Pantera pictures from Rolling Stone

Down - Down III - Over The Under

Artist: Down Review: Ex-pantera singer Phil Anselmo doesn't believe in A's for effort. "Never try/You either do it or don't waste your time," he growls in "Never Try," in a voice etched with scars from his own blues and trouble (the messy breakup of his old band, a personal war with hard drugs -- he's been clean since 2002 -- and the near-destruction of his New Orleans home to Hurricane Katrina). But Down, originally started as a Pantera side project, are a clear-cut victory in their own right, making Southern metal... Rating: 4 Stars

Published: 2007-09-19 Provider: Rolling Stone

Weekend Rock List: Next Velvet Revolver Singer

With Scott Weiland officially out as singer of Velvet Revolver, this week’s Rock List will be an open casting call to vocalists you think are worthy of the job. Slash told us yesterday he had some people in mind, but he didn’t want to start “naming names.” So we’ll name ‘em for him. Tell us your picks for who should rock the mic with VR, and on Monday we’ll reveal the winner of the Rock List: Next Velvet Revolver Singer. In the meantime, here’s who we’re lobbying for: • Phil Anselmo: All the haters who thought VR didn’t rock hard enough with the glam-happy Weiland would roll out the red carpet for the former voice of Pantera. • Chris Cornell: Because not only does Audioslave not want him, but having Timbaland produce his solo album and cashing in off American Idol don’t seem like the best career options for the former Soundgarden frontman right now. • Mike Patton: The man is a vocal chameleon and can fill the role of Rose, Weiland or anybody else for that matter. Any contract with Velvet Revolver should include an opt-out clause that allows Patton to reunite Mr. Bungle. • Trent Reznor: He did just dismiss his touring band. • Axl Rose: For obvious reasons. If that were to happen, they should give Dizzy Reed a call too.

Published: 2008-04-04 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

Album Preview: Mudvayne Reinvents Itself, Says Nu-Metal Will Be Back

When Mudvayne releases its fourth studio album The New Game in November, the record will be new to fans but a year and a half old for the band. Having the tour for its previous record and with vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett joining forces with Pantera’s Vinnie Paul in Hellyeah, the band opted to sit on the album as opposed to rushing it out to the market — a good choice, considering the set’s shift towards bigger choruses and more accessible melodies. “There’s a bit of pop mentality to the way we like to write together, and maybe we’ve gravitated towards that over the years,” bassist Ryan Martinie tells Rock Daily. “There’s friendlier songs, where we’re not alienating the listener. Maybe we didn’t want to alienate ourselves either.” When the band decided the time wasn’t right to release The New Game, they reconvened and cranked out another batch of songs — a whole new album’s worth. While those songs won’t make it into the live show yet, the next record could see the light of day as early as spring 2009. As one of the last bands standing from the nu-metal pack at the turn of the millennium, the band survived by not overplaying its initially cartoonish visual component and discouraging members to grow dreadlocks. Martinie isn’t sure why some bands failed and others can still release platinum albums, but warns about one of the least-likely nostalgia movements in music. “You have a band like Disturbed that’s still around and writing great music,” he said. “The ‘nu-metal’ genre was the uncool thing to listen to for a while, and I think it will come back around. People will say, ‘I forget that I loved that song so much.’ People will come back to it, maybe like they do with Eighties songs or bad Nineties pop.” Related Stories: • “Dimebag” Darrell Honored at Ozzfest • Mudvayne Tour Dates • Mudvayne Unmask For Lost and Found

Published: 2008-10-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Jonathan Davis, Serj Tankian Remember Dimebag at Ozzfest

When Pantera and Damageplan guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was killed onstage at an Ohio concert in 2004, friends and admirers were quick to note that he wasn’t just a martyr who was only appreciated after his demise, but one of the most storied figures in heavy music while he was still alive. Every metal band who passed through Dallas at one point or another has a story about being taken to the Clubhouse, the strip club Dimebag owned along with his brother, Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott, or about the escapades and chaos that ensued at the brothers’ property in Arlington, Texas. In addition to the onstage tribute at this year’s Ozzfest, which featured performances from members of Alice in Chains, Slayer, Anthrax and Sepultura, just about everyone in the backstage area had something to say about the late guitarist. Here are three memories from some of the Ozzfest main stage performers: Jonathan Davis (Korn): “The shit he did, that’s what got me into heavy music — Vulgar Display of Power. I was only into Eighties music before that. The heaviest thing I listened to was Skinny Puppy and Ministry, but that wasn’t metal. When I heard Vulgar Display, I was like, ‘Holy shit, what the fuck is this?’ The first time I ever saw them live, before Korn was even signed, me and Fieldy went, and it was Pantera and Sepultura at Irving Meadows in L.A. They came out, started the first song, the curtain dropped, and me and Fieldy just started crying. We looked at each other and we had tears in our eyes because it was so fucking intense and heavy and sick.” Serj Tankian: “When [System of a Down] played with Pantera at the Forum, my parents had come to the show, and my parents are definitely not into heavy music at all. They were older, in their late sixties. What they were doing was very special, to a point where my parents, who are not into any rock or metal or any type of heavy music, really got them. I was blown away, and I said, ‘Really? You’re not j

Published: 2008-08-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News