Vulgar Display of Power

Pantera followed up their breakthrough 1990 album, the platinum-certified <i>Cowboys from Hell</i>, with 1992’s <i>Vulgar Display of Power</i>, an even more punishing record. Thanks to the lightning-fast, nimble playing of the late guitarist Dimebag Darrell, the Texas-formed band unleashed breakneck thrash (“F*****g Hostile”, “Rise”), hulking hard rock (“Walk”) and viscous groove metal (“Mouth for War”). Phil Anselmo, now three albums in as Pantera’s lead vocalist, was comfortably settled into his role as a jawing bruiser who barked lyrics like a stern drill sergeant or taskmaster boxing coach.<br /> All of this brutality was a reflection of Pantera’s focus and ambition. Post-<i>Cowboys</i>, Pantera had toured with acts such as Sepultura, Judas Priest and Suicidal Tendencies, which inspired the group to kick their aggression up several notches. Terry Date, who produced both <i>Cowboys from Hell</i> and <i>Vulgar Display of Power</i>, later told <i>Revolver</i> magazine that the band members “wanted to make the heaviest record of all time”. <br /> Yet although <i>Vulgar Display of Power</i> had no shortage of speed and heaviness, the album’s nuanced dynamics provided the biggest sucker punch. The moody “This Love” starts off deceptively slow and spare before exploding into a barrage of throwback ’80s metal riffs; the sludgy, droning rhythms on “A New Level” and “Live in Hole” churn like quicksand, and the anti-racism anthem “No Good (Attack the Radical)” touches on funk rock. <i>Vulgar Display of Power</i> is a towering achievement that ushered hard rock and heavy metal into the ’90s.