Cowboys from Hell : Pantera's fifth studio album. The album that saw them shed their glam metal past to exhibit a heavier, thrashier sound which would not too far in the future be characterized as Groove Metal.
The album, which is widely acknowledged by die hard fans as their "official" debut was the band’s first commercial success became recognized as one of their best and not to mention a defining album of the early 90’s metal scene. Though the time at which they released it unfortunately wasn't very conducive for the music they played.
The album, which is widely acknowledged by die hard fans as their "official" debut was the band’s first commercial success became recognized as one of their best and not to mention a defining album of the early 90’s metal scene. Though the time at which they released it unfortunately wasn't very conducive for the music they played.
The album served as the genesis of the new sound called groove metal (back in the nineties) and is certainly on par with Paranoid, Master of Puppets and Number of the Beast in the way that they were pioneering albums of their respective sub genres. To put it plainly, albums much ahead of their time. Musically the album has thrashy base and choppy rhythm sections but with the speed much slower resulting in a much more catchier sound. Dimebag’s soloing in the album echoes sheer brilliance. The solos in the album are very varied with The Sleep and Cemetery Gates having highly melodic ones while the likes of Domination and Psycho Holiday's are a perfect example of Dimebag’s eccentricity with the guitar for which he’s famous. Vinnie Paul Abbott’s use of the double base pedal is particularly edgy, most noticeably in the track Domination. Rex brown does a good job in keeping the rhythm of the songs intact which is tough seeing as some of the songs are brutally heavy for their time. Phil Anselmo’s vocals are inspired by Rob Halford’s falsetto screams as seen in Shattered while in Domination he uses his harsh "semi growl" vocals which would go on to be a major characteristic in their albums to follow. His tremendous ability to move between vocal styles adds to something to the album which makes all the songs so different from each other, yet at the same time all of them can be easily classified under the same genre.
The album opens with Cowboys From Hell. The title track begins with a groove metal intro opening into the main riff. It's one of those intro's to which you cannot help but headbang to, something that remained characteristic of Pantera for the rest of their career. Also this one of the bands most easily recognizable riffs. Anselmo’s use of very strained, high pitched vocals and his Dickinson-like change of pitch help immensely in increasing the energy of this song. Darrell’s solo is very catchy with a crunchy, heavy tune attached to it. The song has light shades of the band's glam history. The lyrics of the song are good, intended for a fun and raucous mood.
Primal Concrete Sledge does a good job in keeping the flow smooth and sustaining the energy of the title track. The song begins with a rough and heavy riff which on first listening might sound strange but charges you up while the following riff in the middle is different in the sense it's more melodic and technical. Anselmo’s use of fast vocals and slow choruses sets up a nice concert-like charged atmosphere and overall the song is very energetic.
Psycho Holiday and Heresy continue with the trend of highly energized songs and highlight the groove metal sound the band defines. The drumming of Psycho is good, though Dimebag’s guitaring on the song is very limited. The base line in Psycho Holiday is notably good.
Heresy exhibits a sound that brings to mind that of Megadeth's. The synchronization between Dimebag shredding and Vinnie Paul's machine gun drumming is brilliant and Anselmo’s vocals match up to Dimebag's legendary riffs. Lyrically the song is humorous with some really whacky lines scattered in between.
Cemetery Gates exhibits a style very different from the earlier tracks. Very. The song begins with a slow melodic intro with it becoming gradually heavier. It highlights or it can also be said that the song's highlights itself are Anselmo’s prodigious vocal abilities. The clean vocals go very well the overall mood of the song and produce a rather uncharacteristic but nonetheless great Pantera track. Kudos to band for this. The solo by Darrell is again mind blowing and showcases his versatility, playing heavy as well as melodic stuff. The lyrics deal with death, religion and the afterlife. Pretty deep stuff considering the band at hand. One of Pantera's earliest and one of their best power ballads.
Domination brings the mood back to a heavy, brutal one. Vinnie Paul dazzles yet again with his thunderous double bass. Lyrically, the song is about domination through aggression et al. Darrell's lead is brutally short yet so energetic that you are left catching your breath in awe. His tremolo picking on the fretboard towards the end of the lead amazes one and all. Testicle grinding heavy. One of the best songs of the album.
Shattered has Anselmo dealing out falsetto’s for a large part of the song. Riffing is aggressive and powerful. Very thrashy stuff from a formerly glam metal band. Sounds like Painkiller-era Priest.
Next up is Clash With Reality, and with a halfway decent riff its just another filler song. Still, great for headbanging.
Following it is Medicine man with an eerie and spooky sound, and with the lyrics spoken as opposed to sung it amplifies the eeriness. The riffs are good and solo is carried off well. Dimebag's eccentricity turned up a notch this time.
Message in Blood is the pick of the songs from the fillers due to its raw outbursts of energy and good lyrics. Haunting riffs continue with one too.
The Sleep up next is the second ballad of the album. Sounds much more creepier than Cemetery Gates though in a less morbid way. Brilliant soloing and the acoustic goes hand in hand with the booming riff. A very well thought of song.
The Art of Shredding is the only song in the album which is closer to mainstream thrash metal than groove. A weird intro leads to and extremely thrashy riff. Extremely fast and by all accounts, a great way to end the album.
Overview: Overall, the album is definitely one of the most influential albums of thrash metal and even nineteen years after it's release it continues to mesmerize metalheads the world over. Pioneering a new, more aggressive style of metal that would define the genre throughout the nineties, Pantera established their place in the world of heavy metal.
Genre : Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Heavy Metal
Track Listing :
Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1."Cowboys From Hell" | Pantera | 4:06 |
2."Primal Concrete Sledge" | Pantera | 2:13 |
3."Psycho Holiday " | Pantera | 5:19 |
4."Heresy" | Pantera | 4:45 |
5."Cemetary Gates" | Pantera | 7:03 |
6."Domination" | Pantera | 5:02 |
7."Shattered" | Pantera | 3:21 |
8."Clash With Reality" 9."Medicine Man" 10."Message in Blood" 11."The Sleep" 12."The Art of Shredding" | Pantera Pantera Pantera Pantera Pantera | 5:15 5:15 5:09 5:47 4:16 |
Total Album Time : 57:29
Release Date : July 24 1990
Personnel/Contributors :
- Phil Anselmo - Lead Vocals
- Dimebag Darrell - Lead Guitars
- Rex Brown - Bass
- Vinnie Paul - Drums
Release Date : July 24 1990
