Pantera

Far Beyond Driven

Far beyond vulgar, it's brutal

Review Score:

(10/10)
After tasting commercial success with "Vulgar Display of Power", Pantera went above the grain and crafted one of the most brutal and frenzied albums to ever hit the Billboard Charts. The first four tracks; "Strength Beyond Strength", "Becoming", "5 Minutes Alone", and "I'm Broken" are among Pantera's best and remain concert staples, all of which showcase Vinnie Paul's frantic thrash metal drumming that showcased him as one of the top drummers in metal history, and the rhythm section of Dimebag Darrel's blazing yet brutal guitar solos and Rex Brown's fleet fingered bass blasts combined with Phil Anselmo's raw, deep throated voice make "Far Beyond Driven" unforgettable from the beginning. "Good Friends and A Bottle of Pills" is a three minute dirge of Phil revealing a dirty little deed to someone he knows, and it is darkly humerous until the ear shattering chorus hits: "I'm serving too many masters". "25 Years" is delibrately slow paced until the second half of the song hits with a chorus you can't help but sing along and headbang to. "Slaughtered" showcases Pantera getting even more heavier, while "Use My Third Arm" and a tripped out cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" nicely round out the album. All in all, I find "Far Beyond Driven" to be Pantera's best album to date; better than "Vulgar", better than "Cowboys". This is a modern day classic and one of the definitive albums of the 90's, and I doubt anything Pantera puts out now or later can ever match the ferocity and brutality that is displayed here.

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