We had this before! Did this thread not survive the Nils-induced holocaust?

My answer is the same as it was when the album first came out...the same as it was the day Darrell passed away...the same as it will be when I'm using it to drive my fellow inmates completely batshit in the retirement home one day...

VULGAR.

Magnificent.

Far Beyond Driven is the album that introduced me to Pantera, and it remains my favorite to this day. From the brutality of 'Strength Beyond Strength' to the serenity of their cover of Planet Caravan, it's very good from the very start to the very finish in my eyes. Not that every album from them isn't, but it's just moreso with FBD.

Mine is Vulgar Display of Power, just because it was the first album by them that i heard, my of hte best metal albums to date. Most of their albums are pretty damn good though.

I like all of Panteras albums, including the ones before Cowboys From Hell which weren't mentioned in the choices. I suppose Vulgar Display of Power is my favourite of theirs though, all the songs are solid as fuck and none are boring or tedious.

Class album.

Trendkill. Hands down.

The band really struck a note with that album. Not one song is mediocre. It was angrier than their previous material, grittier, and saw the band get really personal in both emotion and lyrics. Songs like the title track and War Nerve set new levels of intensity for the band and tracks like 10's (that opening riff is one of the creepiest things I've ever heard), Suicide Note pt. 1 and Floods show the band manipulating emotions like never before. The opening of Suicide Note pt. 1 in particular, with the synths and backwards 12-string guitar sounds, always gives me gooseflesh. The outro on Floods tends to do that to me as well.

The Great Southern Trendkill is the shining moment of Pantera. It showed them maturing in many different ways and is the most diverse and affecting album they've released.

Trendkill or Cowboys.

I like Trendkill the best... It has the most emotion, the most variety, the most interesting arrangements and some of Pantera's most brutally insane shit!!! Also, it has Floods, heh... That's worth a mention of it's own.

I would also say Cowboys From Hell since that was my first Pantera Cd aswell, once i heard the title track "Cowboys From Hell" i got hooked straight on to them. About a month later i bought the boxset cd collection which had there first 3 release CFH, Vulgar and Far Beyond Driven.

On the subject of Pantera Cd's does anyone have the Cd before Cowboys From Hell, "Power Metal" it was released on tape and never went to CD, well thats what i was told. I listed to it and it soundslike hair metal (Poison,Warrent) that sort of shit. I think you can still download it off certian websites, which is were my mate got it from. I fyou have it or heard it tell us what you think of it.

Power Metal does not sound like hair metal! Anyone who actually thinks that has NEVER listened to hair metal! Yes, it does have a very 80's rock vibe to it, but the songs are fucking heavy as shit for 80's music!! It's one of my favorite Pantera records, "Over And Out" has some of the baddest guitar work Dimebag ever recorded!! Songs like "Down Below," "Power Metal," "Burnnn!," "Death Trip" and "Loud And Proud," are all very heavy for 80's metal! Yeah, "We'll Meet Again" and "Hard Ride" are a bit more 80's rock sounding, but for the most part Power Metal is very much like Cowboys From Hell!

And I do believe it was released on CD, not sure though. I have a bootleg version on CD and an original on vinyl. The previous three, I Am The Night, Projects In The Jungle and Metal Magic were released on tape and vinyl. I have them all on vinyl, much easier to find than the tape versions.

Gotta say Far Beyond Driven. Interesting story though, Vulgar was the first album of theirs and I loved it right away, it was heavy and powerful and I couldn't get enough of it. I can't remember how many albums I had before Darrell died, but I got whatever else I needed when he did. And I remember FBD was the last one I got, and to my surprise, I didn't like it as much as the other ones. And like 2 weeks later, I was sitting somewhere alone at night I think, and listening to becoming, and I was just like "what the fuck, this is so wicked, what was I thinking" and then not to mention I'm Broken, I will love that song forever.

RIP Darrell, you're still an inspiration.

'Far beyond...' thank god i picked that up rather than 'Nirvana unplugged' all those years ago...

Scared the shit out of me when i first listened to it on my CD walkman at full blast!

Far Beyond Driven for me. It's seriously heavy and groovy and all that is good with Pantera.

How come their albums before Cowboys aren't written down here. "Heavy Metal Rules" is a great track.

Got to be Cowboys. I have many memories listening that album. I just happened to take it along to all coutryside trips and parties and such

He's the medicine MAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN!!!!

Why don't metal bands sing about medicine men anymore.

Sad days, sad days.

Trendkill, predominantly for Floods. One of the best guitar solos ever, IMO; full of feeling and emotion, and yet still Dimebag.

Pouring a bit of Bud out for our dead homie now

Power Metal does not sound like hair metal! Anyone who actually thinks that has NEVER listened to hair metal! Yes, it does have a very 80's rock vibe to it, but the songs are fucking heavy as shit for 80's music!! It's one of my favorite Pantera records, "Over And Out" has some of the baddest guitar work Dimebag ever recorded!! Songs like "Down Below," "Power Metal," "Burnnn!," "Death Trip" and "Loud And Proud," are all very heavy for 80's metal! Yeah, "We'll Meet Again" and "Hard Ride" are a bit more 80's rock sounding, but for the most part Power Metal is very much like Cowboys From Hell!

And I do believe it was released on CD, not sure though. I have a bootleg version on CD and an original on vinyl. The previous three, I Am The Night, Projects In The Jungle and Metal Magic were released on tape and vinyl. I have them all on vinyl, much easier to find than the tape versions.

I'd have to agree that it is fairly heavy for the day, and there are some parallels with glam era Motley Crue (Live Wire etc.) in the early Pantera stuff. That's what I hear in it anyhoo.