337. Pantera / Cowboys From Hell. 1990. 3.5/5

Pantera’s journey from basically being a 1980’s hair metal band, producing music that seemed like a poor cousin to the bigger bands of that genre in that era, to creating an album that found its way into the heavier lexicon almost through a time portal or a rip into a parallel universe, is one that still defies explanation. The band’s earliest albums, helmed on vocals by Terry Glaze, and with titles “Metal Magic”, “Projects in the Jungle” and “I Am the Night”, saw a slight but slowly elevated rise in the heaviness of the music, but not to the degree that most of the band desired. In the long run, the rest of the band, brothers Vinnie Paul Abbott and ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott and bass guitarist Rex Brown, concluded that the glam style that Glaze was preferring did not suit where they were hoping to head, and they parted ways in 1986. In his place the band auditioned a number of candidates, none of whom were able to provide what the band was looking for. Eventually, they found a new lead vocalist in 18 year old Phil Anselmo, completing what would be the final formation of the band until its hiatus. With this line up the band released their fourth album “Power Metal”, an album that moved forward in the band’s desire to change the sound they had produced on their first three albums. It certainly wasn’t what became known as ‘power metal’ as a genre, there was a mixture of glam/hair metal and even hints of thrash metal, all to create a more ‘powerful’ sound than the band had created before this.
It was at this point that the band began to seriously consider the direction they wanted to head in. Rather than continuing with wearing spandex and the style on stage that they had done so to this point of their career, they headed to what Vinnie Paul recalled as “Let's just go out there and be comfortable, jeans, t-shirt, whatever, and see where it goes”. It is interesting that since 1990 until the band went their separate ways, they more or less never acknowledged their 1980’s albums again, in interviews nor in playing the songs live. It became a non-existent vortex for them. Which, to be fair, it was for the majority of the band’s fans as well.
Shortly after “Power Metal” was released, Dave Mustaine was in the process of looking for a second guitarist for his band Megadeth, and he asked Diamond Darrell to join the band. Dimebag, who was obviously interested, demurred and insisted that his brother Vinnie Paul also be asked to join the band. However, Mustaine had already hired Nick Menza as their new drummer, and wouldn’t change his mind. Dimebag stayed with Pantera, and Mustaine eventually hired Marty Friedman to fill the guitarist slot. Most fans of heavy metal would agree that in both instances, the right decision was made.

Though many hardcore Pantera fans would disagree, the track list on this album is very front loaded, with the first half containing the big moments and the back half coming along, being dragged in their wake.
"Cowboys From Hell" almost sounds like a Skid Row song in places, and while it is a good song, and still has the feel of their earlier style. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great riff through the base of the song, Anselmo gets into his work immediately in his tough guy image, and the whole song rifles along all the way to its conclusion. As an entry point to the album, it does its job. "Primal Concrete Sledge" immediately comes in heavier on Dimebag’s riff and that soon to be famous Pantera groove. Anselmo’s scream comes forth drives through the song to its short and determined conclusion. This crashes immediately into "Psycho Holiday", which has some catchy hooks and a bouncy groove throughout, but it is Dimebag’s solo here that sets it apart from the opening songs on the album, the squeal of guitar brings everything to attention. The three opening tracks are a solid and effective start to the album and bring with them the basis of the structure the band was looking to build on after pushing aside their first four albums.
"Heresy" is where this album starts to come into its own. This is in the style of the thrash greats like early Exodus and Metallica and Death Angel. It has a great riff that is the backbone of the track, rolling along all the way through, and the drumming is superb, a perfect cacophony from Vinnie Paul. It is possibly the purest thrash metal song on this album, with heavy rhythms and even Rob Halford like screaming from Anselmo along the way, and vocals that aren’t a million miles away from Mortal Sin vocalist Mat Maurer. This track is a product of its era, and sits superbly alongside those others of the time. Dimebag’s solo nails it as well. A great song, one that is the template for my favourite Pantera songs. "Cemetery Gates" follows, the song that most would say drew them to the band in the first place, and it arguably their most famous track. It has been lauded by critics and fans alike for 35 years, held up as a masterpiece, of both the subtle stylistic changes throughout the song that are weaved together to create this classic tune. It has been compared to great songs of a similar nature from other bands such as “Fade to Black” and “In My Darkest Hour”. The switch between the soft and alluded acoustic beginnings through to the raised electric through the middle of the track, and then collapse back to the opening riff, as Dimebag’s solo steals the show before we finalise with Anselmo’s scream and Dime’s squealing guitar. It is a classic, a song that is a fan favourite – which, as it turns out, I am not a fan of. Go figure. On the other hand, for me "Domination" is perhaps the best song on the album, combining great drumming with a rollicking riff and solo, and vocals that are now showing power and anthemic qualities.
Very similarly we have "Shattered" which continues the good of the album, with Anselmo performing Rob Halford high pitched vocals on cue, and interesting addition to the song. Vinnie Paul's drumwork is outstanding as well.
As we moved into the second half album, we have a change in the quality of the songs. They aren’t awful but they don’t match the quality of the first half of the album. If anything, they are a bit too samey, a similar structure throughout that doesn’t make them unlikeable but just does make them a little LESS likeable. Perhaps, overall, the length of the tracks tends to outstay their welcome.
"Clash With Reality" is a faster and demonstrably heavier track, with the least Dimebag riff of the album, here being one that has none of his usual characteristics and is perhaps a bit on the standard side of things, not something usually levelled at Pantera’s guitarist. "Medicine Man" has a solid main riff and sounds quite heavy and intense, and Rex Brown’s bass riff through the middle is ominously guttural, but the song just feels too long and repetitive by its conclusion. "Message in Blood" has a great opening drum roll collective from Vinnie mixed with the solid guitar riff... and then just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. Stuck in a pattern, unable to escape. Dime’s solo is worth the wait, but the rest of the song doesn’t match up. "The Sleep" don't quite meet this standard. Anselmo changes up his vocals again, and not for the better. The stop/start guitar riff is off. There is nothing special here, nothing outstanding, and perhaps we'd have been better off asleep. The closer "The Art of Shredding" restores some order though, as Dimebag showcases his wares in a far more fitting finale to Pantera's best album to this point of their career. Rex’s bass riff opening and underlying Dime’s guitar is a perfect combination of the two, before the song explodes in energy and heaviness. After a bit of averageness over the past few tracks, this closes things off nicely.

I have never been a huge fan of Pantera. I have enjoyed them in small doses, and generally it depends on what album, or what part of what album, I am listening to. They have never been a first choice band for me. My most vivid memory of Pantera is of being on a bus in Sydney on my way home from an evening out, and it was the night Pantera played their first ever gig in Sydney on the Far Beyond Driven tour. There were a lot of metalheads on the bus coming home from the gig, and I asked them how it was, and their replies were enthusiastic to the extreme. I hadn’t gone – I was a casual fan at best then – and indeed never saw them live. But it was obvious from the masses even then that they had tapped a market. But that was another two albums on from this one, and the cult had obviously built up enormously since the release of this album.
I don’t think I have ever bought a Pantera album. As it turns out, I do own them all from this album onwards, but they have all been gifted to me in one way or another. “Cowboys from Hell” came my way by a friend who was whittling down his CD collection and getting rid of albums he didn’t listen to anymore. Never one to say ‘no’ to free music, I was happy to take it off his hands. And it was this copy that I have pulled off the shelves again this week to listen to again for this episode.
It has been an interesting journey. At work, under lowered volume, it passes as background noise which I have barely noticed, except when workplace proximity associates have asked about the horrible noise I am listening to. At home though in the Metal Cavern through the stereo, it has been a pleasant enough experience again. Like I’ve said, I’m not what you would call a fan of Pantera. I had no desire to go and see the rebooted edition with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante when they toured Australia recently. I imagine they play their roles well, but I’m happy to stay on the sidelines. And realistically the only time I would listen to Pantera’s catalogue would be if I am doing an episode of a podcast such as this, or at the request of a guest who has come to my house and when asked what they would like to listen to, they choose Pantera. So my thoughts will not please either fans or deriders of the band or this album. This album is fine. It is probably my favourite of their, before they got seriously into the groove metal thing that they are occasionally credited as having been a part of creating. Aside from that, I have nothing more positive or negative to say about it.
So why did I review it? Well, it is a part of my Music from a Lifetime journey, even if it is a small part. And by doing this, it gives almost everyone the chance to yell at the speakers to me saying “YOU HAVEN’T GOT A CLUE, YOU IDIOT!!” There. Doesn’t that make you feel better?