Vulgar Display of Power
Encyclopedia
Vulgar Display of Power is the sixth studio album by heavy metal
band Pantera
. It was released through Atco Records
, on February 25, 1992. It is the last album where Darrell Abbott
is credited as "Diamond Darrell". One of the most influential groove metal albums of the 1990s, Vulgar Display of Power is said to have played a major role in defining groove metal
. Several songs from this release have become some of the band's best known, such as "Fucking Hostile", "Mouth for War
", "This Love
", and "Walk". The album is the band's first to be labeled with a Parental Advisory
.
. When Father Damien Karras
asks Regan MacNeil (or the demon who possesses her) to break her own straps and release herself using her evil power, Regan replies "that's much too vulgar a display of power." In April 2007 the title was used for the book A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa
, which includes many song titles to name its chapters. The book details those involved and the details leading up to the murder of Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott
. The Abbott family have stated that they are against the book and took no part in its writing.
and Tool
. Reviews have been very positive, with Kerrang! and Sputnikmusic both giving the album 4 out of 5 stars, while Metal Storm gave the album 9.5 out of 10 stars. Allmusic also gave the record a near perfect 4.5 out 5 stars (the highest rating given to a Pantera album by Allmusic), with reviewer Steve Huey stating:
IGN
named Vulgar Display of Power the 11th most influential heavy metal album of all-time. They said about the album:
Entertainment Weekly
(3/6/92, p. 59) - "..one of the most satisfying heavy metal records since Metallica
's early-80s cult days...11 caustic songs of unabashed brute force...a fully realized album that goes way beyond metal's usual crunch-and-burn." - Rating: A
Q magazine (7/01, p. 90) - "Pantera's new, heavier direction...was succinctly summed up by 'A New Level's sludge-thick chorus and the neck-snapping riffage of bile-flecked hate anthem 'Fucking Hostile'."
, #69 on the German Chart
, and #54 on the Oricon
Chart. The album has since gone on to become Pantera's highest selling album, attaining many certifications since its release including Gold, Platinum, and in July 2004, Double Platinum status in the U.S. for a combined total sales of 2,000,000 copies. The album also achieved Platinum status in Australia, Gold status in Canada, and in November 2004, the album achieved Gold status in the U.K. for sales of 100,000. The albums lead single, "Mouth for War", became the bands first song to ever chart, debuting in October of 1992 on the UK Singles Chart
and managing to peak at #73. "Mouth for War" also reached #24 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
. The albums last single "Walk" gave the band their first top 40 U.K. hit when it peaked at #35 in early 1993, but failed to chart in the U.S..
named Vulgar Display of Power the 11th most influential heavy metal album of all-time. It has been listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
. In October 2011, the album was ranked number four on Guitar World
magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.
's Headbangers Ball
used excerpts from the album's songs for the show's opening theme, bumpers
, and closing theme. Perhaps the most prominent sample is that of Anselmo screaming "hostile," taken from the end of the song "Fucking Hostile". "Rise," "Regular People (Conceit)" and "Mouth for War
" were covered by Robert Prince
for the first-person shooter
computer game Doom, and a cover of "This Love" appeared in Doom II: Hell on Earth.
Production
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
. It was released through Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
, on February 25, 1992. It is the last album where Darrell Abbott
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
is credited as "Diamond Darrell". One of the most influential groove metal albums of the 1990s, Vulgar Display of Power is said to have played a major role in defining groove metal
Groove metal
Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It was often used to describe Pantera and Exhorder.- Characteristics and origins :Pantera's Cowboys from Hell album from 1990 was described as "groundbreaking" and "blueprint-defining" for the groove metal genre...
. Several songs from this release have become some of the band's best known, such as "Fucking Hostile", "Mouth for War
Mouth for War
"Mouth for War" is a popular song by the heavy metal band Pantera. It was first released on the band's album Vulgar Display of Power and was the first single off that album...
", "This Love
This Love (Pantera song)
"This Love" is a popular song by the heavy metal band Pantera. It was first released on the band's best selling album, Vulgar Display of Power, and later on the band's compilation album, The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits!...
", and "Walk". The album is the band's first to be labeled with a Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
.
Title
The title of the album is from a line in the 1973 film, The ExorcistThe Exorcist (film)
The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
. When Father Damien Karras
Damien Karras
Father Damien Karras, SJ is a fictional character from the novel The Exorcist, its sequel Legion, and their film adaptations.Father Karras was one of the priests who exorcises the demon from young Regan MacNeil. He is a Jesuit psychiatrist suffering a crisis of faith...
asks Regan MacNeil (or the demon who possesses her) to break her own straps and release herself using her evil power, Regan replies "that's much too vulgar a display of power." In April 2007 the title was used for the book A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa
A Vulgar Display Of Power
A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa is a book written by rock writer and photographer Chris Armold and released by MJS Music Publications in 2007.-Overview:...
, which includes many song titles to name its chapters. The book details those involved and the details leading up to the murder of Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
. The Abbott family have stated that they are against the book and took no part in its writing.
Critical reception
Vulgar Display of Power is regarded as the bands best work. The album has been praised for its influence on the metal genre, paiving the way for alternative and nu metal bands such as KornKorn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
. Reviews have been very positive, with Kerrang! and Sputnikmusic both giving the album 4 out of 5 stars, while Metal Storm gave the album 9.5 out of 10 stars. Allmusic also gave the record a near perfect 4.5 out 5 stars (the highest rating given to a Pantera album by Allmusic), with reviewer Steve Huey stating:
"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."
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
named Vulgar Display of Power the 11th most influential heavy metal album of all-time. They said about the album:
"This album makes the list because it took heavy metal and made it heavier. It took darkness and made it darker. It took anger and made it angrier. Never before had a band tuned down its guitars and crunched a heavier riff than on this album. "Mouth for War" and "A New Level" and "No Good (Attack the Radical)" stand out on an album where every track is a classic track. Dimebag Darrell was an innovator and a true godsend for heavy metal. One of the most underrated players in the genre. And this may sound corny, but the way the band was able to turn seemingly negative aspects of the genre - hate, anger, violence and despair - into positive thoughts is somewhat akin to De La SoulDe La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
dropping a positive message into rap."
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
(3/6/92, p. 59) - "..one of the most satisfying heavy metal records since Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's early-80s cult days...11 caustic songs of unabashed brute force...a fully realized album that goes way beyond metal's usual crunch-and-burn." - Rating: A
Q magazine (7/01, p. 90) - "Pantera's new, heavier direction...was succinctly summed up by 'A New Level's sludge-thick chorus and the neck-snapping riffage of bile-flecked hate anthem 'Fucking Hostile'."
Commercial performance
Vulgar Display of Power peaked at #44 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spent a total of 77 weeks on the chart, the most weeks any Pantera album spent on the chart. The album also peaked at #64 on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, #69 on the German Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...
, and #54 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Chart. The album has since gone on to become Pantera's highest selling album, attaining many certifications since its release including Gold, Platinum, and in July 2004, Double Platinum status in the U.S. for a combined total sales of 2,000,000 copies. The album also achieved Platinum status in Australia, Gold status in Canada, and in November 2004, the album achieved Gold status in the U.K. for sales of 100,000. The albums lead single, "Mouth for War", became the bands first song to ever chart, debuting in October of 1992 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and managing to peak at #73. "Mouth for War" also reached #24 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
. The albums last single "Walk" gave the band their first top 40 U.K. hit when it peaked at #35 in early 1993, but failed to chart in the U.S..
Accolades
In 2001 Q magazine named it one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All-Time." IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
named Vulgar Display of Power the 11th most influential heavy metal album of all-time. It has been listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
. In October 2011, the album was ranked number four on Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine's top ten list of guitar albums of 1992.
Tour
To promote the album Pantera hit the road again, visiting Japan for the first time in July 1992 and later performing at the "Monsters of Rock" festival co-headlined by Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath in Italy. It was around this time that Darrell Abbott dropped the nickname "Diamond Darrell" and assumed "Dimebag Darrell", and Rex Brown dropped the pseudonym "Rexx Rocker".Appearances in the media
During the 90s, MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...
used excerpts from the album's songs for the show's opening theme, bumpers
Commercial bumper
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper or break-bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to 15 seconds that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa...
, and closing theme. Perhaps the most prominent sample is that of Anselmo screaming "hostile," taken from the end of the song "Fucking Hostile". "Rise," "Regular People (Conceit)" and "Mouth for War
Mouth for War
"Mouth for War" is a popular song by the heavy metal band Pantera. It was first released on the band's album Vulgar Display of Power and was the first single off that album...
" were covered by Robert Prince
Robert Prince
Robert Prince, also known as Bobby Prince, is a composer and sound designer. He has worked as an independent contractor for several gaming companies, most notably id Software and Apogee/3D Realms....
for the first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
computer game Doom, and a cover of "This Love" appeared in Doom II: Hell on Earth.
Track listing
Personnel
Pantera- Philip Anselmo - lead vocals
- Diamond DarrellDimebag DarrellDarrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
– guitar, backing vocals - RexRex BrownRex Robert Brown is an American heavy metal bassist. A former member of Down, he is most famous as the longtime bassist for the Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling band Pantera.-Pantera:...
– bass, backing vocals - Vinnie PaulVinnie PaulVincent Paul Abbott, also known as "Vinnie Paul" is a heavy metal drummer and producer who is currently a member of supergroup Hellyeah, but is best known for being a member, and co-founder, of the heavy metal band Pantera...
- drums
Production
- Produced, Engineered & Mixed by Terry DateTerry DateTerry Date is an American record producer and engineer, specializing in the rock and metal genres...
and Vinnie PaulVinnie PaulVincent Paul Abbott, also known as "Vinnie Paul" is a heavy metal drummer and producer who is currently a member of supergroup Hellyeah, but is best known for being a member, and co-founder, of the heavy metal band Pantera...
. - Co-produced & arranged by PanteraPanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
- Recorded & Mixed at Pantego Sound Studio, Pantego, TexasPantego, TexasPantego is a town in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,394 at the 2010 census. It is entirely surrounded by the cities of Arlington and Dalworthington Gardens...
. - Mastered by Howie Weinberg at MasterdiskMasterdiskMasterdisk is an audio mastering and multimedia company in New York City, located on West 45th Street in Manhattan. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production....
, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. - Vinyl mastered by Doug Sax.
- A&R coordination: Derk Oliver.
- Cover photo: Brad Guice.
- Band photography: Joe Giron.
- Art direction: Bob Defrin.
- Design: Larry Freemantle
Chart positions
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
69 |
| UK Album Charts | 64 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
44 |
| Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Chart |
54 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | Gold | February 9, 1993 | 500,000 |
| U.S. | Platinum | November 7, 1997 | 1,000,000 |
| U.S. | Multi Platinum (2X) | July 7, 2004 | 2,000,000 |
| Canada | Gold | August 24, 1993 | 50,000 |
Trivia
- Philip Anselmo has a tattoo on the back of his neck which reads "ATR," which is an abbreviation for "Attack The Radical" which is the subtitle of the seventh track on the album.