Amazon.co.uk Review
Upon its release in the mid-1990s, Pantera's
Vulgar Display of Power proved that, even in an era of alternative rock supremacy, heavy metal fans were still a force to contend with. Blending eerie, surging grooves with thrashy speed metal riffs, Pantera created a bleak, oppressive disc that captured both ends of the speed spectrum without resorting to clichi, abrupt tempo shifts. Guitarist Diamond Darrell plays with as much crunch as the best
Metallica, while vocalist Phil Anselmo screams loud enough to satisfy any GBH fan. Coupled with Vinnie Paul's insistent, double bass-drum onslaught, you're left with an album that'll shake the fillings out of even the strongest teeth.
--Jon Wiederhorn
CD Description
With a rougher image and a more focused, aggressive sound than in their hairspray and spandex days on an independent label, Texas natives Pantera made a serious dent in the heavy music scene with the major label release of COWBOYS FROM HELL, which inspired radio play and MTV support. While Metallica and Megadeth were watering down their approach for a more mainstream sound, Pantera got harder with VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER.
From the moment vocalist Phil Anselmo screams his first "Revenge!" in "Mouth for War", the stage is set. Drummer Vinnie Paul showcases relentless technical prowess thrashing out complex double-bass drum patterns in "A New Level" and "By Demons be Driven", while guitarist Diamond Darrell's seemingly endless supply of hard-grooving, blues-inspired hooks are the heart of "No Good" and "Live in a Hole". In the emotional power-ballad "Hollow", the song's protagonist faces the heartache of having a friend trapped in a coma; and just as in the epic "Cemetery Gates" from COWBOYS FROM HELL, Anselmo continues to struggle with the consequences of fate and the will of the world.