Metal Magic:
Metal Magic was released on June 10, 1983 by Metal Magic Records. Its total length is 39:57. Like the band's next three releases, this album is musically concerned with a glam metal sound influenced by Kiss and Van Halen, rather than the groove metal style they became famous for playing in the 1990s, starting with the release of Cowboys from Hell. Pantera fans have often jokingly referred to these albums as the Glamtera era. It was released on the band's own label and produced by Jerry Abbott, who also happens to be the father of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The band’s lineup included vocalist Terry Glaze, guitar player Dimebag Darrell, bass player Rex Brown, and drummer Vinnie Paul. The album’s strengths are pretty much limited to Dimebag Darrell’s guitar playing. The bass and drums take a backseat to everything. The bass is basically not audible, and the drums are extremely uninteresting and dull. Terry Glaze isn’t a bad singer, but he definitely is a forgettable vocalist with unimpressive vocal chops. Often times his voice just sounds weak and drown out. Lyrically, the album is very weak and uninteresting. The songs are mostly really bad renditions of popular 80’s glam metal. Guitar solos are like icing on a cake, but without the cake it’s just icing. That’s the case with most songs on this album. Here are my thoughts about each track.
1. "Ride My Rocket" 4:55 (1.5/5)
"Ride My Rocket" is just one of those cheesy 80’s songs that makes you cringe, the lyrics are somewhat catchy, but are also extremely corny and lacking in creativity. The drums are pretty basic, the bass isn’t really prevalent, and the vocals are really bland and average. Other than some decent guitar work from Dimebag Darrell, this song is pretty poor.
2. "I'll Be Alright" 3:13 (2.5/5)
"I'll Be Alright" is one of the only songs with promise on the album. It has a catchy guitar riff and is overall a very sing along kind of tune. You can see another nice guitar solo from Dimebag Darrell on this track as well. "I'll Be Alright" is definitely one of the best songs from the album. It’s still pretty mediocre though in comparison to other tracks in this genre.
3. "Tell Me If You Want It" 3:44 (2/5)
At this point in the album. You can clearly see that Terry Glaze is holding the band back as its vocalist, his voice is just very mediocre. He cannot hit any notes that a good vocalist could hit. "Tell Me If You Want It" is just so mediocre and bland. Lyrically it repeats the same phrase over and over again. Yet again Darrell rips another sweet solo, but it is all for nothing, because the rest of the song is so forgettable.
4. "Latest Lover" 2:54 (2.5/5)
"Latest Lover" is a pretty catchy song. It has got another nice solo, nice guitar riffs, and seemingly better production value in comparison to the rest of the album. It’s certainly not going to wow you, but it is a catchy tune that is better than most of the other tracks on the album.
5. "Biggest Part of Me" 4:49 (0.5/5)
"Biggest Part of Me" is probably the low point of this album. It has terribly corny lyrics, poorly sung vocals and a boring guitar riff throughout. Darrell may play another great solo, but it just goes to show you that putting a good guitar solo in a terrible song doesn’t make it any better.
6. "Metal Magic" 4:17 (3/5)
"Metal Magic" is probably the most unique and one of the best songs on the entire album. It contains speedy guitar riffs, a sweet solo, and some keyboard and synth effects that you really don’t experience with the rest of the album. It may have really simple lyrics and very mediocre vocals, but overall it is a decent track.
7. "Widowmaker" 3:03 (3/5)
If "Metal Magic" isn’t the best song on this album then "Widowmaker" certainly is. It has a pretty sweet guitar riff that is repeated throughout the song and a nasty solo to go along with it. Yet again this song is pretty basic with very bland vocals and lyrics, but due to great guitar playing and a very catchy chorus, "Widowmaker" is my favorite song on the album.
8. "Nothin' On (But the Radio)" 3:30 (2.5/5)
Very 80’s, very 80’s indeed. "Nothin' On (But the Radio)" is another pretty catchy track that sounds straight 80’s. It has a chorus that makes you want to sing, and another nice solo. If only Pantera had a better front man at this point who could perform this song well. Still a simple catchy tune that is better than most on the album.
9. "Sad Lover" 3:27 (2/5)
"Sad Lover" continues the trend of pretty bland tracks that this album continues to throw out. The guitar solo and riffs are really the only thing worth mentioning in this track. The vocals are lifeless and boring and so is the rest of the song. Overall another pretty forgettable track from Metal Magic.
10. "Rock Out!" 5:45 (2/5)
"Rock Out!" is kind of a drag, at 5:45 it lasts about two more minutes than it should. Yet again Terry Glaze is so mediocre on a song that needs a powerful vocalist. Darrell plays his heart out on the guitar, but it still cannot save this song from being another pretty below average track. There are things I like about this song, but overall not a good way to end an album.
My Verdict:
Pantera had not quite figured out exactly what they were doing yet. While the album has some promising moments like the songs "Widowmaker" and "Metal Magic,” as a whole it’s a real struggle at times to listen to. The lone bright spot is Dimebag's prowess on the guitar.
