Sunday, February 01, 2004
Album Review: DAMAGEPLAN
As I stated earlier in this very same blog, I am now writing album reviews for the school paper the Tangerine. This is the first of what is sure to be maybe a dozen articles written by me. I decided (after flipping a coin several times) to do my very first one on the band Damageplan, the new band featuring one-half of metal giants Pantera. Enjoy!
DAMAGEPLAN
The Cowboys From Hell Head to the Cemetery Gates and Resurrect Their Roots
By Evil Brian
The implosion of Texas metal pioneers Pantera have produced several off-shoots, but none seem to be more promising than DAMAGEPLAN, the new band featuring Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, the lead guitarist and drummer (respectively) that turned Pantera from a barely passable and downright embarrassing hair metal band to the beer-swilling, ass-kicking, head-banging legends of true Metal. But it certainly wasn’t an easy road to get to this point.
Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo made a promise to his bandmates a long time ago that there would be nothing keeping his focus away from Pantera. That all changed in 2002 when Anselmo decided, after releasing a new album by his side project Down, that he had had enough of his bandmates and effectively disbanded Pantera after 10 years so he could focus on his new project Superjoint Ritual. Distraught and feeling betrayed by their former best friend and frontman, Darrell and Paul decided to vent all their frustrations into what would be some of the best slabs of metal energy they had ever produced. Combining their massive talents with a new vocalist (Pat Lachman, former guitarist for Halford) and a new bassist (Bob Zilla), Damageplan are out for blood, creating a record loud and violent enough to strip paint off of walls.
Damageplan’s debut album New Found Power combines all the best elements from Pantera’s well-storied past (brutal guitar work, heavy-as-hell riffs, double bass drumming) and takes it to the next level, adding some much-needed variety to their core sound and creating music much more diverse, accessible and blisteringly loud than anything they’ve ever done before.
The album starts off with the song “Wake Up” and immediately, you know this isn’t just Pantera Part II. A creepy dramatic ambient-style intro rises and then gives way to Lachman screaming WAKE UP! as loud as he possibly can. The rest of the song is an exercise in groove-worthy riffs and almost nu-metal style vocals but still doesn’t lose any of its power. And this is the WORST SONG ON THE ALBUM. You just know this album is going to kick ass six ways to Sunday and back again. The album continues through “Breathing New Life”, “New Found Power” and “Pride”, a trifecta of ear-bleeding goodness before it gets to one of the several songs on here obviously addressing Phil Anselmo’s betrayal of his former bandmates. “F*** You” is viciously loud, fast and heavy and spits more venom than a Texas rattlesnake, with Lachman and Corey Taylor (from Slipknot) screaming “F*** your power trip and/F*** your attitude and/ F*** your bloated ego too…” Getting some guitar help from master shredder Zakk Wylde, the next song “Reborn” tears ass all over the place and the solo is NOT to be missed. “Explode” does just that to your stereo speakers, while the first single “Save Me” is definitely the most accessible song on the entire record, and definitely makes for a good introduction to the new/old/new again sound that Damageplan confronts the listener with; “clean” vocals (actual singing, little screaming), interesting guitars and chant-worthy lyrics makes for a pretty catchy tune and all but eliminates any idea in the listener’s mind that this is going to be Pantera with a different vocalist. “Cold Blooded” is just sinisterly good, an intense seething rant put against a backdrop of killer guitars and downright violent drumwork. “Crawl” brings us back to the thrash metal background of everyone involved and is very reminiscent of some of Anthrax’s better moments. The next few songs (“Blink of an Eye”, “Blunt Force Trauma”, “Moment of Truth”) honestly kind of sound similar and bleed into each other. They aren’t BAD persay, just a little same-y; a little slow and sludgy guitarwork with throat-searing vocals. The last song, however, is just KILLER. “Soul Bleed” basically takes everything you just heard and throws it all out the window. An emotional, poignant acoustic performance that, after the previous 13 tracks have torn you down like the Berlin Wall, just builds you all the way back up. The lyrics are poetic, the guitar is EXCELLENT and the vocals are absolutely on point.
This album just may redefine what we believe is metal, may bring the mainstream back from their Linkin Parks, their Korns and their Nickelbacks and may show an entire new generation what metal is supposed to sound like. One can only hope. Until then, just listen to this album and be amazed.
Listen if you Like: Pantera, Anthrax, Megadeth
Visit: www.damageplan.com
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As I stated earlier in this very same blog, I am now writing album reviews for the school paper the Tangerine. This is the first of what is sure to be maybe a dozen articles written by me. I decided (after flipping a coin several times) to do my very first one on the band Damageplan, the new band featuring one-half of metal giants Pantera. Enjoy!
DAMAGEPLAN
The Cowboys From Hell Head to the Cemetery Gates and Resurrect Their Roots
By Evil Brian
The implosion of Texas metal pioneers Pantera have produced several off-shoots, but none seem to be more promising than DAMAGEPLAN, the new band featuring Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, the lead guitarist and drummer (respectively) that turned Pantera from a barely passable and downright embarrassing hair metal band to the beer-swilling, ass-kicking, head-banging legends of true Metal. But it certainly wasn’t an easy road to get to this point.
Former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo made a promise to his bandmates a long time ago that there would be nothing keeping his focus away from Pantera. That all changed in 2002 when Anselmo decided, after releasing a new album by his side project Down, that he had had enough of his bandmates and effectively disbanded Pantera after 10 years so he could focus on his new project Superjoint Ritual. Distraught and feeling betrayed by their former best friend and frontman, Darrell and Paul decided to vent all their frustrations into what would be some of the best slabs of metal energy they had ever produced. Combining their massive talents with a new vocalist (Pat Lachman, former guitarist for Halford) and a new bassist (Bob Zilla), Damageplan are out for blood, creating a record loud and violent enough to strip paint off of walls.
Damageplan’s debut album New Found Power combines all the best elements from Pantera’s well-storied past (brutal guitar work, heavy-as-hell riffs, double bass drumming) and takes it to the next level, adding some much-needed variety to their core sound and creating music much more diverse, accessible and blisteringly loud than anything they’ve ever done before.
The album starts off with the song “Wake Up” and immediately, you know this isn’t just Pantera Part II. A creepy dramatic ambient-style intro rises and then gives way to Lachman screaming WAKE UP! as loud as he possibly can. The rest of the song is an exercise in groove-worthy riffs and almost nu-metal style vocals but still doesn’t lose any of its power. And this is the WORST SONG ON THE ALBUM. You just know this album is going to kick ass six ways to Sunday and back again. The album continues through “Breathing New Life”, “New Found Power” and “Pride”, a trifecta of ear-bleeding goodness before it gets to one of the several songs on here obviously addressing Phil Anselmo’s betrayal of his former bandmates. “F*** You” is viciously loud, fast and heavy and spits more venom than a Texas rattlesnake, with Lachman and Corey Taylor (from Slipknot) screaming “F*** your power trip and/F*** your attitude and/ F*** your bloated ego too…” Getting some guitar help from master shredder Zakk Wylde, the next song “Reborn” tears ass all over the place and the solo is NOT to be missed. “Explode” does just that to your stereo speakers, while the first single “Save Me” is definitely the most accessible song on the entire record, and definitely makes for a good introduction to the new/old/new again sound that Damageplan confronts the listener with; “clean” vocals (actual singing, little screaming), interesting guitars and chant-worthy lyrics makes for a pretty catchy tune and all but eliminates any idea in the listener’s mind that this is going to be Pantera with a different vocalist. “Cold Blooded” is just sinisterly good, an intense seething rant put against a backdrop of killer guitars and downright violent drumwork. “Crawl” brings us back to the thrash metal background of everyone involved and is very reminiscent of some of Anthrax’s better moments. The next few songs (“Blink of an Eye”, “Blunt Force Trauma”, “Moment of Truth”) honestly kind of sound similar and bleed into each other. They aren’t BAD persay, just a little same-y; a little slow and sludgy guitarwork with throat-searing vocals. The last song, however, is just KILLER. “Soul Bleed” basically takes everything you just heard and throws it all out the window. An emotional, poignant acoustic performance that, after the previous 13 tracks have torn you down like the Berlin Wall, just builds you all the way back up. The lyrics are poetic, the guitar is EXCELLENT and the vocals are absolutely on point.
This album just may redefine what we believe is metal, may bring the mainstream back from their Linkin Parks, their Korns and their Nickelbacks and may show an entire new generation what metal is supposed to sound like. One can only hope. Until then, just listen to this album and be amazed.
Listen if you Like: Pantera, Anthrax, Megadeth
Visit: www.damageplan.com
