Pantera

Far Beyond Driven

Simply the most brutal album ever recorded.

Review Score:

(10/10)
When I heard "Vulgar Display Of Power," I could not imagine music any more brutal than that. However, Pantera have topped themselves with "Far Beyond Driven," which I feel is the most brutal album of all time.

Philip Anselmo gives the best vocal performance of his career on this album. Never have I heard someone scream and growl so well. In fact, Phil's vocals account for a large portion of this album's brutality. He truly gave it his all here, and the result is fantastic.

Dimebag Darrel never ceases to amaze me. The riffs on this CD are really killer, and the guitar solos make my jaw drop. I was disappointed to find out that there was a lack of guitar solos on this album. However, the ones that do exist are amazing.

Vinnie Paul is truly one of the best metal drummers, second only to Dave Lombardo. His double bass kick is fantastic, and he is really inventive. He gets some cool double bass stuff going on in "Strength Beyond Strength," and his relentless pounding also contributes to the album's brutality.

Rex Brown sticks out in my mind as being one of the better bassists in metal. He backs up Darrel during his solos, playing lots of cool licks behind him. His bottom end tone makes this album even more heavy.

There is not much variety on this album. Every song but one is unbelievably heavy. Here are some highlights:

Strength Beyond Strength: Pantera don't waste any time in kicking off this sludgefest. A mere two seconds into the album, the boys get the ball rolling with this brutal piece of metal mastery at a BLAZING speed.

Becoming: Although this song slows things down, Pantera don't sacrifice their heaviness one bit. This song even has a cool synth sound during the main riff. This song has one of the best choruses on the album, IMO.

5 Minutes Alone: One of the album's best, with crushing riffs and AMAZING vocals.

Slaughtered: The brutality continues. Great riffs, vocals, great everything.

Shedding Skin: The verses begin clean, but then give way to relentless pounding and screaming. Again, great riffs and vocals. This song contains a sudden upward surge shortly after the second chorus, and also has TWO guitar solos.

Anyway, people have mixed opinions, but I love this CD. My ONLY complaint is the lack of guitar solos, but there are just enough to satisfy me. BUY THIS!

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