Reinventing The Steel [PA]

Performer: Pantera
Engineer: Vinnie Paul; Sterling Winfield
Producer: Vinnie Paul; Sterling Winfield; Dimebag Darrell
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Pantera: Philip Anselmo (vocals); Dimebag Darrell (guitar); Rex Brown (bass); Vinnie Paul (drums). Additional personnel: Kerry King (guitar). Recorded at Chasin Jason Studios, Texas. "Revolution Is My Name" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Pantera: Philip Anselmo (vocals); Dimebag Darrell (guitar); Rex Brown (bass); Vinnie Paul (drums). Additional personnel: Kerry King (guitar). Recorded at Chasin Jason Studios, Texas. "Revolution Is My Name" was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Personnel: Phil Anselmo (vocals); Dimebag Darrell, Grady Champion (guitar); Vinnie Paul (drums). Recording information: Chasin Jason Studios; DWG, TX. Arranger: Pantera. Where The Great Southern Trendkill experimented with slower, moodier pieces, Reinventing the Steel finds Pantera sticking to the pulverizing basics of their sound, with the first down-tempo, nondistorted guitar part appearing on the next-to-last track, "It Makes Them Disappear," and vanishing about 15 seconds into the song. In the tradition of the group's best albums, Reinventing the Steel is a nonstop assault on the senses, offering no respite from the intensity until the album has stopped playing. Yet somehow, it comes off as a cut below their best albums; perhaps it's that the band's sound lacks the sense of freshness that sparked Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display of Power, and Far Beyond Driven, or perhaps it's simply good in a very predictable way (contrary to its title). Yet even if Pantera is firmly entrenched in a signature sound, it's a distinctive, highly effective signature sound that most of the band's fans don't want to hear changed; plus, Dimebag Darrell is still one of the most inventive guitar players in heavy metal. The bottom line is that the way you feel about Reinventing the Steel will likely depend on whether you object to more of the same; if not, then the lean focus of its attack -- the most concise, actually, since Vulgar Display -- will make it more than worthwhile. ~ Steve Huey Whether you like the genre of music Pantera plays or not, you have to give respect to these guys for staying true to form. The group is still churning out the same brand of aggressive metal that their fans have come to expect. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell takes the group into a previously-unexplored melodic realm with his effective use of sound processing on the opening riff of "Hellbound," and "Yesterday Don't Mean Sh**" is a heavy tune with a great guitar riff. "You've Gotta Belong To It" is brutal, with swirling guitar sounds on the bridge and a do-your-own-thing message. The mid-tempo trudge of "Revolution Is My Name" in a fitting musical backdrop to vocalist Phil Anselmo's rally against ignorance and prejudice. "Death Rattle" is a fast, thrashing number sure to inspire many a mosh pit. "We'll Grind That Axe For a Long Time" conveys the band's dedication to metal. Anselmo's screaming vocals, Dimebag's flashy solo and Vinnie Paul's double-bass drum action make "I'll Cast A Shadow" a thunderous album closer. Whether you like the genre of music Pantera plays or not, you have to give respect to these guys for staying true to form. The group is still churning out the same brand of aggressive metal that their fans have come to expect. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell takes the group into a previously-unexplored melodic realm with his effective use of sound processing on the opening riff of "Hellbound," and "Yesterday Don't Mean Sh**" is a heavy tune with a great guitar riff. "You've Gotta Belong To It" is brutal, with swirling guitar sounds on the bridge and a do-your-own-thing message. The mid-tempo trudge of "Revolution Is My Name" in a fitting musical backdrop to vocalist Phil Anselmo's rally against ignorance and prejudice. "Death Rattle" is a fast, thrashing number sure to inspire many a mosh pit. "We'll Grind That Axe For a Long Time" conveys the band's dedication to metal. Anselmo's screaming vocals, Dimebag's flashy solo and Vinnie Paul's double-bass drum action make "I'll Cast A Shadow" a thunderous album closer.

Rolling Stone (5/25/00, p.73) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Metal-revivalist....relying on the genre's primal elements of rage and analog noise...chopped up with squealing dissonance....brutal enough to please underground purists and familiar enough for weekend headbangers..." Rolling Stone (5/25/00, p.73) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Metal-revivalist....relying on the genre's primal elements of rage and analog noise...chopped up with squealing dissonance....brutal enough to please underground purists and familiar enough for weekend headbangers..." Entertainment Weekly (3/24/00, p.102) - "...resumes their scorched-earth policy with vigor....dropping aural anvils [along] with a dash of inventiveness..." - Rating: B+ Entertainment Weekly (3/24/00, p.102) - "...resumes their scorched-earth policy with vigor....dropping aural anvils [along] with a dash of inventiveness..." - Rating: B+ Q (6/00, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Pantera's attempt to upgrade [Judas Priest's] BRITISH STEEL-era pure metal spirit....unequivocal heavy metalness..." Q (6/00, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Pantera's attempt to upgrade [Judas Priest's] BRITISH STEEL-era pure metal spirit....unequivocal heavy metalness..." Alternative Press (7/00, pp.108-9) - 5 out of 5 - "...An undiluted, unvarnished slab of riffs paying distinct homage to Judas Priest's BRITISH STEEL, and not just in a titular sense, but in basic song construction..." Alternative Press (7/00, pp.108-9) - 5 out of 5 - "...An undiluted, unvarnished slab of riffs paying distinct homage to Judas Priest's BRITISH STEEL, and not just in a titular sense, but in basic song construction..." CMJ (4/3/00, p.32) - "...Crammed with everything they've used to revolutionize metal....so old-school it could have been easily made in between the quartet's back-to-back classics..." CMJ (4/3/00, p.32) - "...Crammed with everything they've used to revolutionize metal....so old-school it could have been easily made in between the quartet's back-to-back classics..." NME (Magazine) (4/15/00, p.34) - 6 out of 10 - "...An unfashionably old-school metal album....it's Pantera's bid to herald the rebirth of bullet-belt, cut-off denim metal....It's a solid album, oozing drunk-as-hell metal spirit..." NME (Magazine) (4/15/00, p.34) - 6 out of 10 - "...An unfashionably old-school metal album....it's Pantera's bid to herald the rebirth of bullet-belt, cut-off denim metal....It's a solid album, oozing drunk-as-hell metal spirit..."

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