Comments on The Heavy Duty: DutyCast Episode 26: Brother, Can You Spare Dime?

I think Pantera's an archetypal "bridge&q...

2009-08-30T17:54:49.229-07:00

I think Pantera's an archetypal "bridge" band, bridging musical eras. I remember reading an interview with Anselmo (I think) where he talked about how frustrating it was for them to open for Priest in Europe early in their career. Apparently they weren't "classic" metal enough for the Euros back in the early '90s. And this is a tour either for Cowboys or Vulgar, mind you. For that reason, it's very hard for me to think of them as a "vanguard" band.

Having said that, I do think their legacy is pretty well cemented. They're the band who (sweeping generalization alert) kept the Metal flag flying when Metallica "sold out" and the rest of the Big Four regressed (commercially and/or creatively) and grunge/boy bands/nu metal/gangsta rap. They were the ones who could still fill large places by themselves, have number one albums, talk shit about whatever else is popular for "rock" as it was defined when they'd drop an album and do interviews. So between the heyday of the Big Four and the beginning of the non-Nu Metal Ozzfest bands ascending it was basically Pantera.

The way the narrative has shaped up, the brief experiment of bands like Entombed on major labels was failing, most classic metal band lineups were in flux, Metallica and Anthrax were either AWOL or cutting their hair, Ozzy was retiring before his Ozzfest years, Tool and Alice In Chains were still considered too "alternative" for the average metal dude. In the midst of all that, the closest thing Pantera did to "selling out" was recording a Sabbath cover, however mellow it was.

You can almost say they are the Nirvana of Metal. They were around in the late 80s, got it together in the early 90s and "saved" the genre they were assigned to by the music media (or themselves. Heroin and death figures all too prominently in both of the bands' histories. Just kinda thinking out loud, but there might be something to that?

^ ^ ^ This guy stole my bit! Vulgar Display of Jas...

2009-07-03T11:38:05.354-07:00

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This guy stole my bit! Vulgar Display of Jason indeed...

Anyway... great show (a bit short though!). Nice to hear Pantera's name in the mix. Damageplan's album wasn't all that bad, either. Shit, if Dime hadn't been killed, you guys would probably be talking about how badass their upcoming album is going to be. They were just starting out! GOT NOTHING TO LOOOOOOOOOSE!!!

Kindof a downer of a week.

Hey Guys, Nice to see some Dime Duty! I have to a...

2009-07-01T19:36:58.579-07:00

Hey Guys,
Nice to see some Dime Duty! I have to agree with Far Beyond having the best first 4 on a metal album. I have to put Machine Head- The Blackening into the top 3 at least and have to throw in Iron Maiden's Powerslave in there because of its sheer awesomeness.

I think you should also do a bit on albums that just full out shed your face from start to finish and when the last track ends, that very album is standing over you with blood running from your lip and daring you not to play it one more time. Off the top of my head, Judas Priest- Piankiller and the more recent album with the pussy coffin on it.

Finally, if you find yourselves on the U-TOOB looking for something shreddy, search: thrasher and look for a couple of kids filming themselves doing some spot-on thrash classics while wearing various clown and gas masks. I thought it was just one guy but if you look close the bass player has got to be Cliff Burtons zombie!
Enjoy. -Jason