Category Archives: Pantera

From VH1.com: “Sold out.” “Gone soft.” These are phrases we hear when metal bands step a toe in the land of the light. Perhaps inspired by my recent article about heavy bands that took huge left turns with respect to their creative direction, it got me thinking about how much I enjoy when metal bands include something different on an already heavy album: a token curveball among a collection of 100 mph fastballs.

Because it’s coming from a heavy band, I almost appreciate it more when we get a glimpse into the more vulnerable side of genre known for projecting unyielding strength and stoic resolve. Often it affects me more than listening to a folk artist like Jack Johnson where the entire soundscape is sensitive, quiet, and beautiful. I yearn for the peaks and valleys, the yins and yangs.

As I was formulating this list, I had to set up some parameters:

First, what classifies as a heavy band? I could have included Alice In Chains’ “Nutshell”, which is a monumentally popular track, loved by metalheads and normal folks alike. Is Alice In Chains a rock band? A metal band? It’s difficult to say, but I felt that they released a substantial quantity of acoustic, lighter music that it’s basically just part of their sound.

Coming in at #6; Pantera – “Suicide Note Pt. I”

There was a big temptation on my behalf to include “Planet Caravan”, Pantera’s haunting Black Sabbath cover that closed Far Beyond Driven. The more I thought about it, I realized Pantera deserved to be recognized for an original song. Their versatility is really what made them the biggest metal band of their era. Like Metallica before them and Slipknot after, being the top dog requires serious range. Even though “Suicide Note Pt. I” is an acoustic song, it never loses any of the intensity Pantera was known for. Much of it had to do with Phil Anselmo’s vocal delivery, which was as emotive as it was masculine, but never felt forced. From “Cemetery Gates” to “Hollow” to “Floods”, these guys always knew how to paint with different colors. This type of breather in the midst of crushing jams is what was missing from Pantera’s swan song, Reinventing the Steel.

To check out the ariginal article and see the rest of the top 10, check it out on VH1’s page here.…

Guitar World celebrates the heaviest of the heavy—from “Revolution Is My Name” to “This Love” … from “Cemetery Gates” to “Cowboys from Hell” …

Check out our guide to the 25 greatest Pantera songs of all time!

Note: This list is from GW’s recent Dimebag Darrell tribute issue. To check out a video of our exclusive tour of Dime’s guitar vault, home and recording studio, step right this way.

25. “10’s”
The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)

One of Pantera’s most haunting compositions, “10’s” comes into focus slowly, floating in on an ethereal, if crusty-sounding, bent-note Dimebag riff. The warped guitars and slow pacing provide an appropriately uneasy environment for a weary vocal from Phil Anselmo, who documents a man “disgusted with [his] cheapness” and destroying himself from the inside out through addiction.

An acoustic guitar interlude and a liquid Dime solo that, for a few bars at least, unexpectedly wanders into major-key territory, allow a few seconds of sunshine to poke through the black clouds. But overall, “10’s” is positively chilling and all-consuming in its atmosphere of impending doom.

To see the rest of the 25 songs chosen by Guitar World, go here.…

As originally posted on Rolling Stone here.

The Guitar Hero franchise is coming back in 2015 after a five-year hiatus, and now Guitar Hero Live has revealed the first 24 songs from its expansive set list. The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Keys and Green Day are among the initial wave of artists that will contribute music to the upcoming game.

Among the new features on the revitalized Guitar Hero are a more realistic controller/instrument – no more deadly orange pinky button – and a 24-hour music video network called GHTV, “the world’s first playable music video network.” Game creators Activision says the channel will allow participants to play along to official videos across various genres and challenge other online players of the same skill level.

Guitar Hero Live will also present the game from a first-person perspective, allowing gamers to almost interact with the crowd and their bandmates on screen. “If you start dropping notes and messing it up, not only are the crowd gonna turn on you, but so are your band members as well, because you’re effectively ruining their career as well as your own,” Jackson said. FreeStyle and Activision partnered on Guitar Hero Live.

Guitar Hero Live Initial Set List

The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling”
Blitz Kids – “Sometimes”
Ed Sheeran – “Sing”
Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
Gary Clark, Jr. – “Don’t Owe You a Thang”
Green Day – “Nuclear Family”
The Killers – “When You Were Young”
The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
My Chemical Romance – “Na Na Na”
Pierce the Veil – “King for a Day (feat. Kellin Quinn)”
The Rolling Stones – “Paint it Black”
Skrillex – “Bangarang”
The War on Drugs – “Under the Pressure”
Black Veil Brides – “In The End”
Rage Against the Machine – “Guerrilla Radio”
Judas Priest – “Breaking the Law”
Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell”
Sleigh Bells – “Bitter Rivals”
System of a Down – “Chop Suey!”
Alter Bridge – “Cry of Achilles”
Alt-J – “Left Hand Free”
Broken Bells – “Leave It Alone”
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground”
The Pretty Reckless – “Going to Hell”

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-rolling-stones-green-day-lead-guitar-hero-live-set-list-20150512#ixzz3Zx1AWxGX
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook

For the full article go here.…

Check out the discography page for The Great Southern Trendkill for album details, pictures, and relevant links. You can also stream all of the songs, read the lyrics, and find out where to pick it up on cd or vinyl. Go here: http://pantera.com//thegreatsoutherntrendkill/…

Pantera’s Reinventing the Steel never gets enough credit. When you ask someone their favorite Pantera album, you’ll most commonly hear Vulgar Display of Power or Far Beyond Driven. Often, you’ll get someone who says Cowboys from Hell. This writer’s personal favorite is The Great Southern Trendkill—and after years of convincing he has a few friends who agree. However, a little more than 15 years since its release, Reinventing the Steel feels more powerful than ever. In essence, it stripped the Pantera sound to its core. The riffs are as thick as ever and the grooves pummel with poise, passion, and power. It’s almost like the direct successor to Vulgar Display Power with just ten slamming anthems that purge with no-nonsense, no-frills, and no-regard attitude. That was what Pantera did best, and it’s on full display here.

For the 5 songs Rick dissects for readers, check out the original article here.…

http://www.revolvermag.com/news/panteras-phil-anselmo-and-rex-brown-look-back-on-the-making-of-vulgar-display-of-power.html…

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