By: Navjot Kaur Sobti
"By Demons, Be Driven."
PANTERA was a band that fed upon and bred, with full Southern vigor, the same fury and ruthlessness with which they forged the lyrics and riffage to this 1992 track, straight off of their incendiary Vulgar Display of Power. Formed within the fire of four Arlington, TX-bred psyches, if there was a force that gave life to the beast that was Pantera and its years of intra-band conflict, psychological turmoil, and resonatingly true metal outputs – it was the slew of “demons” found therein, give or take a few rounds of Old No. 7, and an undeniable love for all things hard rock.
With a long-spanning career of 22 years and nine album releases, their career was cut to a permanent halt with the tragic death of DIMEBAG DARRELL on December 8, 2004. With the senseless murder that took his life away at just 38 years old, Dimebag's death sent shockwaves through the band and the metal community. Six years later and still mourning their loss, the band is reaching out to Pantera fans with their very own GREATEST HITS COLLECTION: 1990-2000 – A DECADE OF DOMINATION, to be released on MARCH 30, 2010. A breakdown of its content is TBA. Meanwhile, to those of you who prefer the old-school vinyl touch on your Pantera listening, former band manager KIMBERLY ZIDE DAVIS recently stated (in an interview for Guitar World's January 2010 Issue) that three of the band’s classic releases – Cowboys from Hell, Vulgar Display of Power, and Far Beyond Driven will all be re-released as vinyls on APRIL 17, 2010. To the diehard fans, do not stress, as Davis also stated through by 2014, the “entire catalog” will be released as such.
To top off those goods, you can expect more vamped up releases, such as a 20TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION of Vulgar Display of Power, which will be released in 2014. While Davis hopes to unearth and put out some unreleased material (particularly live-shots) as well, she expressed that she “[wished] there was more [of it], but that [was] one thing about Pantera; they didn't do extra material. What they did is what everybody got. They didn't do throwaway songs.” Despite that little fact, a testament itself to Pantera's steely commitment to get it all out and over to their fans, she did add that “the footage is definitely there. It’s just a matter of getting it all together,” into what may be a series of “downloads,” or a full-blown, “home-video” release. Only time will reveal what is to come on that front, but for now, you can keep your Pantera days alive with a little video – and don’t forget to ‘Getcha Pull.
The track listing for 1990-2000: A Decade Of Domination has just been announced. Here it is:
1. “Cowboys From Hell”
2. “Psycho Holiday”
3. “Cemetery Gates”
4. “Mouth For War”
5. “Walk”
6. “This Love”
7. “5 Minutes Alone”
8. “I’m Broken”
9. “Drag The Waters”
10. “Revolution Is My Name”
The CD will be sold exclusively at Wal Marts, marking the first time PANTERA is available at the chain retailer.
R.I.P. Dimebag Darrell: August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004
