Pantera Album: “The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern”

Before I actually review this cd, I wanna set a few things straight. Alot of these reviews have said a few puzzling things.... Since when did the cd not have "F****** Hostile" or "Immortally Insane" included? A few of your other whinges were found on this cd as well. Amazon.com really stuffed up with the tracklist, so if you didn't buy the cd original and downloaded it using the tracklist on Amazon, or just looked at the tracks and reviewed them, I suggest you go to a shop and look at them. I don't know if my cd is any different (I bought it in Australia), but some of the tracks Amazon wrote there aren't there and some they didn't are. I do agree with the guy that said there wasnt enough from Great Southern Trendkill, though. Here, this is what I got on my cd (I'll review the songs while I'm at it):

1. Cowboys From Hell - This song has classic written all over it, a fantastic song and one of my favs.

2. Domination - This song is fantastic, great guitar work, amazing solos from Dimebag!.

3. Cemetary Gates - Quite possibly Pantera's best song (even if it isn't, it's still my favourite track from Pantera). This morbid and epic ballad still has its heavy moments and has some of Phil's more intelligent lyrics.

4. Mouth For War - Very brutal chainsaw guitars used here. Phil really does sound good here.

5. Walk - This is an absolute essential Pantera track. One of their more popular songs, it's brutal and carries the less than subtle "F*** you" message. Excellent song.

6. This Love - Not one of my favourite Pantera songs for the simple fact that it has a slow start. Ends up being VERY heavy.

7. F****** Hostile - YES IT IS ON HERE AND SOUNDING BETTER THAN EVER!!!!!!!!!! This awesome and brutal song is, of course, one of Pantera's best. Vinnie does a great job on the drums on this track.

8. Becoming - Awesome drums, awesome riffs and, overall, one of Pantera's more brutal tracks. I can't stress it enough that the drums and guitars on this track are outstanding.

9. I'm Broken - Phil gives a good performance here, despite the overdubbing, using some truly brutal screams. Nice riffs.

10. 5 Minutes Alone - The whole band sounds good here, especially Rex and Dimebag. Very heavy and, if you read the booklet, there's a laughable story behind this song.

11. Planet Caravan - Phil does his best to sound like Ozzy here and does a good job. Nice quite track. Though not a particularly good track, the boys did a good job replicating it and I enjoy this track.

12. Drag the Waters - Brutal, heavy, punishing and packed in with some stellar riffs, this is one of the true Pantera classics.

13. Where You Come From - Rex is good here, again, awesome riffs and a good vocal performance.

14. Revolution is My Name - Probably my second favourite Pantera song. Heavy (as usual!), catchy (especially the drumming) and the bonus DVD has a hilarious video of this song.

15. Imortally Insane - Slow, but builds up to be one of Pantera's more powerful tracks.

16. The Badge - Awesome cover song, absolutely called for on a best-of album!

The booklet made me really remember Pantera's career. Phil is a hardcore vocalist with his own style. Vinnie is an excellent drummer, you've gotta love the complicated beats and fills he provides, time, after time, after time. Rex is one of the few bassists you can actually hear, so I can't compare him to anyone and I don't play bass, so I'm not sure how complicated or skilled he is, but at least you can hear him and he manages to sound GOOD! The last member, and most talented in the band is Dimebag Darrell. In all seriousness, he is quite possibly the best guitarist ever, equalled only by the awesome Zakk Wylde. Darrell's solos are amazing! Just take note when you watch the DVD at how complicated his solos and riffs are. Darrell really gave Pantera that sound they're famous for.

The DVD that comes with this cd has some awesome videos, 2 of them live and, may I mention, that seeing a young kid with a beard and long hair (Phil as a kid!) is a hilarious site, as well as the other band members as kids ('specially Darrell). Oh, yeah, this is in the Revolution is My Name video. Pantera is really, one of the best live acts ever.

Pantera's long career has seen many of it's influences go a long way. Even Death Metal hasn't managed to be tainted by the great Pantera. I mean, the clicky-clacky drums of Vinnie's are awesome and that same clicky style can be seen in the awesome hardcore Death Metal acts, like Nile and Dying Fetus's new drummer. What would DM be without the loud and powerful, chugging, chainsaw guitars. Nile really has taken these to the max, though. To finish my huge review, Pantera has has an awesome career. Keep on rockin' guys!

THREE CHEERS TO THE COWBOYS FROM HEEEEEEEEEELLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DIMEBAG WAS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL GUITARIST SINCE HENDRIX. HE WAS A GOD IN THE METAL COMMUNITY. MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO HIS FAMILY, ESPECIALLY HIS BROTHER, AS WELL AS THE FAMILIES OF THE OTHERS KILLED. LONG LIVE THEIR MUSIC

Don't get me wrong, I knew who Pantera was. And thanks to Beavis and Butthead and Headbanger's Ball I'd even seen some of their videos a few times. Yet I was never motivated to go out and buy their CD's. I wasn't really into metal much at the time of their zenith in popularity (I was more into hard rock than metal). This album has shown me that I was missing out, but I don't have to miss out entirely.

Its neat to hear and read about the progression of the Pantera sound as well. The Cowboys from Hell songs definitely have a different feel than the Vulgar Display of Power songs or the Far Beyond Driven songs. Based on the tunes chosen, they seemed to go from a more melodic metal feel with a definite metallica/megadeth sound in the earlier days to an almost hardcore style with a mix of their own takes on metal that wouldn't be out of place with some of the popular bands of today.

I'm very taken aback by the range of the vocalist, Philip Anselmo. At times he can really croon, and sing very clear and well. Almost comforting. At other times he can growl with the best of them, and sound as menacing as a lunatic. A really good range. I especially enjoy how he can portray the frustrations of life in such ranges, sometimes all in the same song. Color me very impressed by somone who I had originally dismissed as all growls and grunts.

I've always known that Dimebag Darrell was a respected guitar player, and this CD gives a pretty good sample of why that is. Tons of pinch harmonics and wailing solos, and great meaty riffs as well.

As well, their overall recorded sound was very good. The producer and mixer on those things should be commended, and many modern hard rock/metal bands should take some cues from these guys. You can clearly make out the bass, the drums are crisp, and the guitar doesn't drown out the vocals. Really well done, and very "clean" production for a metal band.

Again, this is how it sounds to me, not the super fan who knows all of their stuff inside out. This CD does make me want to see them live...too bad that's not happening.

The hardcore fans on here seem angry at songs left off, or songs included. I guess I can understand that, but for someone like me who was only casually familiar with them, it was definitely a good buy. It was an even better buy considering I got a DVD of videos along with the CD. To get both for less than some CD's cost I thought was a good bargain.

And it has definitely made me want to explore more of Pantera's music.

Pantera was one of the most influential bands of the metal genre (sadly, they won't be anymore with Dimebag...RIP brother Dime), and one of the most creative and heavy of its kind. They encompassed what metal fans loved, and Vinnie Paul's excellent drumwork and Dimebag's genre-influencing mastery of the guitar led Pantera to greatness, along with Phil Anselmo's trademark bark/bite vocals and Rex's nice, thumping bass. FAR BEYOND THE GREAT SOUTHERN COWBOYS VULGAR HITS is a good collection retrospective, but one that has some flaws to it. While the first half of the disc includes some very good Pantera classics, the second half leaves much room for improvement.

Aside from including great songs like the punishing "Mouth For War", the instantly memorable "Cemetary Gates", the downright brutal "I'm Broken", and the drilling "Drag The Waters", there are some songs left off that would have more than made the collection essential. "F***ing Hostile" was one of the best songs from VULGAR, and it's absence, along with "Floods", "Suicide Note Pt. 1", "A New Level", "Strength Beyond Strength" and "The Badge" are felt. All these could have made the collection a 3-disc set instead of what we are left with here. Some albums could have had better representation on this collection, and the inclusion of "Cat Scratch Fever", while admirable, doesn't fit. The bonus DVD isn't a bad catch at all, showcasing the Pantera music video collection for those of us who can't catch it on MTV2.

So for those interested to hear Pantera's sound who don't already know it by now, this collection is a solid introduction to the group, but it won't fill the void. If you really want to hear the groups evolution, start with COWBOYS FROM HELL and work your way up to REINVENTING THE STEEL. So while this collection is essential for casualgoers, the hardcore fans should probably stick with the albums...but get this collection for the bonus DVD.

Wow. I am still in shock of the events of three days ago; it just goes to show that you are not promised tomorrow, nor are you even safe in your place of buisness. I mean, what would possess anybody to kill Dimebag Darrell? And how must his brother Vinnie Paul feel to see him killed right in front of his eyes? I remember the first time I listened to Pantera; they were the first band that I(a black man who loves hip hop)ever listened to(Metallica was the first). What I loved was the outright intensity and take no s**t attitude of the band, compiment with the crazy howl of Phil Anselmo and the grating buzzsaw guitar of Dimebag. Their influence can be seen in the likes of Slipknot, Drowning Pool, Godsmack and Korn. Perhaps what people forget was the band's unwavering commitment

to its music and ideals; when Metallica and other hardcore metal bands took their sound mainstream, they were one of the few to stay underground and sold multi-platinum records due to the fierce love of their fans, myself included. When I heard the news of Dimebag's death, I felt the same way I did when 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G died, because the cultural impact carries the same weight. Where do we go from here? Remember guys, though you have every right to criticize a band, it just music; entertainment for you and me to enjoy. Rest in peace, homie; you'll be missed.

"Dimebag" Darell Abbott 1966-2004

"Lord knows I tried; been a witness to homicide" - Tupac Shakur