Pantera - Great Southern Trendkill - CD On which the singularly unsubtle Texas quartet further intensify their self-proclaimed "vulgar display of power" to a frankly seismic degree. After beginning life in the early Eighties as a band rooted in the mannered tradition of Aerosmith and Kiss, Pantera drastically changed their tack in 1988 by metamorphosing into an uncompromising thrash metal combo reminiscent of . Since then, they've viciously honed their virtuoso, ber-rock stampede into hyperspace. The Great Southern Trendkill finds vocalist Phil Anselmo mercilessly ripping his throat to shreds as fretboard strangler "Dimebag" Darrell casually spits out head-spinning lead lines of such ferocity that they clearly belong behind bars. And just as "Suicide Note Part One" lulls you into a false sense of security with its uncharacteristically acoustic introspection, "Part Two" leaps out of the speakers to rip the top off your cranium and toss it into the trash like a Frisbee. Definitely not for those with nervous dispositions. --Ian Fortnam Review Having helped define 90s metal with their two preceding albums – 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power and 1994’s Far Beyond Driven – Pantera found themselves in a strange place when the release of this big ol’ beast rolled around. The band itself was fraught with tension thanks to frontman Phil Anselmo’s isolation, spiralling heroin addiction and, perhaps, his immersion in kvlt side projects that ranged from esoteric black metal to crippling southern sludge. Externally, the landscape was also changing, with landmark debuts from Korn and Deftones reshaping the rock scene. With peers like Sepultura and Machine Head falling ‘neath nu-metal’s frowzy spell, it seemed only fitting that the self-styled ‘cowboys from hell’ released their most uncompromising album, The Great Southern Trendkill serving as a combined head-butt, middle finger and vomit-tinged beer burp to all that stood in its way. Beginning with the system-purging title track – its wall-of-squall effectively sets the tone – this still stands as the band’s most diverse and ferocious offering. From breakneck thrash riffing and blistering whammy pedal shrieks to more pensive outbursts like Drag the Waters, it all hinged upon two key factors: Anselmo’s indignant howl and guitarist Dimebag Darrell’s mix of organic thrust, skull-scraping atonality and searing virtuosity. Brutality aside, however, the album is not without its surprises. Pantera’s previous treatment of Black Sabbath classic Planet Caravan had demonstrated a subtler side, and this is built upon with the musically – if not thematically – mellow Suicide Note, Part I. Elsewhere, the expansive Floods teeters toward the seven-minute mark and 10’s has Anselmo clearing his bile-clogged throat and demonstrating the weary, near-soulful wail of a man for whom bottling it up is simply no longer an option. This expanded vinyl edition wages war across two slabs of wax and, unlike its 1996 predecessor, features the album in its entirety. More than just a handy item for those newly-enthused to the world of record-collecting or a sop for completists, however, this reissue should hopefully also rekindle interest in an unjustly overlooked album from a band who helped make space at the table for the likes of Hatebreed, Lamb of God and Gojira. --Adam Kennedy This link will take you off in a new window