I fucking love those guys!!!
It is SO devastating to know that there will never be another PANTERA album, or tour, or a new song to hear.
Because of the heinous murder of Dimebag Darrell Abbott almost a year and a half ago, the world is SO much less rocking.Dimebag was THE most shredding, the most unique and fearless Guitar God this side of Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhodes!!!!! Nobody in this generation touches him for sheer shredability, no one!
PANTERAS music was devoid of anything frivilous or unnecessary, yet, was frugal without being even remotely conservative in their attack.
Over the course of at least twelve years, PANTERAS music has not only been a staple of my daily listening diet, but also, the purity of that unbridled thunder and lightning fest, plus their strict maintainence to a solid sense of integrity has been tattooed and forever branded on the flesh of my soul and spirit.
There isn't one ounce of fat on a single one of their tunes. It's all muscle, gristle, sweat, spit, piss and attitude!
God bless Dime,Vinnie, Rex and Phil!
In my opinion PANTERA was one of very few bands of their generation whose every album grew in terms of production, imagination and an all out fearless attack, without sounding same-y or bored and stultified. They never felt the need to have the London Philharmonic on stage with them, or some other bloated, pretentious bullcrap. Forget metallica, they sold out and bought into their own press ages ago.
Even SLAYER kind of bores me now with their constant litany of contrived blasphemy. It's far too formulaic.
Back to PANTERA....
Phillip Anselmos lyrics and vocal delivery have NEVER weakened with age. That dude is as pure a fucking artist as anybody can be in the metal genre as far as I'm concerned!
I love and admire the guy for NEVER knuckling under to adversity; whether it be Dimebags death, or so much unwarranted hatered from stupid poseurs that call themselves PANTERA fans, or his battle with his addiction(s) and other personal demons. That dude is a testament to preserverance and backbone and just being a straight up badass among badasses. I love that dude like a soul brother!
Of course Dimebags guitar histrionics go far beyond anything mortal. I'm convinced that when he was alive and among us, that, he must've had a complete other bodily system that pumped out pure metal riffage all the time, 24-7. Now that his spirit is released into the stratosphere, the amount of available notage and riffage has no doubt increased exponetntially.
As far as stability is concerned, musically speaking, Rex Browns solid yet flexible, rolling basslines were undoubtedly the backbone of the whole behemoth. He laid down the solid center, from which the rest of the musical nerve work wrapped around and splayed off of.
Vinnie Pauls tight hammering and pop of the snare and toms and galloping double kick, along with the brassy explosions from the cymabls were the cardio vascular system of the whole shebang.
Together these four Cowboys From Hell left an indelible four knuckle imprint on the face of anything remotely resembling pretenders to the throne.
Now that part of history is forever dissolved because of some scum bag, pyscho's bullet... but every time those tunes come through the speakers, no matter where, that tyrannosaurous spirit of blood, spit, sweat, piss and integrity tear apart the ether, my own system is in some way healed.
God Bless PANTERA!!!!!
