Reinventing the Steel:
Reinventing the Steel is the ninth and final studio album for Pantera, released on March 21, 2000 through Elektra Records. Its total length is 43:53. The band's lineup remained the same as on the last album, with vocalist Phil Anselmo, guitarist Dimebag Darrell, bassist Rex Brown, and drummer Vinnie Paul. Also, Slayer guitarist Kerry King did the outro guitar on the track "Goddamn Electric."
Unlike on Pantera's previous release, The band tensions were as low as they had been in years on this record. Phil Anselmo had become much more stable and was no longer a debilitated heroin addict and everyone was as close as they had ever been during the recording progress. Reinventing the Steel's lyrics are mostly statements about the band itself. It features lyrical themes about not selling out and the mark they have permanently left on the genre. The album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 charts and held its position for 12 weeks. It has gone Gold in the U.S., making it the band's only major label release not to reach Platinum status.
Pantera took a more straightforward heavy metal approach to this record, unlike their last release that had some really varied song structures. The strengths of this album are the heaviness, the guitar riffing, the lyrical statements, and the straightforward heavy metal approach to the album. The weaknesses of Reinventing the Steel are the number of filler tracks. Here are my thoughts on each track.
1. "Hellbound" 2:41 (3/5)
"Hellbound" is a solid start to the album. It's fast paced and heavy, with a solid vocal delivery from Phil. During the chorus, Phil screams hellbound and Dimebag plays a really good guitar riff. Overall, "Hellbound" is really simple, but gets the album started on a decent note.
2. "Goddamn Electric" 4:56 (5/5)
"Goddamn Electric" begins with an awesome guitar riff, and then slows to a different nasty riff from Dimebag. The chorus features great vocals from Phil and really catchy guitar playing by Dimebag. The guitar playing on this track is so awesome and really demonstrates Dimebag is definitely not out of touch with his skills. The guitar solo is absolutely fantastic and really is the icing on the cake for this song. Then to make things even better, Kerry King plays a sick guest guitar outro with really unique guitar effects. "Goddamn Electric" is an excellent track full of heaviness and terrific guitar playing.
3. "Yesterday Don't Mean Shit" 4:19 (5/5)
"Yesterday Don't Mean Shit" might sound really corny, but trust me it absolutely rocks. The song begins with an awesome guitar riff that matches many on the album. Then, Phil comes in with his heavy vocals and repeats the song title over and over again in the chorus. This is one of the Pantera pump up songs for sure. This song really sounds like it's straight off of Vulgar Display of Power. which I love. The guitar solo is killer from Dimebag again, and Rex's bass work is excellent while the Dimebag is shredding. Overall, this track is one of the best from the album.
4. "You've Got to Belong to It" 4:13 (3/5)
"You've Got to Belong to It" has one of the strangest guitar riffs on the entire album. It has a high ring sound to it that is hard to describe. I enjoy the riff though. Phil then comes in with vintage vocals that sound like they came straight from Vulgar Display of Power. The breakdown on the track feels a little out of place and just adds another strange element to the song. The downside to the track is the repetitiveness and the fact that it could of used a guitar solo.
5. "Revolution Is My Name" 5:15 (5/5)
"Revolution Is My Name" begins with a haunting guitar riff, then Dimebag begins playing an absolutely insane guitar riff. Phil's vocals are fantastic and really add to an already amazing song. The chorus is one of my all time favorites from Pantera. Rex's bass work is subtle, but very effective. Dimebag absolutely demonstrates his guitar prowess on this entire track. The guitar solo is just so nice to listen to and is one of Dimebag's best. Overall, all of these elements combine to make "Revolution Is My Name" Pantera's best work since their 1994 album Far Beyond Driven. Click below to view music video.
6. "Death Rattle" 3:17 (4/5)
"Death Rattle" is aggressive right from the start. Dimebag plays some really fast paced riffs, combined with Phil's extremely aggressive vocals. Dimebag's riffs are so great on this track and are varied throughout the song. The guitar solo is absolutely fantastic and then Dimebag plays one of the best riffs on the entire album right after the solo finishes. "Death Rattle" is this album's "Fucking Hostile."
7. "We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time" 3:44 (2.5/5)
"We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time" has a reall good mid tempo riff to start the song. The beat of the song is actually really similar to the band's track I'm Broken during certain parts. This track is very repetitive and after a couple minutes becomes somewhat boring. It's not a bad track, but it is a lower point on the album.
8. "Uplift" 3:45 (2.5/5)
"Uplift" begins with a pretty nasty guitar riff from Dimebag. I don't really enjoy Phil's vocals as much on this track. The song gets somewhat repetitive after a couple minutes of listening to it. Other than Dimebag's really cool guitar effects and riffing on this song, there is not much else going for "Uplift."
9. "It Makes Them Disappear" 6:21 (3.5/5)
"It Makes Them Disappear" begins with a somewhat mellow guitar riff, but quickly switches to a more sinister sound. Phil's vocals on this track are not my favorite, but the guitar riff from Dimebag is very solid. The chorus to this song is pretty heavy though and Phil's vocals are absolutely at their heaviest. The guitar solo is very good and contains some really cool sounding guitar effects. The problem with this track is that it lasts a little too long for my taste, but overall "It Makes Them Disappear" is a solid track.
10. "I'll Cast a Shadow" 5:22 (4.5/5)
"I'll Cast a Shadow" is a great way to end Pantera's career. It has great guitar riffs, drumming, and some excellent vocals from Phil. The song has some extremely unique guitar effects from Dimebag and its riffs are extremely heavy throughout. The guitar outro is very well executed and it is a great statement about the band casting it's shadow on the music industry forever.
My Verdict:
Pantera's Reinventing the Steel is a really great way for Pantera to end their career. It’s heavy, hard hitting, and full of excellent guitar riffing. That being said I think Pantera definitely had some filler tracks on this record. "Revolution Is My Name" is Pantera's best track in 6 years and really demonstrates how the band was not burned out creatively. Reinventing the Steel reminds me a lot of Vulgar Display of Power because of its style and song structures contained throughout. The second half of this album is a little disappointing in comparison to the first half, but there are still some really good tracks off this album's second half that really shine. Overall, Reinventing the Steel is still a good release and ends Pantera's career on a high note.
