CD Review: Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power (20th Anniversary Edition)

Written by Colin McNamara Thursday, 31 May 2012 09:41

Artist: Pantera
Title: Vulgar Display Of Power (20th Anniversary Edition)
Genre: Groove Metal
Release Date: 11th May 2012
Label: Rhino Records / Warner Music

Album Review

When considering PANTERA’s ‘Vulgar Display Of Power’, almost every Metal fan knows of the iconic music on it that set the standard for current Groove Metal bands from THROWDOWN to LAMB OF GOD, and even after being disbanded for pretty much twelve years, the music industry still has found ways to cash in on them as if they were still together. Give or take this has its pros and cons: for new fans, the constant compilations and re-issues of albums is a great way to get access to the music, but for older fans it really doesn’t do much. Sure there is the occasional bonus track, demos, and DVD included with live footage and music videos, but in a current age where YouTube can host such things for free, their importance has shrunk quite a bit. So, the real question remains- what does the re-issue of ‘Vulgar Display Of Power’ include that makes it worth re-acquiring or picking up compared to the original copy? Very little indeed.

‘Vulgar Display Of Power’ is arguably one of the better releases from PANTERA, right behind ‘Cowboys From Hell’. Almost everyone has heard the repetitive, but absolutely catchy ‘Walk’ with Phil Anselmo’s roar alongside Diamond Darrel’s (RIP) riffs and Vinnie Paul’s thrashy, but well defined beat, or the slow ballads such as ‘Hollow’ that featured their slower moments for the first time where Rex Brown’s bass shines. All around this album had good moments, and the re-issue does re-visit that but it doesn’t do much else. The extra bonus track ‘Piss’ is mediocre at best, but feels like it should have come at a later time such as the ‘Far Beyond Driven’ era. The bonus DVD features some live moments and music videos, but again, the Internet has made such things easily accessible so the motivation to ‘own’ these commodities is a bit less. Rhino Records could have done a much better job here by adding in demos, unreleased tracks, or something that both old and new fans could enjoy, but at this point the re-issue is only meant for new fans or those who have never heard PANTERA before. On the plus side, ‘Vulgar Display Of Power’ is probably the one album from PANTERA that should be re-issued due to its all around decency. However, with so many compilations already released from “box sets” to “best of…” releases, it is more than likely that fans will have heard all these tracks before at one point or another.


Tracklist

Line-up

Phil Anselmo - Vocals
Vinnie Paul - Drums
Rex Brown - Bass
Diamond Darrell - Guitars


Website

http://www.pantera.com/


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 4
Total: 6 / 10