Cowboys from Hell --- Pantera --- 1990 (Atco)
From original beginnings in the eighties as a glam metal band, Pantera reinvented themselves as the decade turned and became more a "groove metal" band, with this being considered their first proper release: most fans prefer to forget the glam metal days and concentrate on the heavier stuff. They had four albums prior to this, and four after, so it's right in the middle, and serves as the best example of their work.
Opening on the title track I can hear the idea of groove metal indeed, with a sort of almost funk tilt to the guitar, touches of Zep in there. Vocalist Phil Anselmo has that kind of raspy, ragged sound that just suits this music to a "T" and the late, lamented Diamond Darrell could make a guitar do just about anything he wanted it to. It's a good opener and sets the bar for the rest of the album, as "Primal concrete sledge" rattles along on powerful drumming and harder, darker guitar from Darrell, Anselmo's vocal also heavier and with a much faster delivery than on the title track. For some of the opening it seems Darrell just hits the same chord over and over, which gives a very claustrophobic feel to the guitar.
"Psycho holiday" get more back into the groove (sorry) with a hard-hitting but melodic burst of power, guitars firing off like machineguns then things slow right down for the longest track, the ballad "Cemetery gates", with nice acoustic guitar and a laidback vocal, then some sweet soaring electric ... well. it's not so much a true ballad as it does speed up and get harder as it goes along, but then it drops back to the softer guitar so it has elements of both. Maybe a little in the vein of southern rock standards like "Free bird" and "Boogie no more". Back rocking with rapid-fire guitar then for "Domination", a superb display of guitar virtuoso from Darrell.
The next few tracks keep the tempo and energy high, but they're nothing terribly special, then "Medicine man" has a very groove metal rhythm and a lower, more gravelly vocal from Anselmo with a nice little bassline, "Message of blood" has a nice sort of bluesy opening but then goes into a harder, heavier groove sort of evoking eighties Maiden and some really, er, different guitar work. "The sleep" has a nice laidback guitar intro then explodes into a roaring, snarling puncher and "The art of shredding" is another fast rocker with, well, a lot of shredding.
TRACKLISTING
1. Cowboys from Hell
2. Primal concrete sledge
3. Psycho holiday
4. Heresy
5. Cemetery gates
6. Domination
7. Shattered
8. Clash with reality
9. Medicine man
10. Message of blood
11. The sleep
12. The art of shredding
This is a decent album. I don't know that I'd see it as any sort of classic, but it's certainly competent. I just find it hard to get too excited about it. For me, it's like a hundred other decent metal albums, but nothing more. I wouldn't make a point of not listening to any more Pantera, but it wouldn't upset me too much if I didn't hear any more of their work. In the end, an album I'd listen to once, shrug and move on, not terribly impressed but not repelled either. Speaking of which...
Read more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantera