Power Metal (album)

''Power Metal'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released June 24, 1988, through Metal Magic Records. Strong, Martin C. ''The Great Rock Discography''. Random House. New York City, 1998, p. 608. It is the first Pantera album to feature Phil Anselmo on lead vocals, as part of a line-up which would last until the band's official split in 2003, and their last album before shifting to a heavier sound with ''Cowboys from Hell''.

Overview

Phil Anselmo makes his first appearance on vocals, having replaced original singer Terry Glaze. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell (then credited as "Diamond Darrell") also performs vocals on "P*S*T*88".

"Proud to Be Loud" was written and produced by Keel guitarist Marc Ferrari and was originally intended to appear on their 1987 self-titled album; however, Keel would not record their own version until '' Keel VI: Back in Action'' in 1998. Pantera's version was used as the party song in the theatrical cut of the 2001 film ''Donnie Darko'', credited to "The Dead Green Mummies"."Donnie Darko (2001) - Crazy Credits"
IMDb. Retrieved August 13, 2019. The song also appears on " Trail to Doomsday", a ''MacGyver'' TV movie from 1994, as well as the film '' The Mighty Ducks 2'' from the same year.

Terry Glaze co-wrote "Down Below", with an earlier recording of the song appearing on Pantera's third album '' I Am the Night'' (1985).

Having not been reissued since its original release on CD, vinyl and cassette, like their previous albums, official non-bootlegged editions of ''Power Metal'' have become collectors items, with any that exist often being circulated through online auction websites such as eBay.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, Bradley Torreano at AllMusic awarded ''Power Metal'' 2.5 stars out of 5, noting it as being the culmination of the band's first four albums of hair metal. Torreano described it as "an interesting and transitional early effort from one of the most important metal bands of the '90s." He criticized the lyrics, remarking that they are "the biggest problem, showing none of the gutter poetry that hilAnselmo would develop through time and instead reflecting a bland interest in all things 'rock'". He went on to highlight Dimebag Darrell's guitar work, calling it "one of the more charming elements of the band's early sound" and that "he was obviously a very talented guitarist even then."

''LA Weekly'' called it one of Pantera's best albums, "a solid album of 1980s speed metal".

Track listing

Personnel

All credits adapted from the original CD.
;Pantera
*Phil Anselmo – lead vocals (except track 10), backing vocals, production (except track 5)
* Diamond Darrell – guitar, lead vocals (track 10), background vocals, remixing, production (except track 5)
* Rex Rocker – bass, tubular bells, background vocals, production (except track 5)
*Vinnie Paul – drums, backing vocals, engineering, remixing, production (except track 5)

;Additional personnel
*Marc Ferrari – guitar (tracks 3 and 5), backing vocals, production (track 5)
* The Eld'n – keyboards, engineering, remixing, production (except track 5)

;Technicial personnel
*Tom Coyne – mastering
*Recorded and mixed at Pantego Sound, Pantego, Texas

References

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Pantera albums
1988 albums