Power metal! On forever! – 90%
Slater922, December 12th, 2022
So recently, Pantera has reformed once again to embark on their 2022 reunion tour, which started earlier this month. The tour has been divisive to put it very lightly… But regardless on your thoughts on the tour, there’s no doubt that in their prime, Pantera had revolutionized the metal genre for better or for worse. While they didn’t exactly invented groove metal (Exhorder already beat them to that punch), their fifth album “Cowboys from Hell” would at the very least bring the genre to the mainstream and be a startup for their own line-up of groove metal albums that you either love or hate.
But despite mainly being known for their groove metal works, they’ve actually started all the way back in the 80s as a heavy/glam metal band. Their actual debut album “Metal Magic” wasn’t that good, but they quickly got better with each new album. By 1986, however, their vocalist Terrence Lee would leave the band, with Philip Anselmo taking his place shortly after. And this is where we get to 1988, with the release of their final heavy metal album “Power Metal”. And upon revisiting their 80s material, I was surprised to hear how well this album has aged.
Right from the first track “Rock the World”, we can already tell that Pantera is gonna take a much more heavier approach in their craft. While the previous record had some more melodic and epic riffs, the riffs on this album take on a more darker sound, but still maintaining that victorious style from the previous record. Vinnie Paul’s is also superb as usual, as while the beat patterns in the opening are a bit standard, the booming sound emitted from the beats are fitting within the heavy riffs. The bass is also good too, as while they play very similarly to the guitars, they still add in a good foundation within the track. As awesome as Rock the World is, it’s only an appetizer for what’s to come. Tracks like “Down Below” and especially “Power Metal” would take on some thrash influences that not only further enhance that heavy sound the album’s going for, but even include some brilliant guitar solos that only shine through the epic atmosphere. Not to mention you got tracks like “Death Trap” that borrow from Iron Maiden’s more gallopy riffs. Whether it be from the brilliant songwriting of the riffs or sheer power from the drums, the album’s more heavy and abrasive sound is executed very well here.
But then comes the elephant in the room: Phil’s vocals. I’ll admit, being used to hearing his guttural growls in the later albums, I did had to get used to the falsetto shrieks he did on this album. But once I got used to it, I actually don’t mind them at all. In the track “Proud to Be Loud” for instance, Phil uses his melodic vocals to an advantage, as they not only flow well to the upbeat and heavy riffs, but he does further enhance the feeling of being loud, especially in the chorus where his pride attitude shines within his shouts. If you’re coming from their groove metal works, you might not even recognize Phil at first here, but the vocals he does is still really good.
But one weak point on this album is the lyrics. Pantera hasn’t exactly been known for deep and poetic lyrics, but even still, those lyrics could’ve been better. One example of such is in the track “Hard Ride”, where this verse quotes:
The pressure’s building up
You feel you’ve had enough
So go now – AWAY!!!
I’ll lay it on the table
You’re feelin’ so unstable
I want to love you
But you seem so far away!!!
Here, some of the wording is off, such as “So go now – AWAY!!!”, when “So go away NOW!!!” would probably sound better and go along with the flow just fine. Also, it seems like Phillip doesn’t know about long-distance relationships, seeing how he thinks he can’t love her if she’s far away. These might seem like nitpicks, but the lyrics on this song and others are generic and bland at times. However, I’m gonna them some slack here, as with the great instrumentals and vocals, the lyrics are more of a second thought in the big picture, and people would usually get the idea of the story anyway.
But despite weak lyricism, that doesn’t take away everything else that’s so great about this record. The more heavy approach to the riffs and drums works well, and even Phil’s vocals are pretty good. It’s a shame that Pantera hasn’t reissued this album or any of their other 80s albums since their initial release, as while they’re not the best, they’re still pretty good for what they are, this one especially. If you’re looking for some hard-hitting heavy metal, then I recommend giving this one a spin.
rafazardly 