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Reinstatement of a Classic – Reevaluating The Great Southern Trendkill

17/5/2017

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First of all, I’ve never been a fan of Pantera. As a matter of fact, my knowledge about them is limited, but I sincerely think that The Great Southern Trendkill is an album that should always be evaluated. It truly deserves the attention not only of metal enthusiasts, but everyone who loves a heavier sound. Why? Because it is a classic of groove and thrash metal. And will remain as such for a long time. The album was released more than twenty years ago, on May 7, 1996, and here we see Dimebag Darrell and Phil Anselmo in their best shapes. Even so that the ninth track – a song titled Floods – contains what some consider being Darrel’s finest guitar solo ever. 

On this period, Pantera – which was by then already a very successful and established band, with a fifteen years career –, had begun its way towards disbandment. After The Great Southern Trendkill, Pantera would release only one more album, 2000’s Reinventing the Steel, and, in 2003, the band would definitely split for good. During the recording of The Great Southern Trendkill, tensions between the band members were already exceedingly high, especially between Anselmo and the rest of the band. So much so, that Anselmo recorded the vocals in another studio, far away from where the band recorded the instruments. All of this done – I think – with the clear intention of not worsening the disrupted and thoroughly complicated relationships between them.   

Nevertheless, the album has pretty high standards on creative, technical and production values. The harmonies and the general melodies of the songs expresses detailed shape and vitality, and you can almost feel in each and every musical note the beauty of their vehement dedication. Even people who are not too much drawn to this genre of music – or their style in particular – can’t avoid feeling their gigantic and amazingly intense musical power.  

Another point that should be highlighted is the fact that groove and thrash metal are thoroughly well combined together, to the point where you can’t really distinguish where one genre finishes, and another begins. While it is not uncommon for these two genres to stand together and perfectly complement each other – another great example of a band that amalgamated these genres exceedingly good was legendary American band Fear Factory [at least, in their first albums] – Pantera excels on this art, and to an extent that becomes impossible not to recognize their majorly impeccable level of excellence. In fact, it is impressive the high standards of dedication and professionalism the band was able to maintain, given the problematic relationships the band members had at the period the album was recorded. Each and every person who knows a little about the history of the band is familiarized with the fact that Phil Anselmo – mainly by virtue of his drug addiction and substance abuse – was not an easy person to live with. He was deemed controversial due to some of his antics, like in one occasion upon which he addressed the audience with the Nazi salutation (although he later apologized for this behavior).

The Great Southern Trendkill is a fantastic album, that, more than any other record in modern heavy metal history, deserves to stay – well, already are – in the annals of mainstream metal. With even some flavors of country rock brilliantly and organically added to it, the creativity and the audacity of the band will always remain a great symbol of longitude in a sonorous miraculous paradise. And while listening to it, I couldn’t avoid to feel – because of genre limitations – some similarities with famous Brazilian metal bands Sepultura and Soulfly, although these two would never be, even at their maximum capacities, as great, significant, genuine, competent and restless as Pantera. 

If you have never heard The Great Southern Trendkill, I’m really inclined to suggest you to do so. It is probably the highest exemplar on groove/ trash metal those genres ever produced. And despite the extensive length of the album – it is approximately sixty seven minutes long [although I have listened to a version that included bonus live tracks] – you will not feel time pass by! You will be captivatingly drawn to a world where every sound was designed to penetrate your soul deeply, in an excruciatingly true, but, vivid, honest, sincere and pleasant manner.  

 

Wagner
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Rerooting: Death Metal

9/1/2017

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Well, time for a new series on Merchants Of Air. I call this one "Rerooting" because I'm going to have a look at all those records that developed my insatiable appetite for new music. Over the past four decades or so, I've been digging into the world of music, looking for different things, other angles, unknown sounds. I've devoured countless of genres and I always seem to have a few favorites. Today, my wife asked me to list a few of my all time favorite death metal songs, which immediately made me go to YouTube and provide her with a decent dose of brutality.

Entombed - Out Of Hand

Aah, the Swedes, always ready to kick your butt with something you have never heard before. Formed in 1987, Entombed delivered a heap of blasting songs but this one from their 'Wolverine Blues' album is by far my absolute favorite. The whole album is a gem of skull ripping death metal but you should already know that by now.

Sepultura - Mass​ Hypnosis

I was an Anthrax fan and someone gave me a tape from the thrash gods. On side B, he recorded something he thought I'd like. Oh boy, he was wrong. I hated every single second of that harsh, relentless and painful noise...until I accidentally listened a second time. Suddenly, I was a death metal fan and definitely a Sepultura fan. 'Arise' is still my favorite album but as far as youth sentiment is concerned, 'Mass Hypnosis' and the whole 'Beneath The Remains' album is the shit.

Obituary - Find The Arise

Oh man, the nineties must have been the most eardrum tormenting decade my mother has ever been through. I played these things loud and this (ahum) beauty was always a part of the playlist. It was also the age when my neck contained the most well-trained muscles in my body, if you know what I mean...

Napalm Death - Evolved as One

This particular song might be somewhat of a surprise to Napalm Death lovers but it is my absolute favorite of the grandmasters. I know, 'You Suffer' and many others have been some of the most genre definable songs but 'Evolved As One' opened a whole new world for me. Hell, I didn't know metal was allowed to be slow. Imagine discovering this song as a mentally tormented adolescent. What a fucking masterpiece...

Death - Spiritual Healing

Chuck, this one is for you, a massively talented musician and songwriter who died too soon. This 'Spiritual Healing' album was a mind opener for me. Before I discovered this album, death metal was nothing but speed and brutality but Death added a stunning technical aspect to the whole damn thing. They changed tempo more often than I changed underwear. Yes, I was a disturbed teenager...

Arch Enemy - The Immortal

Yes, 'We Shall Rise' is a world class death metal song but people seem to forget that there was an Arch Enemy before Angela took over vocal duties. I 'member the old Arch Enemy and their bloody awesome 'Burning Bridges' album, which was a melodic and technical masterpiece. Lately, I somewhat lost track of this band but I do admit that this song helped me in forming one or a few musical identities...

Dismember - Dreaming In Red​

More Swedes please!!! I've always adored the thick, muddy sound of Dismember and when 'Indecent and Obscene' came out, I just had to go buy it. Back home (back in those days we had to leave the house to buy albums) I quickly non-stopped the thing and discovered this mesmerizing closer.

Amorphis - Into Hiding

In 1994, death metal took an unexpected turn, at least for me. Suddenly, there was Amorphis with their 'Tales From The Thousand Lakes' album and things would never be the same again. Of course, I knew these Fins already and I enjoyed their 'The Karelian Isthmus' album but 'Tales' is nothing short of a masterpiece, dark, melodic, featuring clean vocals along with some of the best grunts in history... 

Morbid Angel - God of Emptiness

Just one of the many defining tunes of these American legends, but for me a song that really stands out. In this one, they make technical death metal seem so easy, so effortless and manage to write a bunch of decent songs as well. Hell, I even enjoyed their experimental, techno-inspired work on the loathed 'Illum' album. I mean, still better than 'St Anger', right???

Carcass - No Love Lost

Another bunch of legends and another somewhat slower piece of death metal, maybe I've just always been a doom fan, who knows. Anyway, back in the days, I used to play 'Symphonies of Sickness' really loud every time Jehova's Witnesses were knocking on the door. Yet, somehow, I lost track of Carcass until their magisterial 'Heartwork' album, including this awesome tune.

Death's Bride - Millennium

In my opinion, you cannot be a metal fan without supporting your local scene. I discovered this guys at a gig in a local café and I was immediately sold. Their brutal but melodic death metal was everything I needed at that moment, even more so than bands like At The Gates or Bolt Thrower, which everyone was listening to. Unfortunately, Death's Bride disbanded a few years later, which gave way to the equally awesome Leech 54, also fronted by The Larz Meister!!!

Hypocrisy - Inseminated Adoption

Peter Tägtgren is a genius, coming up with some of the most infectious riffs the world of metal has ever experienced. This song, and the whole 'The Final Chapter' album, have been a constant during my years as an angry adolescent. Sometimes I wonder what is in the water in Sweden, they just keep barking out amazing acts...

Gorefest - Fear

At some point in my metal career I was completely hooked on Dutch death metallers Gorefest and their 'Erase' album. Although I wasn't really a fan of the vocal sound, the groovy and in-your-face sound of the album made me play it again and again. Somehow, Gorefest didn't take things to the most extreme levels but focused on creating complex and immersive songs.

Master - Cut Through The Filth

This one comes from a compilation I bought ('Death Is Just The Beginning II'). I didn't know Master but this song got me hooked immediately. That flute, the constant pounding tempo. Simply brilliant. 

Benediction - Dark Is The Season

Coming from that same compilation, which obvisouly was a massive blast in its entirity, comes this dark, haunting piece of death metal by Benediction. To me, this was something different from the usual eardrum-drilling provided by most death metal bands. Once again, this nudged towards the doom scene, and that is probably exactly why I loved this song so much.
Serge
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