One of the most influential
heavy metal
albums of the 1990s,
Vulgar Display of Power
is just what is says: a raw, pulverizing, insanely intense depiction of naked rage and hostility that drains its listeners and pounds them into submission. Even the "
ballads
,"
"This Love"
and
"Hollow,"
have thunderingly loud, aggressive chorus sections. Preaching power through strength and integrity,
Phil Anselmo
discards any further attempts at singing in favor of a militaristic bark and an unhinged roar, while the crystal-clear production sets
Diamond Darrell
's pummeling riffs against a rhythmic backdrop so thunderously supportive that
Darrell
often solos without underlying rhythm guitar parts. The album again follows
Cowboys from Hell
's strategy of stacking the best songs at the beginning and letting their momentum carry the listener through the rest, but the riffs and sonic textures are more consistently interesting this time around.
Pantera
's thick-sounding, post-
hardcore
power metal
and outraged, testosterone-drenched intensity would help pave the way for
alternative metal
acts like
Korn
Tool
;
is the best distillation of those virtues. ~ Steve Huey