POP/POP-ROCK STILL NOT METAL, PANTERA LIVES ON

Explaining the obvious is quickly becoming my style. Remember that Polish POP star Doda? The one who is/was dating Behemoth’s very own Nergal? Well, I may have offended some people by calling her “pop” instead of “pop-rock”, that she’s less of Poland’s Britney Spears and more of an Avril Lavigne type. I DON’T GIVE A PUCK. Let’s break it down, “pop” is sort for “popular.” What’s popular is played on the radio and (if you’re lucky) television. Therefore, rock and all other genres can be considered “pop” if they are popular with majority. Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Doda, Breaking Benjamin, fuck, NICKELBACK are all POP. Feel me?

I feel better now, so let’s talk about Pantera, yes? Metal Hammer just released the tracklisting for their Dimebag Darrell tribute disc. Overall, it looks pretty killer. A lot of good bands and a lot of stuff I’d be curious to hear, but there’s just one little dud on the list. Check it:

1) ZAKK WYLDE
SUICIDE NOTE, PT. 1

2) MACHINE HEAD
FUCKING HOSTILE

3) MALEFICE
I’M BROKEN

4) AVENGED SEVENFOLD
WALK

5) EVILE
CEMETERY GATES

6) FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
A NEW LEVEL

7) BIOHAZARD
MOUTH FOR WAR

8) SYLOSIS
STRENGTH BEYOND STRENGTH

9) CHIMAIRA
SLAUGHTERED

10) UNEARTH
SANDBLASTED SKIN

11) THROWDOWN
BECOMING

12) KIUAS
THIS LOVE

13) THIS IS HELL
RISE

The A7X track is actually one of the only one’s I’ve heard before, and it’s not that they butcher it… it’s that it’s just A7X doing “Walk” no more no less. It’s kinda like listening to Pantera if Pantera was lame. My take is to not give a pop/pop-rock (pop-metal? Is there really such a thing?) one of the greatest (and my personal favorite Pantera song) metal tracks of all time to record. On the plus side, Evile doing “Cemetary Gates”? Nice.

-Julia