the hardcore sensibilities of Throwdown (who ironically, have adopted heavily from Pantera themselves). My average response to albums like this is usually one of indifference, and New Life Behind Closed Eyes is no different.

Groove metal is definitely a style that can be competently pulled off in the wake of the collapse of Pantera, with bands like Devildriver, Lamb of God and A Perfect Murder really turning their own unique sounds into the collective of modern groove metal. Unholy on the other hand, is not a band I’d classify as a cream of the crop act in comparison to the more popular, and more unique sounding bands of the genre such as those just listed. Like many bands reviewed here at AMR, because a band doesn’t live up to certain standard, doesn’t mean their material is “bad.” New Life Behind Closed Eyes has some decent material that is worthy of a listen, but in an age when releases from metal bands are too numerous to keep up with in terms of purchases, it’s hard for me to justify the consumer picking this album over say last year’s Oblivion Beckons by Byzantine.

New Life Behind Closed Eyes just doesn’t do enough to maintain my interest. The watered down riffs that we have been hearing from a multitude of metalcore bands, and the paint by numbers scheme that Pantera instituted years ago, is not something that is really worth more time than the listens it takes me to review this. Take your hard earned money elsewhere and pick up one of the many releases this year that I and others on this site have given glowing reviews for which can be accessed here.

NOT BAD

Top Tracks: No Faith, Behind the Veil of Darkness

Similar Artists: Bleeding Through, Pantera, Throwdown, A Perfect Murder, Byzantine

1.    Seeker Immortal
2.    Children Of Eternal Sleep
3.    These Wounds Never Heal
4.    Into The Flesh Of Another
5.    The Blinding Light
6.    Look To The Blood
7.    No Faith
8.    Th? Followers
9.    Behind The Veil Of Darkness
10.    New Life Behind Closed Eyes

Billy Price – Vocals
Jonathan Dennison – Guitar
Steve Caiello – Guitar
Gary Mann – Bass
Andy Miller – Drums

Prosthetic Records

http://www.myspace.com/unholy

Review by CODY

Chaos, chaos and more chaos. Unlike the band’s 2005 effort The Empire of the Worlds, the groove, extreme melodies and chaos (on a controlled level) are far from being as apparent on Biomechanical’s latest album Cannibalised. It seems the band has gone off the deep end in terms of bringing as much unpredictability to each and every song as quickly as possible, with as much frequency as possible that can be squeezed onto one disc. This reminds me of a little kid on his new bike who gets so much speed going on his bike, which is fun for a little while, but then he loses control of it and crashes. Cannibalised is chaos personified, Biomechanical needs to reel in the beast a bit on their next one. (Pantera, Darkane, The Haunted) GOOD

2. Asmegin – Arv (2008)

Oh man, yet another absolutely incredible folk album that very few people will get a dose of. I love tht this sub-genre of music is becoming more popular because much of the creative spirit in metal today is really being taken advantage of by the folk bands in Europe. Combining clean and harsh vocals, female vocals and instrumentation that ranges from jazz to traditional folk as you’d expect to hear, all with death metal stylings throughout, both vocally and instrumentally. This is simply a great folk album, simple as that. If you are still on the fence about this form of metal, check this one out, it might convince you that this really is some good shit. (Similar Artists: Korpiklaani, Finntroll, Ensiferum, Turisas) VERY GOOD

3. Tyr – Ragnarok (2006)

Despite appearing on the first Paganfest to the United States, I think Tyr’s lack of harsh vocals has caused their popularity to suffer a bit here, which is unfortunate because this effort is quite good. Containing some very subtle melodies that just kind of sneak up on you during anthemic parts of songs (which is almost always it seems), Ragnarok, despite its title, is a relatively jovial sounding album with upbeat instrumentation and vocals that are clean through and through with very little in the way of melancholy. I won’t say this album is poppy or even cheerful, but it is consistently upbeat with its folk rhythms and riffs. Ragnarnok is a catchy good time with the typical epic feel of most good folk albums. (Similar Artists: Turisas, Slough Feg, Wintersun, Eluveitie) AMAZING

4. Nocturnal Rites – Shadowland (2002)

Power metal with power? That’s right, Shadowland is an unrelenting powerhouse of melodic metal, and one of my personal favorites of the 21st century thus far. Despite being fairly popular in Europe, Nocturnal Rites has largely gone unnoticed in America largely because of their lack of evolution into progressive metal which seems to be the latest trend in power metal. Shadowland represents an outpost of quality power metal in a constantly shifting sea of bands and albums vying for the constantly changing new order. Nocturnal Rites knows their place, and Shadowland is a quintessential example of power metal done right, without pretending to be something else. (Similar Artists: Shaaman, Kamelot, Sabaton, Brainstorm) VERY GOOD

5. Solstice – Pray (1995)

1995 was a good year for death metal, and Solstice is a fantastic, underground example of death metal’s invasive, uncompromising style at the time. This is pure, speedy unrelenting death metal with no stops in action. Despite it’s heaviness, Pray does not feature an over-abundance of blast beats, instead the aggression is focused more in incredible bass lines and in the rhythm guitar which is more in tune with early Iced Earth than any death metal peer. This is one of those albums that very few people know, but should be owned by all. (Similar Artists: Sadus, Torture Squad, Demolition Hammer) AMAZING

Reviews by CODY

Lamb of God are back with their next “epic” release (Jesus I am fucking hilarious…) Wrath. Fanfare in magazines and online, week long devotions on Satellite radio, interviews, itunes samples, etc etc etc. I think it’s safe to say that Lamb of God have turned into heavy metal superstars. Who woulda thunk? I remember listening and watching Lamb of God back in 2003 for the first time when As the Palaces Burn first came out, and let me tell you, it absolutely obliterated its competition in the nu-metal and metalcore scenes which were both still the powerhouses of the American metal scene at the time. No one was playing with such ferocity, and no one had the original drumming of Chris Adler. Sure, there were and continue to be heavier bands than Lamb of God, but for your average metal fan, Lamb of God in an instant became Pantera’s replacement. Luckily, the band has a knack for writing good music time and time again. For me, Sacrament was a bit of a hiccup, but a pretty good album nonetheless, unfortunately, Wrath fails to mark the return to form for Lamb of God that I thought it would.

Dynamic track after dynamic track is a hallmark of Lamb of God albums, and represents the very reason why they have achieved the fame they currently have. On Wrath however, we are presented with the standard Lamb of God formula, which is exactly what represents its shortcomings. For all 11 tracks, we are given a dose of Lamb of God, but in my opinion, its a neutered version of what the band has put out in the past. Yes, the aggression is there, Randy’s pained vocals still remain, but the pulse pounding groove is just not as apparent here. Chris Adler’s drum fills don’t stand out, the riffs are relatively boring and, dare I say, repetitive.

Song after song is pretty much more of the same with the exception of a couple of tracks. “Set to Fail” is a great track, and its because of the blistering guitar tone which thunders with aggression, but it also has that dynamic groove movement that LoG fans fell in love with. In addition to “Set to Fail,” there is “Contractor” which is a speedy number, as well as “Everything to Nothing.” Other than that though, almost the entire rest of the album is decent enough, but is pretty much filler material.

Wrath is kind of a disappoint for me, but I also recognize that there did seem to be a lot of effort put into this release by the band, and thus far, being on a major label hasn’t reduced the band’s perspective on things. Every band has their lulls, and for this fan, Wrath represents that lull for Lamb of God.

NOT BAD

Top Tracks: Set to Fail, Contractor, Everything to Nothing

Similar Artists: Pantera, A Perfect Murder, Devildriver, Pissing Razors

1.    The Passing    01:58
2.    In Your Words    05:24
3.    Set to Fail    03:44
4.    Contractor    03:22
5.    Fake Messiah    04:33
6.    Grace    03:54
7.    Broken Hands    03:53
8.    Dead Seeds    03:40
9.    Everything to Nothing    03:50
10.    Choke Sermon    03:20
11.    Reclamation    07:05

D. Randall ‘Randy’ Blythe – Vocals
Mark ‘Duane’ Morton – Guitar
Willie Adler – Guitar
John Campbell – Bass
Chris Adler – Drums

Epic Records

http://www.myspace.com/lambofgod

http://www.lamb-of-god.com/

Review by CODY

Classic Era

1. Metal Magic (1983)

Pantera’s first, and definitely chalk full of classic heavy metal. “Ride My Rocket” is clearly very KISS influenced, but still has a bunch of NWOBHM backbone. “I’ll Be Alright” is a perfect classic heavy metal track with NO glam influences.. Realistically, back then, this would have been viewed as a straight up metal record. I keep listening to it and really still don’t consider it a glam album. You could easily ship this record overseas to England, and they would eat it up as one of their own. How can bands like Samson and Diamond Head be viewed as traditional British heavy metal while Metal Magic is merely written off as some glam schlock? Yes, its true, Pantera was not into heavier metal at the time, but they did have roadies and fans who were into thrash and later death metal, and it was these people who would eventually change their opinions on what it means to make heavy music. GOOD

2. Projects in the Jungle (1984)

While the world was raving about Motley Crue around this time, there was a small time Texas band that was rocking harder and louder and contained way more talent than the Crue did in California. Truth be told, despite their image during this time, Pantera was a heavy metal band through and through, creating some mad riffs alongside a kick ass double bass (listen to “Out For Blood” and “Projects in the Jungle” for a perfect case in point). Hell, was there really anyone implementing double bass the way this band was during this time? Also, if there was any doubt about Dimebag’s majesty on guitar, listen to “Blue Lite Turnin Red” which is a fun effects ridden track of wankery that, while not completely showcasing his later groove influenced style, shows he has some major chops even in 1984. Can you imagine what another decade of playing would bring to this man? Phew. Overall, alot of people give this album shit, but unlike its predecessor, the KISS influences and 70’s era rock is not as prevalent with the band’s trademarked bass line coming into play. Still, there are a few glam showcase moments scattered throughout, but none of which ever strays from metal. Never. GOOD

3. I Am the Night (1985)

This is the band’s first and only real foray into glam metal in my opinion, with the songs “Hot and Heavy” and even worse, “Forever Tonight” containing more fluff than substance. Also, many of the other tracks that are straight ahead metal like “Come-On Eyes,” contain vocals that are much more reminiscent of glam era metal and rock. In fact, if it weren’t for lackluster vocals, this album would contain some of the best songs of Pantera’s career, especially with the song “Down Below” which contains one of the best, thrashiest riffs the band has ever written. Hell, just about every song on this album has some sick riffs and drum work in it, including “I Am the Night” which is definitely a Judas Priest homage if I have ever heard one (and a good one at that). This is a very frustrating album, because if I were to introduce this album to unsuspecting metal fans, I can guarantee you they would immediately look past the great riffs and focus on how bad the vocals are. Perhaps if this album was produced better it would have had better results, but in its current state, it’s probably one of the weakest of the band’s early era despite containing some of their best songwriting. GOOD

4. Power Metal (1988)

Those who state that the “real” Pantera started with Cowboys From Hell, obviously hasn’t listened to Power Metal. This was the first album featuring Phil Anselmo, and is all about the speed metal influences along with their classic heavy metal base. The groovy riffs, while not outright thrash metal at this point, were getting pretty fucking close. This is NOT a glam era album and contains some amazing pre-CFH era stuff, especially in the song “Over and Out,” which could have easily found it’s way onto the Cowboys From Hell album. Power Metal is clearly a preview of what was to come. VERY GOOD

Modern Era

5. Cowboys From Hell (1990)

While the glam era died out, and thrash beginning to see its final days as an underground powerhouse with exhausted bands beginning to call it quits and fall like flies under the weight of the music industry which had begun to turn away talent, and constant touring in order to make a living, there was one band who stood alone amongst a changing landscape. Pantera, largely unknown outside of their native land, California and the tape trading circuit, had begun work on their greatest achievement as a band, Cowboys From Hell, which literally re-wrote the book on how thrash would be played from that point forth in metal. With solos that would make Van Halen blush, and original aggression that would make any thrash or death metal band envious, Pantera had reached their peak at what many consider to be the beginning of their career despite having almost a full decade behind them of writing leading up to this atom bomb! Nirvana and Soundgarden have been said to have invigorated the rock scene at the time with a new age of minimalism, but for heavy metal, no one could tell the righteous fans that anything but Pantera were the new breadwinners of the scene. MANDATORY OWNAGE

6. Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

The second, and very anticipated release of Pantera was heavier, cruder and featured a vocal style of Phil that abandoned melodic singing in favor of the leather lunged style that would eventually become his trademark. I’d say that Vulgar DIsplay of Power represents the pinnacle of the band’s popularity. With people now getting their hands on their first record, this was the first album that people were able to really take in as newfound fans of the band. This is a very good record with a greater influence on groove instead of traditional thrash, and while it doesn’t have the same quality tracks that Cowboys From Hell contained, it’s still a worthy record, especially during the time period when good, mainstream metal was basically null and void. VERY GOOD

7. Far Beyond Driven (1994)

If you thought Vulgar Display of Power was heavy, then wait until you get a load of this behemoth! Not only is this a groove based album, but it turns into a borderline stoner doom metal album with its, at times, slow raunchy riffs that really ring out every last drop of emphasis. Yet, besides maybe The Great Southern Trendkill, I think the intent of this album was to make it simply heavier using the same formula they had used since CFH, however, the original riffing and catchiness is definitely not as crisp and apparent. I can’t end this though, without mentioning the excellent Black Sabbath cover of “Planet Caravan” which is a noteable exception to the uncompromising brutality contained in the rest of the record. GOOD

8. The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)

If the song The Great Southern Trendkill wasn’t an obvious example of the band’s new focus on anger and heaviness, I don’t know what is. Overall, this album is just a big mess and really exemplifies perhaps the unsettling relationship the guys in the band were going through at the time. Still though, despite how over the top this album is, it is still not bad, in fact, it’s pretty good. Dimebag’s southern riff style is back in full force with solos, and the drumwork is quite decent. But, it’s still painfully obvious that this wasn’t just your ordinary Pantera record, it was obvious to fans that something was happening with the band, and it wasn’t good. The good natured, albeit violent vibes of the band were no longer there, instead, their groove oriented style had evolved into a darker, almost borderline death metal sound that was really distancing itself from the good time approach and originality the band had with Cowboys From Hell. This is actually kind of a depressing album to listen to, because it was really the beginning of the end for the band’s stability. GOOD

9. Reinventing the Steel (2000)

The final effort from Pantera. There had been rumors floating around after this was written about inner turmoil finally causing the band to part ways, and when the band di finally break up, it was never definitively decided if this was permanent or not. I, like many fans hoped it was only a temporary break up in order to allow time for everyone to get their heads straight. However, soon Phil started working on his projects, and the Abbott brothers would go on to form Damageplan. To me, I think Reinventing the Steel represents a kind of comeback of sorts after their abysmal live album and the lackluster Great Southern Trendkill which was a bit too harsh and unkempt, even by Pantera standards. This album contains track after track of metal that spit in the face of the naysayers who said they were washed up and not the same band. The riff giants were still writing amazing groove oriented riffs that no one else in the world could do quite like them, despite the climate at the time in heavy music being well entrenched in nu-metal and hip hip. It’s sad to know that songs like “Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit” and “Revolution Is My Name” will be the last we are likely to hear from Pantera. VERY GOOD

Lasting affects of Pantera

Clearly, groove metal as perfected by Pantera, is probably the greatest influence we have on the modern generation of heavy metallers. What the early thrashers had with NWOBHM and KISS, and the bands from the 90’s having the thrash movement, we as the latest batch of 20 somethings, have Pantera as our real metal flag bearer through years when our very own generation succumbed to the easy access of nu-metal and Ozzfest. Pantera survived the 90’s by staying true to their sound and giving the fans exactly what they wanted to hear; pure aggression and intricacy on the part of every musician, including Phil’s voice. Towards their twilight days, the Texas groove masters began to wallow in self torment, which in turn affected the band’s priorities and creativity.

Still though, despite the band’s tumultuous break up and eventual death of Dimebag, Pantera created metal that bands of virtually every genre have been largely influenced by. Thrash metal had found its phoenix in Pantera, which unfortunately wasn’t really appreciated until it’s demise, but because of their legacy, intricate thrash and groove metal has lived on through dark times to truly find its reawakening in 2008.

Written by CODY