first pantera album bought

Vulgar Display of Power was my first. It was the heaviest album I ever owned at that point. It was my gateway drug into heavier music.

I knew of Pantera for awhile but never really gave them much of a thought. Then I saw them live, opening for Black Sabbath around '99 or 2000. I was blown away by their live performanace and went out shortly afterward and picked up Cowboys from Hell and Vulgar Display at my local used shop at the same time.

I'd eventually get the other albums and I'm pretty sure I got Reinventing the Steel as a new release. I don't listen to their later stuff that much, but Cowboys and Vulgar still get fairly regular spins from me to this day.

I have a download of their pre-Cowboys stuff, but I think I've only played it through once or twice. Most of the lyrics have aged horribly. Very cheesy. Although I'd still buy them if they were officially re-issued.

I think up through Far Beyond Driven, they were fantastic. The final two albums were good but seemed to suffer a bit. Though each have some brilliant songs.

But the first three mainstream albums are gold.

Eyesore wrote:

I think up through Far Beyond Driven, they were fantastic. The final two albums were good but seemed to suffer a bit. Though each have some brilliant songs.

But the first three mainstream albums are gold.

They have their moments, but like Manny mentioned, I grew tired of Phil's tough-guy delivery. The musics good, but the lyirics/vocals suffered. I enjoyed Reinventing the Steel, but I seem to be in the minority on that one.

S.D. wrote:

I bought Cowboys From Hell when it first came out and liked it well enough (aside from a few clunker tracks), also picked up Vulgar but never really warmed up to that album. Within a couple years I was tired of them, sold the CDs and probably haven't heard a Pantera song since 1995 or so.

Can't say I've missed them either.

cowboys from hell was my first as well. I remember hearing Cemetery Gates on Pirate Radio out of Seton Hall and going out and getting the cassette.

Quote :

I grew tired of Phil's tough-guy delivery. The musics good, but the lyirics/vocals suffered.

Same here. Phil seemed to be going out of his way to be more abrasive/"extreme" on each album after Vulgar Display, and after a while I just got tired of trying to get past the screeching mongoloid vocals. The dude has (or at least "had") a decent singing voice, I wish he'd used it more often post-VDOP.

...or maybe it was simply that I wasn't an angry teenager anymore by the time those later albums came out so I just couldn't "relate" to 'em.

I love the CFH album all the way through. In fact, it's one of my favorite albums of the 90's. Unfortunately, I began losing interest thereafter... The last two are my least favorite. I think they lost their focus and did a little too much boozing.

Troublezone wrote:

I love the CFH album all the way through. In fact, it's one of my favorite albums of the 90's. Unfortunately, I began losing interest thereafter... The last two are my least favorite. I think they lost their focus and did a little too much boozing.

Agree. Cowboys is one of those albums a band releases that can never be surpassed. Vulgar tried but it was inferior though it had some great songs. Far Beyond Driven had 2-3 good songs and not much more and beyond that didn't really do much for me.

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s. That album crushes CFH into dust - and I really like CFH. Phil is in top form, Rex and Vinnie are tight as hell and Dime is shredding like crazy - it's a masterpiece.

Different opinions...

DallasBlack wrote:

Different opinions...

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like VDOP, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong. CFH only hints at the brilliance that was unleashed on Vulgar. CFH is excellent but Vulgar is transcendent. It represented the band at their creative peak. The first 6 tracks are some of the best Metal of the decade. CFH is far more hit and miss with many cuts that are unmemorable.

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong.

Yep, you are.

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong.

Yep, you are.

I am sorry that you have inferior taste. Not everyone can be as awesome as I am. Keep trying though, you might get there someday.

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong. CFH only hints at the brilliance that was unleashed on Vulgar. CFH is excellent but Vulgar is transcendent. It represented the band at their creative peak. The first 6 tracks are some of the best Metal of the decade. CFH is far more hit and miss with many cuts that are unmemorable.

Totally disagree. They peaked on CFH. It merged their melodic past with the aggression of thrash, and no filler tracks! The solos and riffs had more character too. Vulgar had next to no melody.

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong. CFH only hints at the brilliance that was unleashed on Vulgar. CFH is excellent but Vulgar is transcendent. It represented the band at their creative peak. The first 6 tracks are some of the best Metal of the decade. CFH is far more hit and miss with many cuts that are unmemorable.

Totally disagree. They peaked on CFH. It merged their melodic past with the aggression of thrash, and no filler tracks! The solos and riffs had more character too. Vulgar had next to no melody.

I am not so sure that melody is the most important element of a song.

Even though Vulgar was a good album, it lacked finesse.

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong. CFH only hints at the brilliance that was unleashed on Vulgar. CFH is excellent but Vulgar is transcendent. It represented the band at their creative peak. The first 6 tracks are some of the best Metal of the decade. CFH is far more hit and miss with many cuts that are unmemorable.

Totally disagree. They peaked on CFH. It merged their melodic past with the aggression of thrash, and no filler tracks! The solos and riffs had more character too. Vulgar had next to no melody.

I am not so sure that melody is the most important element of a song.

Adding distortion is?

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong. CFH only hints at the brilliance that was unleashed on Vulgar. CFH is excellent but Vulgar is transcendent. It represented the band at their creative peak. The first 6 tracks are some of the best Metal of the decade. CFH is far more hit and miss with many cuts that are unmemorable.

Totally disagree. They peaked on CFH. It merged their melodic past with the aggression of thrash, and no filler tracks! The solos and riffs had more character too. Vulgar had next to no melody.

I am not so sure that melody is the most important element of a song.

Adding distortion is?

I don't know but you seem to think melody is as you mentioned it many times. To each their own I suppose.

For the fans of early Pantera, CFH was like the Power Metal album on steroids. It had everything.

Troublezone wrote:

For the fans of early Pantera, CFH was like the Power Metal album on steroids. It had everything.

Hmmm. I prefer Power Metal to CFH usually but that's because of Phil's vocals which were excellent on PM. I think he was way out of his natural range though.

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong. CFH only hints at the brilliance that was unleashed on Vulgar. CFH is excellent but Vulgar is transcendent. It represented the band at their creative peak. The first 6 tracks are some of the best Metal of the decade. CFH is far more hit and miss with many cuts that are unmemorable.

Totally disagree. They peaked on CFH. It merged their melodic past with the aggression of thrash, and no filler tracks! The solos and riffs had more character too. Vulgar had next to no melody.

I am not so sure that melody is the most important element of a song.

Adding distortion is?

I don't know but you seem to think melody is as you mentioned it many times. To each their own I suppose.

Many metal fans like melody. It goes back to the beginning of metal (Sabbath, Priest). I see the Vulgar album as the dumber jock brother of CFH.

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

For the fans of early Pantera, CFH was like the Power Metal album on steroids. It had everything.

Hmmm. I prefer Power Metal to CFH usually but that's because of Phil's vocals which were excellent on PM. I think he was way out of his natural range though.

CFH was kinda the middle ground of his vocal range. It sounded natural.

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Troublezone wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

Vulgar is best thing Pantera ever did and probably the best Metal album of the 90s.

Maybe if you're not into melody... Phil actually sings on CFH. The songwriting is also a lot better. I like Vulgar, but heaviness doesn't make up for for what it lacks.

Wrong. CFH only hints at the brilliance that was unleashed on Vulgar. CFH is excellent but Vulgar is transcendent. It represented the band at their creative peak. The first 6 tracks are some of the best Metal of the decade. CFH is far more hit and miss with many cuts that are unmemorable.

Totally disagree. They peaked on CFH. It merged their melodic past with the aggression of thrash, and no filler tracks! The solos and riffs had more character too. Vulgar had next to no melody.

I am not so sure that melody is the most important element of a song.

Adding distortion is?

I don't know but you seem to think melody is as you mentioned it many times. To each their own I suppose.

Many metal fans like melody. It goes back to the beginning of metal (Sabbath, Priest). I see the Vulgar album as the dumber jock brother of CFH.

Oh, I love melody, I just don't think it's the be all and end all of Metal. Also, there is nothing wrong with aggression or being a jock, for that matter. Heavy Metal is, after all, a masculine music.