Vulgar Display of Power:
Vulgar Display of Power is the sixth studio album from Pantera, released on February 25, 1992 through Atco Records. Its total length is 51:45. The band's lineup remained the same as on their last album, with vocalist Phil Anselmo, guitarist Dimebag Darrell, bassist Rex Brown, and drummer Vinnie Paul. Pantera made more strides to continue to vary their sound like they did on their last album Cowboys from Hell.
On this release, Pantera uses more aggression and abrasive content to continue to push the metal to more extreme material. Phil Anselmo's vocals change again on this record to a more deep growl style of vocal delivery. Lyrically, the album is more aggressive than their previous material and the guitar riffs are more heavy as well on this album. All of these factors lead to a much heavier sound that had not been seen up to this time in the metal genre.
Vulgar Display of Power was a commercial success, reaching #44 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and remaining on the chart for 79 weeks. It also has gone Double Platinum in the U.S., Gold in both the U.K. and Canada, and Platinum status in Australia. The strengths of the album are the aggressiveness, the technical mastery, the heaviness, and the fact that every song is good on the album. Their are no weaknesses on Vulgar Display of Power. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1."Mouth for War" 3:57 (5/5)
"Mouth for War" may be my favorite track Pantera has ever released. Pantera showed that they were capable of upping the heaviness that the last record showed. It has a great guitar riff that may be my favorite from the band, Growling vocals from Phil Anselmo, and great drumming from Vinnie on this track. Throw in an iconic solo that demonstrates all of Dimebag's fantastic soloing abilities and you have yourself a metal classic. Check out the music video below.
2. "A New Level" 3:57 (5/5)
The purpose of "A New Level" was to demonstrate that Pantera was on a new level above everyone else in metal. Beginning with another iconic guitar riff, "A New Level" immediately grasps your attention, and doesn't stop with a great chorus, some awesome vocals from Phil, great bass work from Rex, and another amazing shredding solo from Dimebag. "A New Level" really did demonstrate how Pantera was on their own level in metal. Check out live performance below.
3. "Walk" 5:14 (5/5)
"Walk" begins with a heavy slow tempo guitar riff that will get you headbanging from the start. Then, Phil comes in with his powerful vocal delivery. The song has a great catchy chorus that anyone can sing along to. Dimebag delivers another fantastic guitar solo, while Rex shows off his amazing bass skills in the background. "Walk" may be the most overplayed Pantera song, but it is overplayed for a good reason. Check out the music video below.
4. "Fucking Hostile" 2:48 (4.5/5)
This track begins with Phil spitting out aggressive lyrics right away. The guitar riff is extremely fast in this song, as is the drumming. "Fucking Hostile" is aggressive, fast, and hard hitting just like the band who plays it. Dimebag delivers yet again with another phenomenal solo. Overall, this track is pretty great.
5. "This Love" 6:32 (5/5)
"This Love" begins with a lighter and somewhat acoustic guitar riff. Then, Phil delivers vocals similar to the style of the vocals on their previous album. Then, the chorus occurs and Phil growls this love repetitively with a very aggressive delivery. There are so many tempo changes on this song that vary from soft moments, to fast moments, to complete headbanging moments. Dimebag's solo on this track is very soulful and terrific. Overall, "This Love" is a fantastic track that varries between aggressive and melodic moments. Check out the music video below.
6. "Rise" 4:36 (4/5)
"Rise" starts with a really fast guitar riff, accompanied by fast drums and bass. Once the song gets into its main guitar riff, Phil gives us more abrasive vocals, accompanied by speedy guitar and booming drums. The chorus is fast and easy to sing along to and is definitely the most memorable part of the song. Dimebag gives us another amazing solo on this track and Rex's bass work while Dimebag is shredding is phenomenol. Overall, "Rise" is another good song off Vulgar Display of Power.
7. "No Good (Attack the Radical)" 4:49 (5/5)
This track opens with an awesome guitar intro. Then, Phil begins the spoken word vocal delivery style followed by a more aggressive delivery accompanied by a heavy guitar riff. The chorus is both aggressive and catchy. It is certainly one of my favorite choruses from the album. The guitar solo is so unique and just flat out amazing. Dimebag continues to amaze me. Overall, "No Good (Attack the Radical)" is an awesome hard rocking track.
8. "Live in a Hole" 5:00 (4/5)
"Live in a Hole" is probably my least favorite track on the album. It's a slower tempo song that is aggressive and very dark. I definitely love Phil's vocal delivery during the chorus it's pretty heavy. Also, Dimebag's guitar riff is amazing to. The guitar solo is really fast and is definitely the best part of the song. Yet again, Rex's ability to compliment Dimebag's guitar solos is incredible. I think the song at times can drag a little bit though. Overall, still a very solid track.
9. "Regular People (Conceit)" 5:27 (4/5)
This one has some great guitar riffing and really fast drumming throughout. Also, Phil's vocals are very solid on this one. The chorus is aggressive and catchy like so many on the album. The guitar solo is amazing yet again and the bass work by Rex Brown continues to impress me. "Regular People (Conceit)" does last a little bit to long though. Overall, "Regular People (Conceit)" is pretty solid track though.
10. "By Demons Be Driven" 4:40 (5/5)
"By Demons Be Driven" is the most underrated track on the album. The opening guitar riff just sounds evil. The chorus sounds so heavy and dark. Phil's vocals are just fantastic on this track. Dimebag jams out the entire song on guitar and Vinnie does what he does on the drums. The guitar solo is unique and different than all the others on the album. This song absolutely rocks!
11. "Hollow" 5:48 (4.5/5)
"Hollow" is a song that reminds me a lot of "Cemetery Gates" off their last album. It's so melodic and heavy at the same time. The guitar work from Dimebag is so soulful and so are Phil's vocals. The guitar solo is as good as it gets. It may be short, but man it's soulful and good. There is a sudden tempo change to a much heavier sound at about the 3 minute mark in the song that really adds to the uniqueness of the track. The guitar riffing during this part is very impressive and Vinnie is really doing work on the drums. "Hollow" is an excellent way to end the album.
My Verdict:
Vulgar Display of Power is an adrenaline rush from the start that demonstrates both the band's technical skill and aggressive style. Vulgar Display of Power is a perfect example of a band being innovative and opening a gateway to many sub genres in a particular genre. Pantera proved with Vulgar Display of Power that they were the best thing in metal in 1992. Overall, it is one of my favorite albums of all time.
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