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Pantera > The Great Southern Trendkill > Reviews
Pantera - The Great Southern Trendkill

The dumbest metal album known to man - 28%

Annable Courts, December 9th, 2023

So what unparalleled gem has Pantera dropped on us this time - ooh why yes of course it's 'The Great Southern Trendkill'. It's the Pantera with the rattlesnake. Alright. At this point, the band aren't even interested in making proper songs with hooks or anything and figured, well, it's about time to release a whole fifty three minutes of just the angst. Pure angst, no riffs (or barely any). Liked the grin-provoking heaviness from the last two releases? Well remove all semblance of intelligence from those, and keep just the grin: eyebrows frowned down to the tip of your nose, lips together like you're about to give the meanest kiss in the history of mankind... that's it. Now hold it. For a while. Attaboy.

What is 'Drag the Waters', if not the dumbest metal song of all-time? Is there a dumber metal song; nay; could there be a dumber metal song? Just the opening seconds of those two consecutive notes on repeat serves as a warning for the explosion of puerility about to unfold. The chorus "drag the waters some more... like never before" (indeed powerful words) followed by random pig squeals and screams over random bullshit riffs in the background really helps the listener understand the sort of caliber we're dealing with here. Half the album is an odd and annoying circus of bends, vibratos, squealing pinch harmonics and the occasional slide with chu-chu-chu-chuggah chuggahs and remote blues licks. If you, a guitarist, were to literally apply the instructions in that last sentence you seriously could not be that far off from what is heard here - honestly.

Vocal wise the entire album is just as random. It's certain to some extent that Anselmo discovered and became infatuated with the particular screaming technique that overflows this piece of... err this album and it'd be practically impossible to argue the drugs weren't heavily involved in the making of this uhm, album. Not that drugs weren't in previous releases, but this one seems to mirror a complete state of chaos - complete confusion and loose/aimless energy. On the less boorish moments, when they go atmospheric a bit as on '10's', some effort is made for the instrumental but the vocals move to that "oh I'm a just a lone cowboy and life's a bitch" mode and the credibility factor barely improves. Then on 'Suicide Note Pt. 1', Phil turns into (a slightly less dramatic) Eddie Vedder, while 'Suicide Note Pt. 2' returns to the random nonsense.

'Floods' comes on eventually. It's a fan favorite so let's cut these poor wandering cowboys some slack. The layered chorusy guitar picking sounds nice and it's one of the tracks that resembles an actual song the most here. The lead/solo part is gimmicky as hell though, so, no sympathy for that. Oh yeah, then it's still not done and there's one more track ('The Underground In America', what a fitting name) and surprise surprise it's more buh-buh-buh-bummm down-tuned muck.

Truth be told: nobody's looking to be that superior prick, but in all seriousness now, it's safe to say that not a whole lot of IQ points could've possibly contributed to the making of this thing. I mean, maybe a couple.

The Great Southern Trendsetter - 59%

LedZeppelin2112, March 9th, 2023

Pantera are always going to be one of the most controversial bands in metal. At a time when thrash metal was dying, and other extreme sub-genres like death and black metal were sweeping the underground, Pantera delivered some of the deadliest blows to metal and its reputation among die-hards. An incredible transformation took place from the band’s first four albums to 1990’s Cowboys From Hell, arguably a worse one at that. The last two records before Cowboys (I Am the Night in 1985 and Power Metal in 1988) had actually been pretty solid, so when Cowboys went groove metal (with hints of thrash) they likely alienated whatever fans they did have while recruiting a whole cult of new worshippers. I did say that Cowboys From Hell was a downgrade in style, but in reality it’s actually a pretty solid album. It’s definitely preferable to whatever they started doing next; because the following two albums Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven dropped any dynamic thrash riffs from Cowboys and helped usher in the dreaded groove metal era that dominated mainstream metal in the 90s and even into the 2000s.

The Great Southern Trendkill was guilty of this too, although it’s not quite as dull as the two albums that came before it. It’s actually sort of a comeback album in that right. It’s still bogged down by some boring, chugging riffs but it has its moments; the title track which opens the album is very fast even though it keeps interrupting itself with breaks of tedious groove like most later era Pantera songs. Drag the Waters has this issue too; it could be a really good song if it maybe ended a minute sooner. We don’t need to hear Dimebag playing the same stale riff over and over. Speaking of Dimebag, yes he has his moments on this album but ultimately he’s what should be carrying Pantera, and some of his solos just come off as lazy. Little bits of screechy guitar work here and there, they don’t add too much and are just sort of annoying.

If anything, Phil Anselmo is the saving grace of this album. There’s a few parts of the album here and there where I question his stylistic decision making, but he actually throws in a few good screams from time to time. Nothing quite as good as his performance on Cowboys, but much better than the dogged yelling from the past couple of records. His emotion has always been a driving force for the band, and likely had a big hand in making them so popular. He shows some legitimate versatility too; if you listen to Suicide Note parts I and II, they couldn’t be more different. Phil (and the rest of the band) sounds calm, almost delicate as Pt. I meanders through its acoustic passages before Pt. 2 breaks into an all-out assault, one of the most aggressive and intense songs Pantera ever did.

Despite some good moments, Trendkill has its pitfalls too. 10’s is just so boring and forgettable, the riff is absolutely stale and it drags on and on. It might be the worst offender for me but 13 Steps to Nowhere and Sandblasted Skin are almost equally boring and generic groove metal. Even Floods has never really managed to win me over. I know it’s a fan favorite and everyone like’s Dimebag’s contributions on it but it’s always sort of put me to sleep. And that’s one of the Pantera songs I had been hearing long before giving the entire album a chance. Not necessarily a band song, but never one that jumped out at me or grabbed my attention.

Aside from the collection of simple riffs this album has, my biggest gripe with Trendkill is its production. I don’t know if they did this thematically or not, but it sounds completely dry. Like bone dry, I’m in a desert and I’m dehydrated and dying kind of dry. I get it, it’s not just a trendkill but a southern trendkill, and yeah the band is from Texas but they didn’t have to suck the life out of the mix, did they? This production style is very 90s, at least of the more mainstream metal variety, but no matter how popular it got it doesn’t make it okay. It sounds like they’re rubbing sandpaper on my eardrums, please inject some life into this malnourished record.

Despite all of my complaints, The Great Southern Trendkill still managed to help influence tons of boring groove metal bands along with the rest of Pantera’s 90s albums. It was more of a trend setter than a trend killer, which is why bands like Sepultura sold out and Machine Head was born into existence. Yet, Trendkill has a bit more variety than the (below) average Pantera album. The band was willing to experiment for better or worse, and it makes for easily a less dull listen than their past couple of efforts with even some genuinely good moments mixed in. Since there’s nothing downright horrific about this album and the songwriting is some of the best of the band’s later career, I’m inclined to give this a somewhat positive review. It never should have gotten popular or notable enough for me to bother reviewing it, yet it has tons of other reviews on Metal Archives and I feel inclined to lower its average at least a little bit, for what it’s worth.

Would You Look At Me Now? Can You Tell I'm a Mess? - 70%

Twisted_Psychology, July 26th, 2022
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, EastWest

At this point, the deterioration that fueled the creation of 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill is well-documented. However, I’m not sure how much this album’s duality is ever truly acknowledged. It could very well be Pantera’s most ambitious effort, set apart by some of their most experimental textures along with a persistent air of self-loathing that feels like the macho antagonism of the last couple releases coming home to roost. Unfortunately, that self-loathing also leads to what could essentially be considered self-sabotage.

Perhaps “War Nerve” is the most striking example of this seeming sabotage in action. The song starts off incredibly strong with a punishing opening riff compounded by diabolically layered trade-off vocals for the first couple verses only for Anselmo to all but completely halt the momentum in its tracks a couple times to let out garbled attempts to ramble about God knows what. Past albums certainly had their share of songs that were well-performed despite the vocals, but now it feels like Anselmo is literally going out of his way to make the presentation as unpleasant as possible.

The other heavy tracks further reinforce the inconsistent quality that has come to be synonymous with Pantera around this period. “Drag the Waters” has earned its staple status thanks to its simple but hooky main riff and straightforward structure while the layered shrieks on “13 Steps to Nowhere” end up being oddly catchy. On the flip side, the sudden blasts and dissonant shrieks infamously courtesy of Seth ‘Ha Ha, You’re Dead’ Putnam make the opening title track and “Suicide Note, Pt. II” a little too abrasive for my fragile ears while others like “Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)” and “(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin” somewhat lose their way with their tangent structures.

Oddly enough for a late-era Pantera album, the most melodic tracks end up being the strongest on here. “10’s” may not be a full-on ballad but its grungy presentation plays out a more effective date of “This Love” or “Hard Lines Sunken Cheeks” while “Suicide Note, Pt. I” is an acoustic ballad that’s effective even without the piercing sludge-grind of its counterpart. And of course, the seven-minute “Floods” earns its legendary reputation thanks to an appropriately apocalyptic atmosphere and a sweeping solo that Dimebag had allegedly been working on since he was a teenager.

Considering the rather frontloaded song presentation of past Pantera releases and the worsening personal relationships of those involved, it isn’t too surprising that The Great Southern Trendkill is such a fractured effort. It offers the same inconsistent tracks and borderline obnoxious performances, but the personal despair that overwhelms the anger make the peaks and valleys more intriguing to examine. It’s not pleasant to have on but it’s easy to see why fans consider it to be one of their most underrated albums overall. If Vulgar Display of Power is something that I almost reluctantly enjoy, then The Great Southern Trendkill is something that I wish I liked more.

Extreme southern groove - 90%

The Clansman 95, May 10th, 2020

If I had to pick one album from the cool side of Pantera's discography (from "Cowboys From Hell" on), that would probably be "The Great Southern Trendkill". Pantera's outputs in the decade 1990-2000 were all consistent and well-written albums, but "The Great Southern Trendkill" stands as the most extreme, passionate and groovy of their catalogue. The record was written during the most tense phase of the band, when Phil Anselmo and the rest of the guys barely talked to each other (indeed, they recorded their respective parts in two separated studios).

The bad blood flowing between Phil and Pantera at the time resulted in the Texan ensemble's angriest and most hateful opus, as it's made clear since the first second of the opening track, where Phil goes immediately all out with a visceral scream that could make burst out the lungs and the throat of an average person. Phil's vocals rely much more on shouts, screams, yells and even occasional growls than in any other Pantera record, although his gritty melodic singing is still present. When he employs it, he sticks to a mid-low register, with great results, as seen in "Suicide Note Pt.1" and "Floods". These two songs are quite unique among Pantera's discography, the first one being a completely acoustic ballad featuring some synth effects, and the second being once again a mainly acoustic piece, including what is considered to be Dimebag's best solo to date.

Coming to Darrell's riffing, it's more primitive and animalesque than ever during the most frenzied parts, including a lot of natural harmonics, pinch harmonics, and a crushing groove, but without forgetting the importance of melody, thus making songs like "War Nerve" or "Drag the Waters" the definitive groove metal tracks. This wouldn't be possible without the cohesive action of Vinnie's drumming and Rex's trademark bass lines, providing a real wall of sound along with Dimebag's guitar. The guitar sound is extremely distorted, and it's furtherly enriched by the use of various effects and of the digital pedals, that prove crucial to build some of the record's best riffs (just think to "Suicide Note Pt.2''). Dimebag also experiments with the guitar tuning, and indeed the last two songs of the album are played in Drop-G, featuring some incredibly groovy and sludgy riffing.

The platter itself is rock-hard solid: you have bone-crushing, thrashy assaults (the title track, "Suicide Note Pt. 2''), slow and goddamn groovy pieces ("War Nerve", "Drag the Waters", the two closing tracks), calmer and acoustic songs ("Floods" and "Suicide Note Pt. 1"): really, this album has everything, each track is worth mentioning, and it sees Pantera experiment both on a musical and on an emotional level, shifting the mood from disquieting, to hateful and furious, to melancholic depending on the song or the section. "The Great Southern Trendkill" is one of the best groove metal albums out there, and it represents yet another gem among Pantera's excellent discography. Absolutely recommended.

PANTERA KILLS ALL TRENDS - 95%

PL_OO_PY, April 11th, 2020
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, EastWest

I love Pantera. From Power Metal to Reinventing the Steel, Pantera's discography is one of the most consistently entertaining and enjoyable of any metal band. But this album, The Great Southern Trendkill is Pantera's magnum opus, for a few reasons. Up until 1996, Pantera had garnered huge commercial success with their 3 previous releases and had become one of the biggest names in heavy metal, but now Phil Anselmo had a heroine addiction. This combined with Phil's anger towards the media and society created what I would call the first genuinely angry Pantera album. My biggest bone to pick with the 2 albums before this was, although musically great, the anger in Phil and the band as a whole felt fake. Now Phil and the band is actually angry, and this genuine anger proves to be very effective.

The start of the album has the ripping title track, which maintains the groove metal ideology but the aggression of Pantera is kicked up a notch. After the listener gets a feeling of what the album will be like, War Nerve, Phil's angry song against the media, hits the listener with a groovy, brilliant riff, and this song is angrier than the last. Phil begins the song screaming "FUCK THE WORLD!", a very on the nose message, but we get this new message: Phil is pissed. Drag the Waters is a very riff based song that any Pantera fan who has listened to the previous albums will love. The first ballady song, "10's", has a mesmerizing solo, followed by another angry rant, 13 Steps to Nowhere. Now the next two tracks, Suicide Note Pt.1 and Pt.2 starts as a very ballady song with Phil considering suicide, but then Pt.2 kicks in. This is the absolute most angry song on the album, and the song where anger fuels it from start to finish. Nothing about this song is exceptionally brilliant or technical, but the grooves combined with Phil's angriest screams makes this song one of Pantera's most exciting in their discography. As if this torrent wasn't enough, the faster Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath), displays Phil's anger over his drug problem.

What can I say about Floods? It slows down the pace of the album with Dimebag's clean and melancholy riff. This is Pantera's spiritual song revealing mankind's sins and Phil asking for God's wrath, via a world-engulfing flood. Dimebag's verse riff combined with Phil's hostility towards humanity, creates the most sad feeling of any Pantera song, until we get to the solo. The solo that many metalhead rave about, and I can see why. With every bend and squeal of the guitar the solo is backed by a very groovy bass line by Rex Brown, my favorite bass line of his. The solo perfectly displays the melancholy feeling of the song, and then the outro solo, which leaves listeners contemplating all their life decisions and wrongdoings (at least that's how I feel when I hear the outro).

As this song leaves listeners breathless, this would be a perfect ending to any album, but the band still has two very groovy tracks, which return the sheer anger of the first half of the album. These two songs combine for more than 5 minutes, but after hearing Floods, this feels like the shortest 5 minutes ever. Phil ends The Underground in America famously screaming "THE TREND IS DEAD!" repeatedly. The album closes with (Reprise) Sandblasted Skin and the album ends just as furious as it began. This is a new fresh side of Pantera, unseen before and is easily much better than their previous two albums. This album is similar to Cowboys from Hell in a way that it feels new and is a very satisfying listen, making this and Cowboys from Hell my two favorite albums by Pantera. As an added bonus there is no faked "tough-guy" aspect in either of these albums. The bottom line is this album is an essential listen for any metalhead, and is the best of Pantera's catalogue.

Ringworm, crabs and lice. - 31%

Galactus, August 30th, 2019

Apparently, Pantera's 8th album (or 4th in their revised canon) is either an overlooked classic or an instant return to form, as the band aimed to get back on track after the supposed misstep that was Far Beyond Driven. With the band fracturing as a unit at this point, The Great Southern Trendkill, seems to have been released against the odds, those odds being Anselmo's creeping heroin addiction and failing relationship with the rest of the band. The result is an album that manages to out-do the last two albums in the self-pitying, white-angst department, without a single drop of positivity to stem the flow of unadulterated hate.

There is no denying this release is crammed full of ideas, but they are too often blunt, hookless and arranged in an erratic manner as though to seem intelligent or experimental. The brief moments of genuine entertainment are quickly suffocated by Anselmo's insufferable (and overly layered) pig-like exhalations, and many of the tracks fade in to plodding, mid-tempo passages that showcase the worst aspects of the album: hokey, soulless death-grooving that would come off as comical were it not for your ears being on the receiving end of the joke. And thanks to the genre-essential downtuning, even the speedier sections feel flabby and feckless. The standout appeal of the title track is that, despite the gimmicky yelling, it dives off in to a wholly unexpected but deliciously crunchy southern rocker.

Lyrically, the album feels genuine, and I'm sure it accurately paints a picture of Anselmo's mindset at the time. Unfortunately, it manifests itself in basic tropes already covered with sophistication in other genres: a biased media (rap), hard drug abuse (take your pick), and being an angry, white male (punk). As truthful as the lyrics are, they're often also so on-the-nose to the point of parody - exemplified by the "Suicide Note" two-parter, and the profane, infantile call-outs to 'the media'. Thankfully, Pantera seemed to regain a sense of humour and (more importantly) some self-awareness for their next and final release, Reinventing the Steel. Hooray for that album.

So, if you're looking to be bummed-out both lyrically and musically, and want to forget the heady days of "Shattered" and "Fucking Hostile", then this album is for you.

Spin to Win:
"The Great Southern Trendkill"
Dimebag's solo in "Floods" is generally held in high regard, if you can force yourself to listen to the music that bookends it.

DESCENDING DOWN - 88%

caspian, January 29th, 2019

As a friend of mine noted recently there's two things that fairly stand out about Pantera. One, they got heavier the more famous they got, which as far as I can tell is pretty much completely unique, and two, perhaps in an old rock band kinda style they were surprisingly diverse; fun groovy tracks mixed in with fairly intense bursts of incoherent anger. We can bang on about the fairly deleterious influence they had on metal as a whole, but that's hardly their fault and they were capable of some genuinely interesting stuff- and a lot of said stuff is on their best album, on this album.

Whether you want to blame this album's fury on a bunch of people calling Phil a racist, or on the joys of heroin addiction, or on both, it doesn't really matter because either way it works. Suicide Note Pt 2 is a good enough example, no one would ever claim that the riffs on display are particularly original or technical- or even all that interesting- but the speed, the attitude, and the furious vocal performance makes the tune a certified neck breaker. Possibly the best thing about Pantera here is that more often than not everything locks in well together- the riffs are good enough often enough, Phil is good enough often enough, and the rhythm section continue their excellent streak of form from Far Beyond Driven, tight, often a bit technical but still locking in tight. To refer back to the thing about diversity, after Suicide Note's Pt2, youve got the broken down despair of pt 1, the junkie psychosis of Drag the Waters and Hell's Wrath, a whole bunch of leads ripped straight from Kiss and Van Halen albums, so on and so forth.

You've also got Floods, which is perhaps close to Pantera's crowning glory, awful clean guitar tone aside. I guess no one ever got into Pantera for the clean tone. Anyway, it's a well written, brilliantly delivered ballad; everyone raves about the lyrical guitar solo and that's fair enough but it's those creaky, kinda dissonant parts at the start that get me going. For a band stereotyped as a bunch of rednecks doing dumb muscle metal I've always felt it's a surprisingly deep, vulnerable, maybe even beautiful tune, and the way it drifts in and out of loud riffing and nervous, tentative clean parts is pretty great.

Really, it's a fascinating album, especially when seen in the context of the band's discography. Watching a band that at one point was pure physical power and motivation, what with Vulgar Display and all, slowly degenerate into the guttural despair that is Great Southern Trendkill is really interesting. Suffice to say I highly recommend this album.

"It's on the sale at the fucking dollar store!" - 59%

Desiple_of_The_Ice25, December 28th, 2016

Upon receiving this album in the mail being completely unfamiliar with it, I can honestly say I was curious about it. A friend of mine had said this album was crap, and stacked against the positive reviews regardless, I would keep an open mind. I think it is good and wise to be as positive as can be on a review no matter how bad or good it may be. If it just so happens to have very little merit, then allow that to speak for itself. It's not to say that one shouldn't make its complaints and where complaints are majority for this, I can't deny that it is good to give praise where it's due. None the less, it is a hard pill to swallow, and even harder to digest I might add.

There is first and foremost to be fair, some things to praise about this album. Whether or not one enjoys it, it must be respected. TGSTK attempts and in some ways succeeds in being a force that should not be reckoned with. They really pushed themselves to make something special that was outside of the box. Dimebag's playing was very different and unorthodox and Vinnie Paul's drumming was not typical but much faster and more aggressive. This really seems to be more of an experiment than a typical Pantera album. To some it up in a word, it's obscure. The "best" of songs are The Great Southern Trendkill, Drag the Waters, Suicide Note pt. 1, and Floods. I will praise that they meant to be daring and heavier than anything they have made, especially in a time of darkness. One of the best things is that you can hear the dark cloud that descended over the band in this time.

As said that you can feel and hear the dark cloud that descends on this album happens to benefit TGSTK, it also is to its detriment. The hits of the album I am reluctant to call that for they, like this album remains rather forgettable when compared to their other albums. In all honesty it is hard to know just what to rate it, which I think in all objectivity, is rather not a good sign. Take it as one will, but it is a hodgepodge of a mess. This album was written in a time of tension with the band, and unfortunately, it is heard throughout. I defend this album as one that should be checked out for sure, and perhaps embraced for what it is. After all this really is a what-it-is kind of albums in that it is very experimental, and that should be recognized before its approached. However there is so much working against it, just one example is the awful production. There is so much lacking in its organization and structure which makes it hard to enjoy. As well, for the masters of groove metal, there is almost no grooves, and if so they're completely irrelevant. Much of the influences are very much Nu-Metal. Speaking of Nu Metal, there is a strong lacking of melodic creativity. It just seems like Dimebag was somewhere else. As far as Phil goes, he sounds like he's hugging the toilet the whole time, and his lyrics were just what he was spewing! Many consider such things to work for it, and I am envious of that for I simply cannot even if I try.

BOTTOMLINE: There is praiseworthy things in this album and for being obscure, it should be experienced. Regardless it should be admitted to be a hard pill to swallow. Enjoyed or not, it's worthy of respect to a great length. Keep in mind, it has a poor production, and it is a mess. This album will either make or break you're enjoyment so take with a grain of salt.

The Fangs Bite Deep - 100%

psychoticnicholai, November 4th, 2016
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, EastWest

This is the sound of hardship coming back into Pantera. This album combines all the anger and melancholia that the band had built up over the past two years since Far Beyond Driven. Singer Phil Anselmo, was particularly important when it came to this. Phil had gone out of his right mind and made paranoid and racially-charged statements about rap music. He'd also begun using heroin to ease the increasing pain in his back. this led to him becoming more erratic in his behavior and more estranged from the band to the point of having to record all his vocals in New Orleans while the rest of the band recorded in Dallas, he was not only having a terrible time himself, but also drawing many years of negative press coverage and giving his band-mates new troubles to fret over. There is also a noticeable musical shift here from the "chugga-chugga" grooves and accessibility of Far Beyond Driven. This album goes for an even slower and heavier approach than Far Beyond Driven, which was far heavier than Vulgar Display or Cowboys. I bring Phil up again since his influence is also prominent here in a musical fashion. Phil led the sludge band, Down, and released their first album, NOLA only a year before Trendkill dropped and Phil was also big into extreme metal such as Darkthrone and Neurosis. Despite the growing rift between him and his band-mates, you can hear the influence of these artists in the instrument sections played by his band-mates. The influx of dense, groovy sludge metal, forlorn Texas blues, and grating extreme metal with ferocious and biting songs make Trendkill the most diverse, extreme, and skillful album Pantera has ever released.

The anger shown on this album is more "from the gut" and genuine than anything they've previously released. Trendkill comes screaming right out of the gate with its title track that uses Dime's brawl-ready riffs and Phil's bile-infused lyrics concerning trends, poseurs, money, dishonesty, and how much he has come to despise such things. All of this is done with a healthy dose of Texan attitude displayed in Dimebag's bluesier soloing. In fact, Dimebag does his best to give a feeling of grand, metallic ferocity mixed with his more blues-based style in the main riffs and especially the solos in all the songs, leading to a truly distinct sound. Even the lead single sounds more genuinely pissed off and frustrated than lead singles they've released before. "Drag the Waters" is an imposing song despite its simple riff. It trudges angrily around, tempting people to bang their heads while Phil details stories of deceitful people with problems beneath the surface, including a judge's son who gets off easy due to his dad's position and a female junkie who leads her boyfriend into ruin through her habits. If you can stuff this much loathsome narrative into a simple song like "Drag the Waters" all while having a strong rhythm, you've got something really good going on. Thirteen Steps to Nowhere is even more hateful in its delivery, with a slow, creeping rhythm that jumps out with Phil's shouts about the prying eyes of the press, drug treatment failure, and accusations of bigotry following him around, making him feel like a prisoner in a dark, rotting house as Dime's riffs snake and wind around his verses, with slow passages to accent the feeling of sickness and decay. The Great Southern Trendkill is as angry and ugly as Pantera can get, and with much of the band making their anger on this album close and personal, they make their songwriting close and personal.

Blues, country and sludge metal have a strong presence on this album, despite it still being principally groove metal. These genres are used effectively on the less aggressive parts of this album to create an extremely thick and morose atmosphere. Oddly enough, a smart usage of this is actually in the first part of the most aggressive song, "Suicide Note" where an easy-going, slow country piece is played to lull someone into a feeling of relaxed sorrow before exploding into part 2, which is as extreme as this album gets with shredding, squealing guitars and vocals that sound like they're straight off of a grindcore record. That two-part song uses contrast and pacing to make something so hellish, brutal, and grating, it's hard to believe it came from an almost mainstream act. "Floods" uses doom-laden country passages to make a song that's heavy just from the thick, dense atmosphere it carries rather than battering the listener with riffs. This kind of heavy-set melancholy gives songs like this an ominous air to them that sounds imposing, yet down-to-earth at the same time. These blues and country laden tracks give a rawness and depth that crushing riffage alone cannot deliver. It adds dimension to Trendkill, making it an album that shows that with all the bile and all the hardship, Pantera are still masters at channeling that suffering and anger into song, whether it be moody country and blues-inflected fare, or pure riff-focused and ultra-violent metal. The fact that just about every song in both styles does its best to stick with the listener, lay down a groove that catches ears, causes the listener to feel what the band feels, and makes you remember the song by name, is a testament to all the variety, conflict, and hard work put into The Great Southern Trendkill.

The Great Southern Trendkill is hands down the best album made by Pantera and it's a damn shame that this album is as overlooked as it is compared to the rest of their catalog. It's the darkest and heaviest thing they've released, as well as the most atmospheric and moody thing they've ever done. The riffs and rhythms do their best to make songs you will enjoy (albeit being angry or miserable) and come back to many times. The influx of influences from the Abbott brothers' love for traditional Texan music, plus Phil's sludge and extreme metal background gave a new arsenal of sounds for them to choose from. Add this to all the hardships, mistakes, and bitter feelings of this time, and you've set the conditions for an album that hits you with as much force as it can muster and make you feel every ounce of its pain. For someone looking for something catchy, groovy, brutal, and moody at the same time, look no further. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

It's a slippery snake! - 95%

BlackMetal213, June 3rd, 2016

Not sure why I'm reviewing bands like Slayer, Metallica, and now Pantera recently, but maybe it's because I consider these albums I'm reviewing important. For one reason or another, anyway. I'm not a huge Pantera fan and I find most of their fans either stupid, closed-minded, or just plain fucking stupid (wait I already said that...). Be that as it may, I enjoy a few of their albums quite a bit. The three albums I can listen to front to back and enjoy every time remain their fourth full-length album "Power Metal" released back in 1988, which I know the band themselves disown, "Cowboys from Hell", and this album, "The Great Southern Trendkill". With any of the other albums, I can find some songs I like here and there, but that's pretty much the extent of it. This album is definitely my favorite release from Pantera.

This album can really be summed up in two words: pissed off. There is so much anger here. So much attitude. So much hatred. This isn't teen angst anger, though; this is manly fucking hate that hits you like a shot of hard liquor chased down with fucking more liquor. Profanity aside, this album is pure, unadulterated aggression. And don't worry, we aren't going to hear songs like "Walk" here. This is Pantera at their musical peak. The guitars on this album still retain that heavy groove metal style the band has been preforming since 1990 when they abandoned their "hair band" days however this time around, it is multiplied exponentially. This is the heaviest Pantera ever became. Not only are the guitars heavy, but they are just played...better.

The title track, which is also the first song on the album, contains its fair share of groovy riffs and a solo that really lives up to the name of this song and album. It is a solo that borders on Southern rock and one of the best on the album, but definitely not THE best. "Floods" remains my favorite Pantera song to this date. Not only are there some really heavy, dirgy, sludgy riffs, but the solo in this song is one of the best Dimebag ever managed to compose. It's beautiful and has a somewhat melancholic vibe to it. The real crowning jewel with this song is its outro. I guess this can be classified as a solo as well but it's a slow, melodic segment that closes out the song. It is probably the most mellow moment of this album, rivaling the somber "Suicide Note Pt. I" for that title. Speaking of "Suicide Note", what's really interesting is how the first song is a calm acoustic piece, which again features that southern tone to it, and the second part to that installment is almost a death metal track. This is definitely a guitar driven album and although this band was struggling to create music at this point in their career, they managed to record their best album during a period of discontent.

During this time, Phil Anselmo was struggling with a heroin addiction and tensions were at an all time high in the band. Interestingly enough, this led to the vocals being recorded in an entirely different studio, apart from the bass, guitars, and drums. Because this is Pantera's most extreme, aggressive album, Phil provided a lot of screaming. This is most notable in the title track and "Suicide Note Pt. II" but "Drag the Waters" showcases this as well. He still sings and actually his voice on here is probably the best it ever was, which is surprising due to all of the drugs he was pumping into his system. It would seem that he really poured his soul into recording this album and ended up giving it everything he had. The guy may be an asshole and at the time he may have been fucking himself beyond repair, but he really preformed quite well on this album.

So despite all of the tension within the band at the time of this album that seemed to center around Phil's drug problems, this remains Pantera's best release. It sounds real. The emotion sounds real, the music is completely real, everything sounds totally real. It actually would have made a great swansong because honestly, "Reinventing the Steel" was a highly lacking album that I personally could do without. It seemed that the band was just tired and wanted to push one more album out before they split but really, this should have been that album, because it has an apocalyptic, almost end of the world vibe that would have fit perfectly. With all its vulgarity (speaking of which, this is probably my most profane review in a long while...), this album is a testament to southern groove metal and a must have. Go ahead, buy it. "Its on sale at the fucking dollar store!" ...Well, not really, but I had to incorporate a lyrical passage from this album somewhere, right? Seriously, go pick it up. If you can grab that slippery snake!

Kicking the bucket - 100%

Napalm_Satan, October 4th, 2015

The Great Southern Trendkill is a truly special and one of a kind album. Unlike its two far more influential and oft-imitated predecessors, there isn't too much out there that broadly sounds like this, even less that really captures its attitude and magic, and basically nothing that is as remarkably diverse, versatile and nuanced as it is. It is the sound of Pantera nearly completely imploding from drug abuse, personal issues and interpersonal conflict, resulting in a textbook example of the 'legendary album made under tumultuous conditions.' It is a summit of quality the band could never top, standing alone in the context of metal as a whole never mind their catalogue, a genuinely artful work from a band not known for that and in many ways almost should have been their swansong. The fact it wasn't is a miracle, as is the fact it went platinum - brand recognition and commercial momentum had a lot of sway there no doubt! Its interesting legacy of a cult following from listeners not usually into their Pantera is both understandable and well-earned, as is its alienation of those who came for the sounds of their previous three albums.

Trendkill here, whilst not a total overhaul of their base groove metal sound, represents a major change to and at points significant expansion of it, to the extent that this is their most diverse and nuanced work, and as ever it drastically changes the character of the music. At its core they have injected a good deal of sludge and southern metal into their existing style. The riffs are still fat, heavy and crushing and they still groove, but not only do they have a sludginess to their texture, rhythm and motion, (especially when the music really goes for the slow crush, such as the heavy mid-section of 'Floods') they also have a pretty serious dose of bluesy southern-style melody which is present across most of the album. Far from the chunky and rock-hard riffs of the previous few albums, these genuinely have a serious warmth - a searing hotness even - to them, a brightness and vibrancy too, alongside a nimbleness not heard since Cowboys from Hell and the trademark violent punch we know their music for best. Add all of this up and you have easily the most animated and violent riff sets Dimebag would ever lay to tape - what they lack in the grinding mechanical punch Far Beyond Driven brought to the table they make up for with their flash, dynamism and searing intensity, a pretty seamless blend that works stunningly well. Dimebag clearly adapted to this new style well with the variety of riffs across this album - classic Pantera groove ('Drag the Waters'), crushing doom ('Floods'), mellow ('10's') as well as fast and violent ('Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath)', 'The Underground in America') - he always delivers his finest and plays with a ton of conviction. As you can imagine when put alongside riffs with a stronger sense of southern melody, his soloing here fits so naturally into these tracks, as opposed to being a point of contrast in the song. He also honestly delivers some of his finest and most ambitious leadwork ever here - 'Floods' is rightfully pointed to the best example of this with its generous lead slots (he once again proves here that he can deliver some serious emotional poignancy through his leads here) but even the title track and its lengthy solo to see the song out illustrates that perfectly.

It's not just Dimebag who's firing on all cylinders here either. Rex continues to do his thing, giving the guitars more punch and following along with the riffs, and doing a good job of it at that - these riffs certainly sound huge. Vinnie's drumming is probably the best it'd ever be on this album, with a lot of his most aggressive, dynamic and generally interesting work ever being found here (much like the guitars.) From the absolute pounding that anchors '13 Steps to Nowhere' to the marching, confrontational beats all over 'War Nerve', he really delivers. There's a whole ton of beating the crap out of his kit with some pounding double bass and amazing fills thrown in every so often too, and in general the drumming here is great and really helps bring out the best from these riffs and the songs in general by emphasising climactic moments, releasing tension and the like. All this being said, some of the most fascinating aspects of this album, the ones that really and truly give it so much character, are the little details. The shots of noise found on 'The Underground in America'/'(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin'. Seth Putnam's wild guest vocals on the title track, 'Suicide Note Pt. II' and so on. The creaky, aquatic passages that open 'Floods', complete with beautiful effects-laden vocals from Phil. The psychedelic effects that smother the gorgeous ballad '10's'. The strange industrial-ish breakdown part way through 'Living Through Me'. This album also sees acoustic guitars once again being used more prominently - specifically on the haunting track 'Suicide Note Pt. I' (almost certainly their most emotionally powerful ballad), a track also sees the band tastefully incorporating keyboards into their sound. These little touches show a band with a lot more ideas between them than we've seen in the past; it also shows a band generally known for making meatheaded music making something remarkably deep and nuanced, especially when you combine this with the newfound dynamism, colour and intensity of the bulk of the riffing on this album, along with generally more asymmetrical and fluid song structures. Terry Date's production on this album might just be his best; everything from the guitars and drums to the effects sounds crisp and very warm (again, almost hot), with a serious amount of punch, thickness and volume to it. Despite that. there is still the dynamic range, space and atmosphere needed for an album with a lot more nuance and quieter moments than past outings.

Pantera's 'official' catalogue really is a case of art imitating life; from the confidence and bravado exhibited by Cowboys as they burst onto the scene, the increasing confidence and attitude as they fought their way to the top on Vulgar Display, reaching the summit and clearly things starting to come undone on Far Beyond to what we have here. It's clear from this album that the cracks starting to show on their previous effort had absolutely widened and was absolutely tearing the band apart. The resulting chaos and turmoil is what seriously pushes Pantera's music to its flash point and makes these songs as dark, intense and powerful as they are. This album is pretty infamous for how aggressive its most intense moments are ('Suicide Note Pt. II', 'The Underground In America', 'War Nerve', the title track), which are all tracks that are fuelled by personal demons, pent up frustration between the members and at the media and public at large (especially the latter two tracks.) The album's more atmospheric moments ('10's', 'Suicide Note Pt. I') are also driven by inner turmoil, touching on drug use and suicidality. The thematic focus does go beyond this of course, and they too are reflective of the band's state at the time - from drug-addled rambling on 'Living Through Me' to the vindictive, righteous warning of 'Drag the Waters', to talk of an apocalyptic flood destroying mankind on 'Floods', there's a lot of ground covered here thematically as well as musically, making for a rollercoaster ride of a listening experience - sonic and emotional - not seen on previous albums. At no point are the transitions jarring (unless intentional of course, see 'Suicide Note'), rather the track list has its clear peaks and valleys, and most importantly no matter where you're at the band always pull it off.

Of course, what's really guiding this album's overall mood is what was going on with the band and in particular, Phil. His open addressing of suicidality, drug use, the media and the scene, that all stems from what was going on with him and man does he make that clear through his voice, which has taken another turn on this album. The bulk of his work on here consists of a much throatier set of shouts combined with an almost shrieky quality to them; not only is this probably the single most intense performance he'd give on an album but it's one of the most emotionally resonant performances he's ever given. More than ever, you really feel every word coming out of his mouth; his voice is at once in your face and expressive like before, but also a lot more abrasive and dynamic as he shifts that coarse shout and a more screaming tone. Along with this, he sings an awful lot more here, both applying melody to his shouting and in a clean tone, to match the increased variety of sounds on the album. His singing sounds weathered and forlorn which suits the dark and tortured balladry well, whilst his more melodic shouting makes for some powerful refrains and choruses ('War Nerve', 'Drag the Waters') as he belts them out.

It should come as no surprise that the track list here is pretty much spotless. Past efforts might have had a dud track or a song or two that wasn't quite as good as the rest (understandable when dealing with 11-12 track, hour long albums), but here every single track is an essential piece of the puzzle and there are no lulls, regardless of if the album slows down or mellows out. The title track really sets the stage for everything this album is about - from Putnam's blistering opening screams leading into verses that lurch between grinding and grooving with ranting, screaming vocals, the big stomping chorus, the injection of southern melody, and that legendary solo for an outro, it's the single greatest opening salvo the band would ever churn out. Sludgy, piledriving groovers like 'War Nerve', '13 Steps to Nowhere' and this album's 'third track single' 'Drag the Waters' keep the momentum up and continue to dish out the venom between their pounding rhythm sections, righteous refrains and blistering vocals. '10's' and 'Suicide Note Pt. I' show how remarkably vulnerable, deep and beautiful the band's music can really be with their effects-laden atmospheres, poignant lyrics and Phil's emotive clean singing. The back end of the album features several of the album's most massive and ambitious songs - the one-two of 'The Underground in America' and 'Sandblasted Skin' make for amongst the most violent and intense mid-tempo songs and riffs the band would ever dish out, with their lethal neck-snapping grooves, shots of noise and particularly ferocious vocals. 'Living Through Me' lurches between bouncing, almost thrashing verses, a screamed chorus with twisted melodies underneath it, that aforementioned industrial interlude that then explodes into a grinding, double-bass driven passage and the song's conclusion, whilst 'Suicide Note Pt. II' crashing its rapid-fire verses into both a grooving bridge and its enormous breakdown towards the end makes for the most fiery and intense song in the band's catalogue. And then of course, there's 'Floods'.

'Floods' for many, including myself (there is a reason it's come up so many times here), is probably the band's single finest song and it's very easy to see why. The themes of an apocalyptic flood washing us and thus our sins away are remarkably deep, especially for this band - and their portrayal is simple yet eloquent. The structure of the song is multi-phased, with fluid and elegant transitions from section to section, forming this lengthy and winding epic on the downfall of mankind. Phil sticks to his cleans and they very much shine here - the big sung refrains, the quiet and forlorn verses (complete with multiple vocal tracks) during the song's creakier, atmospheric moments at the start, the genuinely angelic effects-laden lines he throws in a few times, along with the occasional booming spoken refrain - he absolutely sells the apocalyptic, desolate mood of the song. The aforementioned atmospheric clean guitars at the start go over very well and give those passages that aquatic feel, the crushing stoner/sludge riffs paired with the pounding drums towards the song's climax make for the heaviest moment in the band's catalogue, and then there's the lead guitar all over the song, the most famous aspect of the track. The distant lead that closes the song is considered one of Dimebag's finest and whilst it's not one his flashier solos, the emotion held in those notes is vast. The solos contained within the song itself are hardly slouches either, being more in his usual style but again, with such emotional poignancy that it does sound as if he's speaking through his guitar and delivering his own verse on the song, one which thematically fits perfectly. For a band known for making meatheaded music for jocks to pump iron to, this is the kind of epic, atmospheric, progressive, emotional and even cinematic sort of songwriting mastery normally attributed to some of the finest arthouse metal out there. It is the Koh-i-Noor in the crown this album is in their discography; one of the finest metal songs of all time.

When it comes to the category of albums that turned out great because of the troubled circumstances they were born out of, there's few out there that match this. Trendkill is a deeply powerful, vulnerable and tragic album, a fit of sheer drug-addled, delusional, suicidal misery from a band once known for being the embodiment of power, confidence and bravado in metal. It is peerless in its discography and genre, a truly unique album of many layers and facets; again, from a band typically known for big blocks of iron and slabs of concrete in the form of music. Along with all of this though, it's the sound of this band coming apart at the seams and nearly disintegrating. Were this to be their swansong, I don't think anyone would be surprised; it is an artistic supernova you get one time and one time only. Do check this out if you haven't - even if you aren't a fan, this is no common or garden Pantera-esque affair; it is unmistakeably them though.

Pantera's Peak - 92%

Roffle_the_Thrashard, July 5th, 2015

The Great Southern Trendkill is easily Pantera's best album. Its predecessors had both their weak and strong points to them, but this giant amongst them all is Pantera's most solid record to date. The mix of groove and some thrash metal with acoustic parts is just so fantastic. It's not just one thing that makes this album so good. Every aspect of the album has something good to contribute here. Despite a few bumps here and there, The Great Southern Trendkill will always be my favorite Pantera album.

Because there are so many positive attributes that this record possesses, it was hard to pick one. However, I think what I love most about this album is that there isn't one song that is completely filler. Every single song is original and unique and could stand on its own. Therefore, there was a wonderful mixture of different arrangements, ranging from the mostly acoustic "Floods" to the ballistic and spastic "Suicide Note Pt. II."

The songwriting abilities of Pantera had also reached their peak during the making of The Great Southern Trendkill. There was so much material being produced here that some songs, the "Suicide Note" songs, had to be broken into two desperate pieces of music. "Floods" showed off the sensitive side of Pantera in a similar way that "Cemetery Gates" did in 1990. The title track of this record also brought a lot to the table. It's one half pure chaos, and the other half is some southern influenced shredding. Southern influenced? Chaos? I think that The Great Southern Trendkill sums up the band's sound, image, and some of their philosophy very well.

Pantera has always been shedding its skin and evolving into a different kind of beast on each album. One thing that you will notice here is how wacky the guitar riffing is here. Dimebag Darrell's sound when you listen to the "The Great Southern Trendkill" is not natural from what I can hear. The sound of his six-string beast sounds like it has been used, abused and altered beyond belief. I will be talking about this later in my review, but this can be off-putting to some. However, you can see right away that this worked to his advantage on a few tracks like the one mentioned above, and "Suicide Note Pt. 2."

The biggest problem concerning this album is the production. Just about everything gets a ten out of ten from me on The Great Southern Trendkill, but the production was the loogie in the punch bowl that ruined the party. The most obvious flaw is the lack of bass sound. Rex Brown is almost inaudible throughout the entire album. Dimebag once again takes center stage with the melodic sound as Brown's sound is choked out. My listening experience was altered as I tried to search for traces of his bass tones within the wave of guitars drums and Anselmo's screams. Just about all of the instruments here sound very artificial. It seems as if they have been put through filter after filter to point where you can't even hear the original sound anymore. Even Paul's kit sounds altered beyond belief. The snare hits and kick tones sounded exactly alike. Although I don't think it happened, it sounded as if every last beat Paul played was recorded by itself and looped.

Despite this disappointment The Great Southern Trendkill was an instant classic. It was extremely heavy, caustic, and wonderfully atrocious. Phil Anselmo as a singer and screamer had reached his peak here, as well as the rest of his legendary band. With only one more album to come, I still think of this as the last true Pantera record that still draws the attention of seasoned listeners and those new to metal alike.

Pretty Solid - 75%

McTague97, January 14th, 2015

So it turns out Pantera wouldn't release any albums I like front to back (maybe their glam stuff but I'm really not interested to track that stuff down) and sadly their legacy in my eyes comes down to a very mixed bag career of solid tracks and songs that aren't worth the amount of space they occupy on the internet. The other half of their legacy comes down to their heavy influences on nu-metal, metalcore and groove metal, which as genres are as hit and miss as Pantera themselves.

I think this would have been a better way to end their career then Reinventing the Steel or that Piss single that came out recently. First off the guitar work is better. It actually has substance and the band was still cohesive enough to pump out some solid songs.

The guitar work is closest to Far Beyond Driven but slower. Dimebag has a lot of slower riffs (Drag the Waters and 10's) mixed in amongst the faster riffs (The Great Southern Trendkill and Suicide Note Pt. 2). His sound is deeper and heavier then ever before (or after) which of course leads to a sound that is more naturally heavy and less forced. His soloing sounds very emotive on 10's (which fits the track well) but on the other hand in The Great Southern Trendkill its breakneck shredding. His riffing actually has melody now which actually works beautifully with the rhythmic groove style and shows growth in his style, this is the first album his guitar work has kept me interested and entertained from front to back. He even gets an acoustic section on Suicide Note that is probably the best bit of compositional work he's ever done. He shows a lot of versatility on this album and I would consider it to be the highlight of his career.

Phil manages to make his vocals the best they've been since CFH (which was his highlight). He's very emotive (10's and Suicide Note Pt. 1), lays off the tough guy act quite a bit but still manages to sound masculine, but now he sounds naturally masculine which is a 100% improvement. His range hasn't returned but he makes his way just fine without it. His lyrical content has expanded and the amount of substance in the music has skyrocketed.

The rhythm section is tight. The drummer knows when to use speed and when to lay off a bit. Still simplistic but far more forgivable. The bass player can actually clearly be heard for the most part and the rumors were right, this man is the perfect match for Dimebag, there parts intertwine almost seamlessly.

For all its ups though there are also downs. Suicide Note Pt. 2 is the weakest song here, despite lyrics about suicide this track still seems like an excuse to be mindlessly heavy and vulgar and its just rather weak, insipid, substanceless and (minus the first time when it will floor you with speed, anger and aggression) is extremely boring. In fact the two softest most balladic songs here Suicide Note Pt. 1 (which is now my favorite Pantera song) and 10's, a band who's reputation is those tough guys who never lay off and go soft and their best tracks are ballads, I swear there is an irony in that.

Standout Tracks: Suicide Note Pt. 1, 10's, Drag the Waters and The Great Southern Trendkill

THE TREND....IS....DEAD! - 95%

Rat_Funeral, December 28th, 2014

If you're going to talk about the 90's, it's worth mentioning the sorry state of metal at the time. Now I know that groups like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden played some of the heaviest mainstream rock at the time, but the fact of the matter is that history remembers them as grunge bands, and grunge fans were known not to pay lip service. The heyday of thrash was gone, and we didn't even have nu-metal to at least put people in the right direction. So as you can imagine, the good ol' boys in Pantera had quite a responsibility with the torch they were carrying. If metal bands were to maintain any sort of credibility with the masses, Pantera was the best they had. However, like with Slayer, "intelligent" was probably not how the average listener described their music; a lot of it had a down-and-dirty "don't fuck with us" attitude, which in this case was arguably as famous as the music itself.

But like with all artists, Pantera was destined to put out something more complex, and this is what fans got in 1996. The Great Southern Trendkill, the way I listen to it, is a unique release in that it really sounds like the band has been fucked with. In its monster title track and opener, the first words out of Philip Anselmo's mouth are, "It's wearing on my mind, I'm speaking all my doubts aloud." From that point on, you know that the album is his personal lashing-out against the music/social scene of the time, as well as himself. The title song attacks popular but unoriginal artists that passed off the Southern/blues style as their own, while "The Underground in America" is a rant against privileged youth who sold their souls to punk rock degeneracy.

It only gets darker from there. "War Nerve," "13 Steps to Nowhere," "Living Through Me," all straight-up, dirty, drug-fueled misanthropy against people most of us probably know. "I broke your fucking mold, then threw away the cast," said by everyone to nearly anyone else. Meanwhile, the "Suicide Note" songs probably scrape the bottom of Anselmo's desperate mind. Part 1 solemnly reflects upon the self-destructive path he followed, while Part 2 is him preparing for the "obvious" solution. Cathartic stuff.

And then what to say about "Floods?" Honestly, I'm trying to start another paragraph for the song, but it really does leave a good part of me speechless. It's what I can only call an apocalypse ballad. Pantera is a Southern band, so there's no hiding the religious aspect of their identity. They took their hatred and put it on a spiritual level. Theirs is a vengeful God, and for a mankind "playing with grenades," with "deaf ears sleeping," what else but a flood of Biblical proportions could be over the horizon?

Obviously, Pantera was a groove metal band, but I think even the music is full of surprises. Fans of their usual style won't be disappointed, because "War Nerve" and the single "Drag the Waters" are rock-solid and all about the riffs. Interestingly, the album actually begins and ends with a more death/thrash style, which shows strongly on the blisteringly-fast "Suicide Note Part 2." It wouldn't be a Pantera record without some slower material, but on "Trendkill," I think they perfected this style. The progression on "Floods" and "10's" is just exquisite, and they include some of Dimebag Darrell's finest and most melodic solos.

So overall, this is easily one of the most diverse metal records I've heard. It's groove, sludge, thrash, death, and Southern metal all rolled into one, yet Pantera made it all their own. It didn't have as many singles as earlier releases, but the fact it had any is a credit to the band, because they were breaking new ground here. In the end, The Great Southern Trendkill (ironically a 90's release) stands as one of my all-time favorite albums, metal or otherwise.

In-your-face - 90%

usputni_boem, April 7th, 2013

The Great Southern Trendkill is groovey, raw, in-your-face, varied and angry. It's metal done with a lot of style, filled to the brim with great riffs. Some of them are pure groove, highly reminiscent of Pantera's earlier career. Great drumming and interesting hooks make those really fun. However, most of the riffs have a certain rock vibe to them. Sometimes they sound like something Black Sabbath would have done, other times they may remind you of Kiss, combined with Pantera's characteristic raw groove. Drag the Waters and Hell's Wrath are both good examples.

Then, there are some fast, extreme metal moments - Suicide Note Pt. 2 and the title track are both joyfully furious songs. All in all, most of the tracks are very catchy, bursting with energy. It's a great album to listen to when you're pissed off. Mind you, it's not mindless - the energy isn't the only thing that's good about it.

It's the rockish riffage that grants this album its cool factor. It's not very dark. It's not about Satan, dragons, dead lovers etc. It's straightforward, self-confident anger. It's probably as "intelligent" as metal gets. I'm not referring to the language used, but to the content and style. The Great Southern Trendkill's Phil Anselmo is too cool to be singing about cheap horror cliches. The mood corresponds to that.

My biggest complaint goes to the slower, psychedelic "ballads" - Floods, 10s and Suicide Note Pt. 1. They're pretty uninspired. There's a great Sabbathy riff and a very good solo, both found on Floods, but otherwise, these songs seem to go nowhere. They're not bad per se, they're just not very interesting.

The sound on this album is amazing. Dime's guitar is very ballsy. It feels sharp as knife when he's playing higher tones and very chuggy when he's playing heavier riffs. The same goes for Anselmo - he compliments his usual tough singing style with a lot of screams and shrieks. It's very varied, catchy and fun. Combined with great riffs, it makes one hell of a record.

Pantera’s Last Great Release - 85%

Evil_Carrot, January 16th, 2013

Ah, Pantera…I remember when I was 17. I had all that teenage anger and stuff. You know, ‘Fuck this math test, fuck being grounded, fuck popular kids.”. Yeah, that was my Pantera period. Unfortunately, I was not qualified to remain a Pantera fan, as I wasn’t muscular, fat, huge, bald, and didn’t throw punches in the pit. Sorry, I’m stereotyping. It’s just that I sort of put Pantera fans up there with Slayer fans and Manowar fans as being awful people. And while I know realistically, and as with most groups of people, it’s a few assholes that make a whole group of people potentially look bad, I still avoid any human being I may meet who is over 6 feet tall, sort of a mix between fat and muscular, and wearing a Pantera shirt with the sleeve cut off so I can see their armpits. I once heard someone refer to these people as ‘bro-metal’. And I think that’s damn perfect.

As I grew and discovered new types of music, especially metal, my interest in Pantera sort of faded. I now consider their best album to be ‘Power Metal’, and really only throw on anything that’s not ‘Cowboys From Hell’ on for nostalgia. Looking at you ‘Vulgar Display of Power’.

Well, there is another exception. ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’ follows ‘Far Beyond Driven’, what I consider to be a pretty awful album for Pantera. And metal. But this was actually my first Pantera album. But I assure you, my praise isn’t mindless nostalgia talking. This album has many things that many other Pantera albums lack. Riffs for one. Although not totally not out of the woods as far as “I’m going to chug on an open-E string for a few minutes while Phil yells” shit Pantera likes to pull, the songs here feel more well-written in that it sounds like someone took a moment to write them.

Barring a few songs, the lyrical themes here are more interesting than I’m used to from Pantera (the concept of selling out is a good bit of it, questioning the motives of others, contemplating suicide…and floods), and better than the ones of the previous few albums (being a hardass, beating the shit out of others, respect, walking on home).

Let’s start with the good. The title track gets shit going out of the gate with some intense screaming and a massive flood of noise assaulting your speakers like a Pantera fan assaults a black man. It’s a faster paced, solid song and a good way to kick off the album, which continues to not fuck around, as it slaps you in the face with ‘War Nerve’ like a Pantera fan slaps a woman, as it exclaims with complete manliness “FUCK THE WORLD, FOR ALL IT’S WORTH!”. Anselmo is even a gentleman and includes himself. Seriously though, I’d say that the lyric “Yes, my cock is getting hard” instantly puts this song up for worst lyrics on the album. And yet, the song still kicks your ass. Like a Pantera fan kicks your ass. ‘Drag the Waters’ actually starts sort of confusingly. It almost sounds like the last song didn’t end and just went into one of those shitty –core sounding breakdowns Pantera was busy pioneering. But no. It eventually becomes a song. Not the most impressive song on the album, but it works. Can I also get away with mentioning that this song has more cowbell? ‘Suicide Note’ is a two part song. The first part starts off quiet and dark, almost brooding, as Phil sings (might I add in a fantastic deep clean voice as opposed to his usual shouts, which I love) about doing cocaine and attempting suicide, much like a Pantera fan after finding out Dimebag Darrell died. Actually, aside from the ‘scars on my wrists’ part, it seems more like it’s a song about drug addiction, possibly referring to it as a slow suicide, which may make sense considering Phil’s heroin issues. Although maybe I’m over analyzing, this IS Pantera after all. Then comes part two where Phil continues being an angry badass and shouts about how even though he’s totally going to kill himself, suicide is dumb, so don’t do it...except if someone is going to kill themselves, let them, 'cause no one needs your shitty advice.

So about now you should be tired of this onslaught of aggressive music, right? Well, pretend you are, because much like a Pantera fan’s brain after looking at an algebra problem, Pantera slows things down a little. Aside from the first half of ‘Suicide Note’, the album features two slower songs. '10’s' is a dark atmospheric tune, and although the band is more restrained, Phil’s badass vocals still work very well. I’ve always thought Dime’s solos on the slower songs were more interesting than when he shreds. While maybe not his best work, this is a solid solo with a few memorable parts. Not that it won’t be blown out of the water in about 15 minutes with ‘Floods’, which I understand is sometimes called a bad song with a great guitar solo, but I love this fucking song. The acoustic parts have great atmosphere and when the electric guitar comes in for the breakdown, it’s actually a very cool contrast. Phil’s voice works well and although I sometimes think the parts where the line repeats is corny, it doesn’t bother me. And the solo. Has enough been said about it? It usually comes up in top 10 best metal guitar solos lists and anytime there’s a conversation about best solos, it’s sure to come up. Coupled with the very cool outro riff, this is some of Dime’s best work. And being honest, when I was first made aware that it was one of the so-called best solos ever, I wasn’t too sure how I felt about that. but I’m totally okay with it at this point. No, this song overall may not top ‘Cemetery Gates’, but it’s still absolutely phenomenal.

Then there’s the ‘okay’ stuff. ’13 Steps to Nowhere’ is one of those songs I never thought much of. It’s not great. It’s not shit. It’s just kind of there. Like a Pantera fan in-between songs when Phil is ranting about black people and he has nothing to mosh to. In fact, ‘Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)’ is the same story, except is somewhat better and with a catchy chorus, but is still just kind of there like a Pantera fan with no one to punch and yell at incoherently about respect, except is somewhat better and with a catchy chorus. ‘The Underground in America’ and ‘Sandblasted Skin’ end the albums as aggressively as it opened and may actually be the most aggressive songs on the album. They sort of fade into each other, one part being a little faster, but both being generally about fakeness and the trend following in the scene, sometimes almost horrifyingly mirroring the bro-metallers that are quite often their fans…“the smart ones stay on the outside while drunken heads and arms erupt, centered man swings a punch, spits a tooth, postures odd, a punk rock escapade, five bucks a head to be king dick in the crowd.”.

The album ends solidly, but at this point the aggression is a little stale for me. Still, these remain decent songs to headbang to. The album may not really leave behind anything more memorable than the opener and ‘Floods’, however an impressive aspect of this album is a clear lack of music I consider to be bad. While maybe not entirely mindblowing, the album stays consistent and even including Power Metal, this is the only Pantera album where I don’t need the skip button.

All of that is perfectly fine as I don’t ask Pantera for a lot. If I’m listening to Pantera, I’m either nostalgic or pissed, and not only is this nostalgic for me, but it’s a good fucking angry album. Yeah, there’s better angry music out there. Hell, this may not even be good as ‘Cowboys From Hell’, but it’s fucking good, and in my opinion is better than ‘Reign in Blood’. Yeah. I said it. Come at me, bro. So while 85 may seem a little high, as far as groove metal and '90s Pantera go, it doesn’t get a whole lot better than this.

Essential groove metal - 80%

tshred666, February 7th, 2012

Ah, Pantera, a source for controversy, mainly from the media's accusations of Anselmo being a racist. Now I don't see how any of Pantera's lyrics could be interpreted as racist. If anything, most them have to do with being a macho tough guy, drug addiction, and other whiny, pretentious dribble. Let's face it, most of the lyrics on VDoP and FBD sucked ass, as did the overall structure of said albums. But this album is different, the band gets real, lyrically and musically. They ditch the billy badass lyricism and groove wankery for properly structured heavy metal and lyrics that talk about the real world. Another thing, this album probably has the clearest and heaviest production of any Pantera album.

Now onto the music itself. Overall, the album has only two songs that feel like filler, 10's and Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath). On its own, 10's is a decent track, a bleak, bluesy atmosphere and a really good solo, but in the context of the album it stops everything and just blurs by leaving the listener confused as to what he just heard. Hell's wrath is the perfect example of what filler is, a few decent riffs dragged out longer than they should be. I think the album would been greatly improved if 10's was removed and Hell's Wrath was cut short.

Now for the good stuff. My hands down favorite tracks are the noisy and immensely brutal title track and Suicide Note Pt. 2. Loaded with the speed of Power Metal and Cowboys and with the fury of the faster tracks from Vulgar and FBD, they just bombard the listener with blast beats and crunchy grooves. Phil and Seth assault the microphone with shrieks, yells, and what feel like proto-metalcore growls. One thing that does stick out about Phil's voice on this album is that it seems to be layered, but not so layered that it turns to mud. I'd say the layering adds a nice touch, and makes his voice sound better than the two previous releases.

Floods is a dark and sinister ballad about the apocalypse. It drones out for several minutes over a simple, yet effective chord progression. The solo is fucking fantastic. Phil's vocals are all over the place, with tons of layers and effects. Suicide Note Pt. 1 is an equally bleak acoustic ballad about mental illness and drug addiction.

War Nerve, Drag the Waters, and The Underground in America are all standard groove metal tracks, but have enough variety and intensity to keep the listener interested. They show how Pantera evolved musically from the two previous records. Compare these songs to the really popular tracks from VDoP and FBD (Walk, 5 Minutes Alone, and I'm Broken) and note how they aren't stale and boring as fuck. War Nerve and Drag the Waters still center themselves around basic chromatic and pentatonic riffs, but they just have that 'X' factor that makes them much come off as more savage alternatives to the majority of what's present on Vulgar and FBD.

For those that utterly despised VDoP and FBD, tread lightly with this album. If you're like me and are indifferent to those albums, dive in head first, you're in for a rare groove metal treat. Some could attribute the change to Phil's time in Down, but seeing as how he recorded the vocals in Louisiana while Rex, Dime, and Vinnie recorded in Texas, it just doesn't work out geographically.

The Great Southern Trendkill - 98%

ThrashMetalHell, May 29th, 2010

Probably best Pantera’s album ever. Certainly, for many people it might be blasphemy, stressing the great value of his predecessors.
And this was, perhaps, the reason that makes this record so underrated.

The band was in its worst period: too many internal disputes, Anselmo with his alcohol and drug problems mitigated the stability of the band, with the Abbott brothers suffer. Think about the fact that the beloved Phil Anselmo recorded his vocals in another studio than the rest of the band. The situation, therefore, was very difficult. And indeed, this record transmits all the anger and the suffering that the band felt at the time: just listen to the first 10 seconds of the initial, phenomenal, The Great Southern Trendkill.

Anselmo transmits his fury with tortured screams, angry and devastated growls (helped, to accentuate the violence, by the evil Seth Putnam of Anal Cunt). Darrell tortures his Dean with deep, obsessive riffs, long bendings and, as usual, with the recognizable southern blues sound so dear to the 5 Texans. The brother Vince, on drums, is unleashed, with difficult and heavy rhythms, sometimes fast (with a dominating double bass), sometimes filled with Groove sounds. Rex, always equal, enriches the whole with his dark and heavy bass riffs.

The album mixes the classic groove metal, trademark of the Texas band, with death, thrash, doom influences and a hot and sweaty sound, clear of southern matrix. The sludge matrix of the band is very evident in this album.

Each song has a different sound, while the lyrics deal mainly topics like drugs, suffering, and suicide.
TGST is fast and furious, with an instrumental outro, where Darrell and his Dean seem to communicate. War Nerve is pure groove, Drag the Waters is a sort of angry version of "Walk" (this is the single chosen from the group, although personally it is perhaps the "worst" of the disk, if you have to find one). With 10's we hear even grunge influences, from Alice In Chains, with a suffered and poisonous tone. 13 Steps To Nowhere reprises the iconic sound of Vulgar Display Of Power, full of groove and blues riffs. Suicide Note, Pt. 1 is a hot country acoustic song (here you can hear the southern influences of the group). The second part change radically, with a fast and telluric thrash, with an unusual riff and a beautiful chorus, with a wild Anselmo and Vinnie Paul into a state of grace. Living Through Me is a modern and calculated thrash, with a chorus that relies on daring guitar riffs by Darrell. In the central part we hear noises and suffered voices of a never so exciting Phil Anselmo, and everything ends with a violent restart, that flows into the main riff.
Floods deserve another speech, without emphasizing that alone worth buying the album. 7 minutes of great music: classic acoustic start, with Anselmo that interprets at his best the suffered atmosphere of the song, singing and whispering (putting the chills). The riffs are, as always, very inspired. At the third minute the song comes on, with an electric riff, obsessive in his gait. Then begins the masterpiece: acoustic interlude, followed by (perhaps) the best solo of Dimebag Darrell’s career. Everything changes abruptly, with the entry of the usual riff that repeats itself in an obsessive way, before the final discharge, with riffs, beats and thundershowers sounds. The finish is an amazing outro, worthy end of the best song of the band's career, in my opinion.
Underground in America takes the obsessive groove of War Nerve and 13 Steps To Nowhere, driven by the riff that will be the main of the following song, the final Sandblasted Skin (Reprise). The band decides to close with a bang, with a fast and aggressive song.

A perfect album: varied, inspired, angry. The band came to perfection, which will not be achieved in the future, accomplice to the murder of the genius Dimebag Darrell Abbott (RIP). We may remember them by turning on the CD players and enjoying this essential disc for any metal fan, in my opinion.

P.S. Why not 100, you could ask? Well, Drag The Waters and Underground In America don't deserve a so higher mark (even if the other songs deserve 110!). But, we know, nothing is perfect...

Of Southern pride and trendkills - 88%

JamesIII, January 18th, 2010

Though I originally got into heavy metal thanks to a collection of my father's cassette tapes of bands like Dark Angel and MegaDeth, one of the bands I truly enjoyed early on was Pantera. As time has moved on, I began to break apart this band's music, focusing on the albums as a whole as well as the songwriting approach taken. Call it maturity or realization, but my almost fan boy adoration of Pantera has slowly subsided over the years, being replaced with a sometimes mild, sometimes excited reaction to hearing this band's music. The two albums that get the most out of me these days are "Cowboys from Hell" and "The Great Southern Trendkill."

While "Cowboys from Hell" was an excellent blend of various metal genres including more traditional styles and minimalist thrash with lots of prowess from Dimebag Darrel, "Trendkill" takes a different route. What is present on this album seems to be a darker yet even more hostile version of Pantera. The music seems specifically designed to charge forth like a battering ram through Phil Anselmo's enemies both real and imagined. The album also showcases a more creative machine that was Pantera at this point in time, including being the band's most varied album post-1991. While "Vulgar Display of Power" and "Far Beyond Driven" could get a good thing going at times, they would also become stalled in middle of the road metal. Both those albums were, most of the time, like placing a brick on the accelerator of a car that was suspended on a lift: sounds good, but you're never going to go anywhere.

"The Great Southern Trendkill" survives the pedestrian metal attempts on its two preceeding albums by making some changes. For one, the music is much more focused instead of directionless hostility. Someone already beat me to the explanation for this, which includes Anselmo's ever increasing volatile nature, accusations of rascism, increased substance abuse, internal problems within the band, so on and so forth. Phil Anselmo probably makes the biggest change in the band, putting forth some seemingly current lyrics that are relevant to this day about trends and the subversion of hipster disciples who jump on each new trend like a street walker does her clients. The 1990's were a rampant time of trends, one of the most horrid in which was the mainstream's fascination with halfwit alternative rock bands of the day.

Anselmo's other major contribution to this album is his change is vocal style. While "Vulgar Display" had that militant bark and "Far Beyond Driven" had that quasi-death grunts shouted from halfway across a parking lot feel, "Trendkill" finds Anselmo charging forward with shrieks more akin to his work in Superjoint Ritual. I would argue, however, that his work here is far less nerve racking thanks entirely to the better ideas and musicianship on this record, which keeps Anselmo grounded. The record is also layered in its vocal affects, which gives songs like "13 Steps to Nowhere" and "Sandblasted Skin" a demonic feel. This comes again from the internal issues of the time, as Anselmo was not even in the same state as Rex, Dime, and Vinnie during the recording sessions.

The unusual creativity exuded on this album come in the forms of songs like "Floods," "10's," and "Suicide Note Pt. 1." "Floods" is an excellent example, and while a bit too long, possesses an interesting contrast between somber darkness and later in the song when things begin to pick up. "Suicide Note Pt. 1" is an unusually serene number that comes off as a dark country song (I mean country music, not this Kenny Chesney nonsense) that stacks up as one of Pantera's very best. "10's" is the least of these, which has a nice atmospheric tinge to it, but for its entire duration refuses to kick things up a bit when such a change would be most welcome.

The remaining songs either fall into Pantera's usual (though improved) Southern groove or faster versions of such. "Suicide Note Pt. 2" is an excellent example of the faster songs, and works very well for the band. With a song like that, it begs to know why Pantera couldn't throw in more songs like these in their time which would have undoubtedly improved "Vulgar Display" and "Far Beyond Driven." The title track also throws in some faster sections, albeit temporarily and showcases Anselmo's new found lyrical approach against the mainstream media. "War Nerve" is more mid-tempo work, but is a much better than song than anything found on the previous two releases. "Drag the Waters" is another example of this, throwing in some cowbell to alleviate your fever.

Unlike the more celebrated releases by this band, I could not find a single dud here, except maybe "10's." They all possess merit of some kind, and with perhaps the exception of "Living through Me" manage to avoid becoming mindlessly repetitive or suffer from aimless meandering. Its definitely an improvement over preceeding works for this band (not to mention the one that would come after it) and is quite possibly the best album they put out. Songs like "Sandblasted Skin" and "War Nerve" help one to forget all about the stagnated groove fests of "Far Beyond Driven," which for some unknown reason is a more cherished album than this one. In fact, this is the one Pantera album that never gets much respect, even though the live versions of these songs that appeared on "Official Live: 101 Proof" were killer and the highlights of that album.

Like some have already said before me, this is a Pantera album for Pantera fans and non-fans alike. I can certainly see those who couldn't care less about this band getting into this, considering I know some who have. Its especially far removed from their other material in terms of aggressive and focused attack, yet still planted enough to win the adoration of Pantera fans. I for one continue to enjoy this album more than any other this band has put out, and recognize it as their best second only to "Cowboys From Hell" in terms of musicianship. It would have been interesting to see Pantera continue down this road, which obviously did not happen given the step down that "Reinventing the Steel" was. I also like this album for its statements, particularly against the "hip" crowd and their trends plus against the stereotypical outlook on the Southeast U.S. This is all just icing on the cake for a Southerner like me, but for those who couldn't care less, I can definitely recommend this to non-Pantera fans. Its removed from what most media outlets celebrate about this band, to the point that many Pantera fans seem to skip over it entirely.

A lesson in hate! - 97%

mastodon_t, September 20th, 2009

Well, I can say one thing for sure about this record: I'll never forget the day I've listened to it for the first time. It was 1997, I remember myself walking into a 1 hour photo and, for some obscure reason, there were some Cd's for sale in that shop, including the one I'm reviewing. Seeing that there was a snake on the cover and looked pretty badass I decided to buy it, then I went home and listened to it. Well, my response after just 10 seconds into the first song could be translated in English as "Holy Fucking Jesus what the fuck?" That was more than 12 years ago, I was very young and just got into metal music, I wasn't prepared for such an outpour of rage in music form; at the time I thought heaviness in metal music came more from the speed at which notes where unleashed upon you or from the complexity of the songs rather than from the volume and intensity of them. Ten years later I understood what this album showed me back then, something that at that time unconsciously prompted me to instantly make a copy of it on cassette for my friends to experience what I labeled "The Heaviest Album Ever". Did I really say that? Yes, but it was years and years ago. Do I still mean it? Yep...

The fact with this album is that its heaviness doesn't come from how fast the songs are, or how heavy the distortion of the guitar is (well, maybe just a little bit), it's not something that was thought over and then conveyed in the studio. No, the heaviness of this music comes from the souls of the very people who wrote it and played it. The execution has little or nothing to do with it. And, for the record, I, as I bet almost everybody else out there, have in all these years listened to stuff that was played faster, louder and with heavier production (and even with more layers of guitars), but nothing comes even close to the brutality of this album, the lethal dose of hate that T.G.S.T.K. is.

Now, I don't know what happened in the two-year time that occurred between this and its predecessor, Far Beyond Driven, but, believe me, it turned Pantera's music from the poser "let's-kick-them-asses" redneck crap that boosted them into the pantheon of sell-out MTV metal-whores (along with Korn, White Zombie and all the other bitches) into a genuine, mountain-sized, 40 minutes long, ugly growl of hate towards everybody and everything. I mean, let's pretend to forget the fact that the sounds of all instruments on "Trendkill" are much thicker, deeper and heavier than they've ever been on a Pantera album; let’s also forget that, on here, carefully orchestrated harmonies, vocal melodies and jaw-dropping guitar solos left place to demonic, keyboard-driven dissonances, unrelenting death-growls and eardrum-raping noises; let's pretend to forget all this, but don't we still remember that Phil Anselmo guy, the same guy that only two years and one album prior to this was singing about his dad getting drunk and kicking his ass, about his friends turning their backs on him and then, again, kicking his ass... he was essentially singing about him getting his ass kicked. Well, this same guy is now back with a vengeance and an infected throat filled with spite and hate towards the whole fucking world and with an overwhelming desire to destroy it. He really takes on everything, from the media, to the justice system, to the low-lives and the common people. Religion, industries, families... he doesn't leave anybody out. Not even himself.

And if the lyrics are pure manifests of anger then the music is the most appropriate I could think of. Dimebag Darrel was a talented guitar player, one of the most inventive in the 90's scene and one of the most original and with a distinctive sound. Yet, starting from Far Beyond Driven he dared to challenge himself and his own talent by filtering his fluid, very technical style with some more atypical, whistling, ear-raping... what do you call that? Noise. Now, why would anyone in metal music (a genre that is already more than too often referred to as "noisy" from common people, even when they are talking about Metallica and the Irons) adopt such a style, when everything before was going just so well, if not because he's had enough and doesn't give a shit anymore? The riffs are simplistic, very heavy and groove oriented, leaving more and more open space for inhuman screams and demonic guitar-noises to breathe (see "Living Through Me", "Drag The Waters", "Sandblasted Skin", for example). But even in a chaotic ordeal like the one he’s putting you through, be sure, if there's a ballad, chances are good ol' Dimebag will grace your ears with some amazingly beautiful and heartfelt guitar solos. His best on T.G.S.T.K. must be the solo he played on the track "Floods", a quirky semi-ballad with and holocaustic undertone. Another great one is on the other semi-ballad, "10's", while a special mention goes to the bluesy southern boogie that wraps up the title track, notable. Cherry on top of his performance is the only real ballad present on this album, "Suicide Note Pt.1”; this one is a highly depressing tune, with lyrics referring to somebody's life destroyed by drug addiction, somebody who's loathing into madness and decides (obviously) to take his own life. And, I swear, never ever has music been so in theme with such negative lyrics. Even before you read the booklet or before the singer starts singing the guitar sets already a funereal tone all over you, and you already know that this ain't gonna end in a good way... a little masterpiece.

The bass sound is really great, unlike other Pantera albums where you could only hear the bass in the solo section due to the fact that the band don't have a second guitar. In this album, fortunately, Rex' bass lines are allowed their place in the spotlight along with all the other instruments; and I say fortunately because he does such a great job it would have been a shame to mix it out of the final product like had happened in the previous records. Not that what he does is technically unbelievable or amazing in any "aesthetic" means, but firstly because the guy chose one hell of a sound for this record and then the much more simplistic approach to song-writing from Darrell allowed Rex to stick his head out of the swamp of riffs and lay his own ideas here and there during each song, adding to the overall quality and general eclecticism of the “Trendkill”. Highlights in his performance here are the guitar-bass duet in the chorus of "Living Through Me", the bass lines that accompany "Floods"' guitar solo and, in general, the fast thrashers of this album, like "Suicide Note Pt.2", the title track and "War Nerve".

Vinnie Paul does a fucking amazing job on the drums. As usual. I am very proud of this guy, for the way he handles the groove so fucking tightly, for all the amazing double bass flavour that he adds here and there and for his tasteful, genuinely southern approach to tribal rhythms (listen to the song "13 Steps To Nowhere" to understand what I mean). We must note that, in this album, the guy unleashes some of the fastest beats he's ever played, especially on "Suicide Note Pt.2", which are really very close to blast-beats.

So, in the end, I think it's safe to say that this album is a good recommendation to give to someone who wants to experience a little pain while listening to the music he loves. Especially the unrelenting screaming of Anselmo (helped by Anal Cunt's Seth Putnam) can result, for the first couple of listens, in a very painful experience. I swear, these guys never stop yelling, especially during the first three songs. But it's also one hell of a schooling in a matter that is very important, probably vital to heavy metal music: I'm talking about HATE, and ANGER, and DISDAIN. Because that's what metal music comes from and what it represents, and if a band can't express that then it means they’re merely entertainers, they're fake. And so is the listener if he can't take it. A wiser fella than me once said: "If you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen!". Well... I’ll say if you think you can’t stand 40 minutes of the most hate-fueled heavy metal you’ve ever heard, then don’t listen to this.

So, after 12 years I could finally share my thoughts about this album with whoever will take the time to read this. I've done my best to retain the feelings I had upon my first listen of this album, and even though much time has passed I can say in all honesty that the story hasn't changed much: this album still manages to brutalize me every time I play it. And I'll forever thank Pantera for it.

R.I.P., Dime!

A Bit Disappointing... - 45%

pinpals, June 25th, 2009

Amongst the metalhead community, Pantera is usually considered one of those bands for inexperienced n00bs who are just getting into the metal genre. Anyone who claims that "Far Beyond Driven" is one of the greatest metal albums is lowered to about the same level as those who think koRn "used" to be a good band and those who claim that Slayer never sold out. However, it is "acceptable" to consider "Cowboys From Hell" a good album (which it was) and a slightly smaller but still influential circle deem that finding that "The Great Southern Trendkill" was an unfairly overlooked and underrated album is an acceptable point of view. Personally, I don't really give a damn about following the opinions of the metal community (I think Avenged Sevenfold is metal, so what?), but I bought into the hype surrounding this album. I quickly snatched up a brand new copy of "The Great Southern Trendkill" in the clearance bin at a local record store (for only $5). I was quite proud of my find because at the time of the purchase, this album was out of print and not as easy to find (it has since been re-released and is readily available).

It turns out that perhaps this album was hyped a bit too much, for even though there is nowhere near as much awful "groove" type stuff, this isn't that "far" removed from the previous album. The main change is in vocalist Phil Anselmo's vocal approach. He adapts a tone more similar to what he used with Down's first album, as opposed to the fierce but also tedious yelling of "Far Beyond Driven." There's also a slight decrease in the macho tough-guy posturing, but those expecting a return, lyric-wise and vocal-wise, to the "Cowboys" days will be disappointed.

The album actually starts off in great fashion with the title track, featuring yells from Anal Cunt's Seth Putnam. Dimebag has a couple of good riffs and has a decent solo at the end where he actually shreds, although he drags and plods a bit by repeating himself for the second half of the solo. This is probably the last heavy Pantera song that can be considered "very good" (I would hesitate to call it "great"). Also, we have an amazing, oft-overlooked acoustic song in "Suicide Note Pt. 1." The atmosphere of this song is just so intense; it's a shame that Pantera did not try something like this again, choosing instead to pursue mindless heaviness. What's even worse is that part two of this song is just awful. It borders on noise and is one of the worst songs on the album, completely destroying the atmosphere and feeling of part one.

Dimebag continues his descent into obscurity throughout "The Great Southern Trendkill." With the exception of the title track, Dimebag's solos are pretty much effects and screeches, which are more boring than anything else. The riffs are mostly stale and one has to wonder whether the lackluster guitar work, both on rhythm and lead, is a result of misguided actual effort or just laziness. Dimebag has shown that he has the talent, but his often mediocre work keeps otherwise decent songs like "10's" and "Drag the Waters" from taking off.

I guess for fans of metal that seek only loud music to bang one's head to, this might be a worthwhile purchase, but even then there are better albums out there that achieve similar and/or even better results. For the standard non-Pantera-fanboy metalhead, this will probably be at the same level as the albums that bookend "The Great Southern Trendkill." The best bet is to download the title track and the first "Suicide Note" part on Itunes or some similar program. For those who are a bit more curious, feel free to search bargain bins everywhere, but your money is best spent elsewhere.

One of the few groove records you must hear - 95%

TheGreatTrendkiller, June 21st, 2009

Pantera's The Great Southern Trendkill is a very interesting record. Its similar to their earlier records but unlike Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar and Far Beyond Driven it has only one bad track. Its an evolution of Pantera's earlier sound and its the only album they nail perfectly. It's got fast and aggressive, slow and grinding and even the experimental tracks sound great.

The album starts off with the title track and its a great way to start the album. It changes from grinding verses to thrashy parts that'll make you bang your head instantly. The solo is great too. Next up, its War Nerve and its a change of tempo. Its still one of the better tracks though. Drag the Waters follows, and its the only single of the album. Its good, but it drags on a minute too long.

10's is next and its the only track I don't like. It sounds somewhat like the fillers off of Far Beyond Driven but thankfully the next track, 13 Steps, makes up for it. After it, the Suicide Note part 1 and 2 come up. The former is a ballad and the latter is Pantera's most aggressive song ever. It starts off really fast and later it slows down to a sludgy ending. Great stuff. Hells' Wrath is the next and its one of my favourites, with good riffs and choruses, although the pause in the middle is a bit too long. Floods is next and its the second ballad, but this one's more aggressive and has Dimebag's best solo which really suits the track. The album ends with the pair - The Underground in America and Sandblasted skin, both of which have good riffs and the latter is my favourite off the album. Fast drumming, death growls and killer riffs. Great way to end the album.

I've saved the best for the last. Phil Anselmo's vocals here are his greatest ever. Here he has perfected his growling vocals, and even does a few black metal screeches on the faster tracks and never sounds annoying, unlike on VDoP and FBD. In my opinion, if it weren't for his vocals this would have been an above average album. His work makes the songs have more variety and stop the album from sounding monotone. In addition to that, the lyrics on this album are much better than those on earlier albums.

In conclusion, this is Pantera's best album and one of the best groove metal albums, and I recommend it to any metal fans.

Pure fucking anger in CD form - 95%

Dasher10, February 27th, 2008

The essence of all metal is anger and if you don't have the fire inside you, then you might as well play a different type of music. I've heard albums that were a lot louder and heavier than this, but as for angrier, I can't say that I have.

Here was a band that was on the verge of firing their singer who cost them their popularity on the radio and MTV because of a controversial speech he made on two separate occasions during the tour for Far Beyond Driven and was struggling with heroin addiction. In addition to the loss of commercial popularity and internal tensions, groove metal (along with death metal and funk metal) was losing popularity to the growing black metal and nu metal movements that (in most circumstances) emphasized atmosphere over actual talent and were threatening to destroy the creative bands formed in the early 90s by oversaturating the market with music that even a five-year-old could play. (Unfornately they succeeded but at least black metal evolved and nu metal died when its audience graduated high school and learned what real metal was.)

Pantera knew how much was on the line after almost single handedly saving metal in the early 90s along with Faith No More, Cannibal Corpse, White Zombie, and Rage Against the Machine. This precarious situation only pushed them to create their greatest album despite recording in two different studios in two different states.

Lyrically, Pantera grew up. Gone was the macho posturing of CfH and VDoP, as well as the self-pitying of FbD. Instead came an album full of pure focused anger. The self-pitying gave way to self-hate and that angry attitude became an opened Pandora's box of rage at the media that turned Phil into a tabloid has-been. Hell, the last two tracks seem to be tearing up the metal cliche's of the time by ripping on music videos that feature lesbians making out at wild drunken parties while vapid commercial metal plays in the background which seems to be destroying the band's own image in the name of art.

Even the ballads were aggressive, dealing with subjects like suicide, the self-loathing caused by drug addiction, and praying for the end of the world via a deluge. This was just pure fucking anger that could showed how a band can be both diverse and genuinely pissed off throughout.

Musically, it was also a high point, featuring both acoustic songs and the band's fastest tempos from their groove period. Not to mention the fact that there are some truly great solos on here.

Basically, if you want to both see a band at their creative peak as well as actually getting more hateful as their career went on, then this is the album for you and it remains the single greatest groove metal album off all time. It's just a shame that this was followed up by they lyrically banal Reinventing the Steel.

R.I.P. Dimebag Darrel

Trend killing delight - 95%

Souther_Metal_Junky, October 18th, 2007

This is my absolute favorite album from Pantera. GSTK contains Phil with every more inspired death metal vocals, and Dimebag becoming increasingly experimental with the whammy bar and wah pedal. This album differs from their previous albums in that it is a concentrated album. It's such a concentrated effort that it is almost a concept album, and that concept is HATE(and drugs).

This album is unique in my opinion because it contains two pairs of two part songs, and only one possible filler.

From the first 9 second death scream from Anselmo on the title track, to the ending riff of Dime's on Sandblasted Skin, the album seems almost completely original. The album deals with a range of topics from fake street kids to drugs and the media.

Common songs on this album that are called "filler" are 10's, 13 steps to nowhere, and Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath). However the only one of these i see as possible filler is 13 Steps to Nowhere. 10's is a riveting ballad of drug addiction that contains the best solo on the entire album in my opinion, and Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath) has a very catchy groove riff that has one of the best vocal performances on the entire album. 13 Steps in my opinion isn't a filler song though it is just merely misplaced on the album. I feel it would make the album flow better if it was placed after War Nerve, it is couched between the slower songs 10's and Suicide Note Part 1 on the original, making it's upbeat tempo seem awkward. In fact the song I feel doesn't belong most is actually the single, Drag the Waters. It's just too catchy and groovy in between the slow driving War Nerve, and 10's.

GSTK is an album mainly fueled by rage as seen in tracks 1,2,3,5,7,8,10, and 11. Therfore apart from the slower ballads, which are powerful in their own right, the album doesn't lose it's intensity. It seems mixed well, each instrument has it's limelight on the album, but it seems that the vocals and guitar get a tad more emphasis than drums and bass.

This album was a definitive mark on the music scene during the mainstreams shift from alternative grunge to rapcore, and is just a brutal assault on all your senses. It is my favorite Pantera album due to it's overt brutality and experimentation. My only complaint though is that the songs could have been arranged better on the album to not give such an awkward feel sometimes.

The Great Southern Groovekill - 76%

hells_unicorn, November 6th, 2006
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, EastWest

I had just about given up on these guys after the past two albums, but something happened between this album and the last one that while they were on tour, because they actually found something that they had completely lacked on previous efforts. Both VDoP and FbD were loaded with attitude and intricate guitar solos, but the overall songs were about as unfocused as you could get. In addition to that, Phil Anselmo was not pulling off his newly adopted "tough guy" vocal approach at all and sounded more like a more masculine version of Kurt Cobain, but here he has done something equally rough yet much more metal appropriate with his voice.

Particularly on the faster tracks, Anselmo has pumped a good deal of black metal style shrieks, which work a lot better than the quasi-Hetfield meets proto-metalcore sound that he had exhibited on the last 2 albums. It’s not as individualistic or as varied as the brilliant vocal display he had exhibited on Cowboys from Hell, but it sounds a hell of a lot more metal. He still displays the flaws from previous efforts, but they have been cut back quite a bit and localized to a few specific tracks.

The lyrics also have a bit more focus, seeming mostly to be directed towards the band’s sense of Southern Pride. Unlike the crowd of politically correct whores of the mainstream, I’m not frightened by this, mostly because I haven’t swallowed their propaganda about my country’s history. Directly after recording their last album, Pantera had caught some shit because of a rant that Anselmo made on the topic of rap music and black pride. Phil Anselmo doesn’t strike me as a bigot based on the company he keeps, particularly guitarist Kevin Bond of Superjoint Ritual who is half-black ( a race more often ridiculed by pure black Americans), and a life-long friend named Kirk Windstein is jewish.

In response to the flak that they caught, Pantera decided to give the guilt-drenched left wing the finger and released an album of unapologetic Southern Pride. This alone gives them points in my book as many bands had seen fit to pander to left-wing propaganda in recent years and basically suck the cock of socialism with their music. (*cough* MegaDeth). This is highly consequential as it is the primary drive of the lyrics, which are a breath of fresh air from the directionless-yet-fashionable non-conformity that the last 2 albums represented. To put it candidly, Pantera had finally got themselves a set of enemies worthy of the blind rage that they exhibited on this album, the mainstream media and the political left.

Musically, the good far outweighs the bad, as Pantera has ratcheted up the tempo and the aggressiveness of their sound to something that transcended the boring groove sound that dominated their past 2 releases. Such high octane cookers as “Sandblasted Skin”, the title track, and “Suicide Note Part 2” are loaded with evil as hell vocals, crushing guitar riff, and a pounding rhythm section that will probably blowout your speaker if you push the volume past 6. “War Nerve” , “13 Steps to Nowhere” and “The Underground in America” are a bit slower, but still equally as aggressive. Dimebag Darrel’s soloing is getting even more effects driven, and there might be an argument that some of these solos influenced some of the lead guitarists of the current Black Metal scene.

What we can call the ballads of this album are, in fact, quite interesting songs. “Suicide Note Part 1” is an all acoustic ballad with a synthesizer track that sticks out like a sore thumb. Anselmo’s vocals are low and dark as hell, painting the picture of a man ready to end his own life. “Floods” is a bit overlong, but shows another rather gloomy vocal performance on the part of Anselmo, at times utilizing some odd effects in order to make his voice sound like he’s underwater. The acoustic lines are quite gloomy sounding as well, although the true highlight of this song is Darrel’s agitated guitar solo, which is my pick for the best one on this album.

The groove tracks on here are a bit mixed, but still a monster improvement from the last album. “Drag the Waters” sees a more polished vocal performance, although it’s still a bit long for a groove track. The cowbell in the drum line is a nice touch, underscoring the Southern spirit of the album. “10’s” is my pick for the weakest track on here, it has too many of those annoying as hell micro-bends that have that Korn sound to it. “Living through me” has too much groove as well, in addition to some structural meandering. This time it’s a bit more forgiveable, as using the skip button 2 times is a hell of a step up from using it 6 or 7 times.

In conclusion, this album is a step up from previous efforts with this new sound that Pantera would continue to exhibit until their ultimate demise. Among the releases that they had in the 1990s (excluding “Cowboys from Hell”, which was seen as an 80s album by nearly everyone) this one is the best. It doesn’t shack up to the musical greatness that they had on their first 2 albums with Anselmo, but it is worth the money. This album comes recommended to fans of Black Metal, Death Metal, and all other aggressive styles with mostly toneless screams. The rage on here is focused, it’s well directed, and it hits its intended adversary, the cult of guilt and unquestioning conformity.

Criminally Underrated - 81%

Vlachos, October 15th, 2006

The 1996 LP, The Great Southern Trendkill, is an often overlooked classic from Pantera which is a stark contrast from Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display Of Power and Far Beyond Driven. Phil Anselmo’s vocals are no longer as authoritative and dominant as the previous three releases, but the bile and resentment he spews forth is as palpable as ever. Dimebag hasn’t missed a step, and you’ll know that it hasn’t as soon as the first track finishes. Rex and Vinnie are solid in their respective roles as usual, and the quartet works wonderfully in harmony. This album features extensive overdubbing, but I don’t feel that it takes away from the quality at all. One example of this is Phil’s screams, which again do not detract from the album.

The album begins very strongly with the opening title track, which is as intense as Hell. From Phil’s screams to the drums and guitars which pummel the listener upside the head, the song soon segues into fairly groovy, but still vicious section which is fantastic. It sounds like a snake weaving along the floor, which makes the album cover look apropos. Next up is War Nerve which is totally brutal (in the best sense of the word) and features angry and hostile vocals. Lovely. Drag The Waters is more of the same, but it’s quite catchy all the same. So far, so good.

The next two tracks are 10’s and 13 Steps To Nowhere, which honestly aren’t all that special at all. I skip these if I’m listening to individual tracks, but I won’t if I pop in the CD. 10’s is one of the more mellow songs here, but is still pretty powerful. The vocals get repetitive and the riffs are ordinary, but overall it isn’t a terrible song. 13 Steps To Nowhere is like the first three tracks, but not as good because it drags along sluggishly in places. It’s hard to put it any other way, really.

Next up we have Suicide Note Pt. I and Pt. II as separate tracks. The former is played with an acoustic and features no drumming (if I recall correctly) and is as least Pantera as Pantera could be. The latter needs little introduction as all of the extreme attributes mentioned earlier – resent, bile, intensity, viciousness etc. – all come out in this one song and pierces your heart with its hatred. Both of these are great, and although they contrast greatly from one another, they somehow work together.

Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath) is forgettable, and what’s worse is the lengthy boring part near the middle. The riffs are uninspired and nothing really clicks here. I never feel remorseful for skipping this one, which is what I never do for the next song: Floods. Floods is a somber ballad and is calm early on, and is beautiful. Once the song picks up it gets really good, especially with Dime’s highly memorable solo which lasts about a minute. This solo is too beautiful to describe. Other parts of this song have powerful riffs with “die, die” vocals which command control. This is easily the best song on here.

Lastly we have The Underground In America and (Reprise) Sandblasted Skin. The former segues into the latter so well that it might as well have been the one song, and both share identical riffs in parts. They grab the listener’s attention and picks up the tempo from before Floods, and it’s a fitting way to end the album.

Overall, any classic songs on this are pretty much few and far between, however most of it is well-above solid and hard-hitting. Although some tracks are merely okay, they’re perfect to listen to while listening to the album the whole way through. For me personally listening to the whole thing is a joy, and it makes me wonder why this is so overlooked and/or underrated. For a fan of metal in general you should definitely check this out. For a fan of Pantera, this is definitely essential shit right here.

All Hail The South! - 94%

the_sound_of_nothing, October 12th, 2006

While most people i know argue which Pantera album is better, "Cowboys" or "Vulgar", i see The Great Southern as the best piece of music these guys ever record. The album is different from their earlier stuff by becoming more brutal, more known to the power of rock and roll and by giving more metal that's rooted with southern music. This album shows from where Dimebag and Vinnie really came from.

The album starts with a scream of Phil that continues to one of the most brutal song Pantera ever released, named as the title. After that come the heavy riffs songs "War Nerve" and "Drag the Water". "Let the war nerve break" says Phil at the second song and that's exactly what's happening in the chorus of "13 steps to nowhere" (who have some vary hard lyrics like "A backwards swastika/The black skin riddled in lead/A Nazi Gangster Jew/It beats a dog that's dead") and "Suicide Note pt.2" who combines with the acoustic pt.1 to a songs which talks about the 2 sides of suicide - suicide as the escape from life by drugs in part 1, and suicide the cowardly act in different way to die in part 2. These 2 tracks to me personally are the most 2 powerful songs Pantera ever record, delivering such a strong subject in 2 ways that are so different from each other.
After it comes the fast opening of "Living through Me (Hell's Wrath)", and after him the amazing rock and roll song "Floods" the shows one of Dimebag best solos. The album closes with the more slow heavy song "The Underground in America" and after him the speed metal song "Sandblasted Skin (Reprise)".
The present of the South America sound can be sensed in all of those songs, if it's Dimebag guitar, Phil voice or any other thing in it.

This album didn't have the respect he should have got. Through "Drag the Waters" is the only song in this album who released as a video, and the only one who was put in Pantera "Greatest Hits" record. This albums contains some of Pantera best work, with no pose, not trying to be trendy and just do what they do best - some KICK ASS METAL.


"The trend is over and gone forever" - Long Live The South.