Pantera: Far Beyond Driven (2LP) [WARNER]

Why you'll love it

This EU-pressed 2LP set comes in a gatefold jacket with printed lyric inner sleeves. Far Beyond Driven debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, was the band's fastest-selling album and went platinum in Canada and the US.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Gatefold jacket
• Printed lyric inner sleeves
• Pressed in the EU

About the album

Most bands follow a breakthrough by sanding the edges off. Pantera went the other way: after Vulgar Display of Power made them stars, they tuned even lower, as far down as C sharp on "Hard Lines, Sunken Cheeks," and made a record even heavier than the one before. It was also their first album for East West, and the first with Darrell Abbott credited as Dimebag Darrell.

Terry Date and Vinnie Paul produced it in Nashville and mixed it at Dallas Sound Labs, and the songs are a wall of groove. "Strength Beyond Strength" opens in a sprint, "Becoming" was Phil Anselmo's statement that the band had arrived, and "5 Minutes Alone" grew from the father of an unruly fan who wanted, well, five minutes alone with the singer. "I'm Broken" has one of Dimebag's most famous riffs, Anselmo double-tracks his vocals throughout, and the closing "Planet Caravan" slows down to a hazy, beautiful crawl.

"I'm Broken" and "5 Minutes Alone" remain among the most loved songs in the band's catalogue. The drill-through-the-skull artwork has also put off more than one well-meaning gift buyer, which is the record working exactly as intended.

Also at Kops: more Pantera on vinyl · browse Metal

Tracklist

Listen

On East West / Rhino (cat# 8122-79812-8), a reissue of the 1994 album.