Last Updated: 2/10/2004 2:34:17 PM
01. Wake Up
02. Breathing New Life
03. New Found Power
04. Pride
05. Fuck You
06. Reborn
07. Explode
08. Save Me
09. Cold Blooded
10. Crawl
11. Blink of an Eye
12. Blunt Force Trauma
13. Moment of Truth
14. Soul Bleed
DAMAGEPLAN - "New Found Power" (Elektra) (7 /10)
The fall of PANTERA could have been predicted by anyone keeping an eye on the band for the last few years. Increasingly erratic performances and behavior from singer Philip Anselmo, as well as his predilection for going off and attempting enough side projects to fill a record store, made it clear that the quartet was dividing into two camps. So when Philip ran off to record a new DOWN album taking bassist Rex Brown with him and then plunged right into recording and touring with SUPERJOINT RITUAL, it was merely a formality when he announced that he was done with PANTERA. Or that they were done with him. Sadly, Anselmo's story seemed to change daily for a while.
While Philip has certainly been busy with projects of varying quality and popularity (SUPERJOINT RITUAL is either routinely praised as a return to old-school thrash or dismissed as junk by the readers of this site, for instance), the seeming dissolution of PANTERA left its founders, the brothers Abbott otherwise known as guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul momentarily up feces river without an outboard motor. No singer, no bassist (with Brown pretty much vanishing after the failure of the second DOWN disc), and no plan.
But now they have a plan DAMAGEPLAN, to be precise. With former HALFORD guitarist Patrick Lachman a surprising choice on lead vocals, and previously unknown Bob Zilla on bass, the boys have roared back with an album that may not always please fans of the latter, ultra-brutal PANTERA efforts, but is probably in some ways truer to their original concept of the heavier PANTERA that first broke through with "Cowboys From Hell" back in 1990.
"New Found Power" is a good album, not a great one. This is clearly a metal band and a metal record, but with a heightened approach to melody that may, as suggested earlier, throw some PANTERA fans off but is perfectly acceptable within the context of a still ruggedly heavy sound as this. Lachman is an adequate, resourceful vocalist, but his glaring flaw and what possibly prevents "New Found Power" from being a killer debut is that he simply has no personality of his own right now. He's a generic metal vocalist, and even though this is not PANTERA, he's still indirectly following a frontman who had so much personality that half his problem was not knowing what to do with it.
There's plenty of solid riffing on "New Found Power", and several songs that do recall vintage PANTERA. "Breathing New Life" has the complex rhythmic turns and precision chugging guitars we all know and love, while Lachman sounds uncannily like Anselmo at moments in the song. "Fuck You" is an unrelenting thrasher enlivened by the unmistakable vocals of SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor, while "Explode" is another midpaced cruncher that could have come straight off "Cowboys From Hell".
"Save Me" gives the first real inkling that the Abbott brothers plan to take this band in different directions. Lachman adopts a more melodic style of singing on the verses here and the song has a moderately catchy chorus that screams "radio" and would never have escaped the rehearsal room during the latter PANTERA years. It's not a bad song nor a toothless one, but it's clearly the most commercial that these players have sounded since before Darrell changed his nickname from Diamond to Dimebag.
"Cold Blooded" ushers in the album's latter third, which is the most varied section of the disc. "Blink Of An Eye" is another more melodic, radio-oriented rocker, while "Moment Of Truth" combines a subtle Southern twang with some ZEPPELINesque electric slide. The album's closer, "Soul Bleed", is perhaps the most startling cut of all: nearly all acoustic, it features vocal harmonies from Zakk Wylde that make it sound like nothing less than ALICE IN CHAINS.
Oddly, the production sounds a bit thin Vinnie and Dime's normally dependable sound doesn't come across as thick here as it has in the past. Yet as "New Found Power" comes to a close, it's evident that Vinnie and Dimebag are trying to keep certain elements from the classic PANTERA sound, perhaps bring in some older styles that they abandoned along the way, and make it all sound fresh. That's a daunting challenge, even for seasoned musicians like these boys. While they're not reinventing the steel (ha, ha) on "New Found Power", DAMAGEPLAN churns out solid, straight if somewhat undercooked metal that shows these cowboys haven't lost their touch.
- Don Kaye
COMMENT | first post?
posted by: SDJM123
2/10/2004 3:13:04 AM
i think its a good album, not great, but good
COMMENT | I dunno.............
posted by: illtolife
2/10/2004 5:31:56 AM
It's pretty fuckin boring to me.
COMMENT | Yawn
posted by: Nowdsa
2/10/2004 7:27:40 AM
If you pretend, while listening to this, that Dimebag and Vinnie are not in this band, you will find that the music is very stale. I guess that is what is driving ppl to listen to this and thats cool I suppose, but to me, it sounds like another generic metal band with a very uncharismatic singer.
COMMENT | flippity floppity
posted by: loboquiddity
2/10/2004 7:53:47 AM
SOUNDS LIKE A FLOP
COMMENT | Yeah, it's lame
posted by: Blood_From_The_Soul
2/10/2004 8:42:22 AM
God, talk about a boring fucking album.
COMMENT | nothing special
posted by: orphy
2/10/2004 8:56:48 AM
Pantera's still better.
COMMENT | Compared to "FAR BEYOND DRIVEN"....
posted by: CrackerAss Honky
2/10/2004 9:16:30 AM
this is a total shitfest....boo hiss!!!!
Thankfully we have Superjoint....
COMMENT | I was
posted by: A Staring Elf
2/10/2004 9:34:04 AM
really really underwhelmed. The lyrics were even more cliched than I had expected and there wasn't nearly the shredding and chugging one would hope forl.
COMMENT | Thanks for the Props Don!!1
posted by: Blackwater Park
2/10/2004 10:22:21 AM
"SUPERJOINT RITUAL is either routinely praised as a return to old-school thrash or dismissed as junk by the readers of this site, for instance"
I am firmly in the SJR = Junk camp.
As for Damageplan... I think this review hits the nail on the head!
COMMENT | informative review
posted by: Turk
2/10/2004 10:32:10 AM
thanks don
i'm in the minority on this site as an SJR supporter. i thoroughly enjoy em
COMMENT | My rating is 5/10
posted by: Jarlaxle
2/10/2004 10:53:31 AM
I guess this is a very boring and below average album. They sound like a generic metalcore band. In addition to weak vocals of Lachman, songwriting in this album is poor. And i guess that's the real reason this album is not good.
Out of the ashes of a great band, two mediocre bands are born. How sad.
COMMENT |
posted by: horrorbiz13
2/10/2004 12:04:56 PM
Although I'm a bit discouraged by what I'm reading here, I am still running out right after work and picking this up and listening for myself. At the least, dimebag is such a great guitar player and I know he won't dissapoint.
And for the record, I would also put myself in the SJR = junk category.
COMMENT | I must concur as well
posted by: Johnny Wildchild
2/10/2004 12:24:09 PM
Damageplan's new album sucks. Not because I subconsciously expected them to sound like Pantera..(although they indeed attempt, and fail miserably, to capture that vibe) but because simply Pat Lachman is a weak-ass singer. The best vocals on the entire disc are Zakk's harmonies on the acoustic track. Don Kaye's right on with this review. Very dissapointing release.
COMMENT | down the road
posted by: dnoonan
2/10/2004 12:30:41 PM
i cant see phil, dime and vinnie allowing these bands to end their careers. they obviously need each other and theyll get back together before they give it up.
COMMENT |
posted by: sade
2/10/2004 1:21:07 PM
Average, kind of boring after awhile.
COMMENT | Crap.
posted by: RTHolocausto
2/10/2004 1:29:39 PM
Like the album cover didn't speak in volumes how lame this fucking band is? No matter what band they were, using the title "New Found Power" is about as gay as "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins.
Freedom to chose what you like to listen to is not a reason. Purchasing a product labeled "metal" is a marketing ploy just like spandex, hair spray, and lipstick.*
* Note: All items used by Pantera in the 80's. Dont believe me? Check out the albums before "Cowhands From Houston". Ya know what they say about Texas....
COMMENT | Can't get stench of mediocrity off
posted by: hotkarl
2/10/2004 2:38:43 PM
I quickly doused myself in Pantera
COMMENT | .... boring
posted by: BlindGuardian45
2/10/2004 2:42:15 PM
Mediocre song writing, weak vocals, and from what I can sense, a little bit of a nu-metal influence, makes this album a 6.0/10.0 in my book.
I know, i wanted it to kick ass too. I really did. Just like the way I wanted St. Anger to kick ass. Eventually, you just have to embrace reality that this album isn't all that good. Hopefully their sophomore effort (if there is a sophomore effort!) will be better.
COMMENT | AND THE NU METAL KIDS VERIDCT IS.........
posted by: bizkid
2/10/2004 3:16:51 PM
BORING!!!!!!!!!i come uo with rifss like this in between playin break stuff an shove it,the riffs are average,the lyrics are poor an the singer is just boring,where the fuck is that dimebag TONE,its gone thats where,an slipknot rules,but the song fuck you just sucks fucking ass.this isnt anyhting special,an the song save me is ellout shit.fuck this pussies(puts on in flames-colony)
COMMENT | Sadly mediocre...
posted by: brickshithouse
2/10/2004 3:29:52 PM
...I was really hopin' this would kill but really...this is verrrryyyy average...some of it is good (breathing new life) but I sorta thought that would be the tip of the iceberg...
They're capable of such heaviness....
why this??
From BlabberMouth.Net
02. Breathing New Life
03. New Found Power
04. Pride
05. Fuck You
06. Reborn
07. Explode
08. Save Me
09. Cold Blooded
10. Crawl
11. Blink of an Eye
12. Blunt Force Trauma
13. Moment of Truth
14. Soul Bleed
DAMAGEPLAN - "New Found Power" (Elektra) (7 /10)
The fall of PANTERA could have been predicted by anyone keeping an eye on the band for the last few years. Increasingly erratic performances and behavior from singer Philip Anselmo, as well as his predilection for going off and attempting enough side projects to fill a record store, made it clear that the quartet was dividing into two camps. So when Philip ran off to record a new DOWN album taking bassist Rex Brown with him and then plunged right into recording and touring with SUPERJOINT RITUAL, it was merely a formality when he announced that he was done with PANTERA. Or that they were done with him. Sadly, Anselmo's story seemed to change daily for a while.
While Philip has certainly been busy with projects of varying quality and popularity (SUPERJOINT RITUAL is either routinely praised as a return to old-school thrash or dismissed as junk by the readers of this site, for instance), the seeming dissolution of PANTERA left its founders, the brothers Abbott otherwise known as guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul momentarily up feces river without an outboard motor. No singer, no bassist (with Brown pretty much vanishing after the failure of the second DOWN disc), and no plan.
But now they have a plan DAMAGEPLAN, to be precise. With former HALFORD guitarist Patrick Lachman a surprising choice on lead vocals, and previously unknown Bob Zilla on bass, the boys have roared back with an album that may not always please fans of the latter, ultra-brutal PANTERA efforts, but is probably in some ways truer to their original concept of the heavier PANTERA that first broke through with "Cowboys From Hell" back in 1990.
"New Found Power" is a good album, not a great one. This is clearly a metal band and a metal record, but with a heightened approach to melody that may, as suggested earlier, throw some PANTERA fans off but is perfectly acceptable within the context of a still ruggedly heavy sound as this. Lachman is an adequate, resourceful vocalist, but his glaring flaw and what possibly prevents "New Found Power" from being a killer debut is that he simply has no personality of his own right now. He's a generic metal vocalist, and even though this is not PANTERA, he's still indirectly following a frontman who had so much personality that half his problem was not knowing what to do with it.
There's plenty of solid riffing on "New Found Power", and several songs that do recall vintage PANTERA. "Breathing New Life" has the complex rhythmic turns and precision chugging guitars we all know and love, while Lachman sounds uncannily like Anselmo at moments in the song. "Fuck You" is an unrelenting thrasher enlivened by the unmistakable vocals of SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor, while "Explode" is another midpaced cruncher that could have come straight off "Cowboys From Hell".
"Save Me" gives the first real inkling that the Abbott brothers plan to take this band in different directions. Lachman adopts a more melodic style of singing on the verses here and the song has a moderately catchy chorus that screams "radio" and would never have escaped the rehearsal room during the latter PANTERA years. It's not a bad song nor a toothless one, but it's clearly the most commercial that these players have sounded since before Darrell changed his nickname from Diamond to Dimebag.
"Cold Blooded" ushers in the album's latter third, which is the most varied section of the disc. "Blink Of An Eye" is another more melodic, radio-oriented rocker, while "Moment Of Truth" combines a subtle Southern twang with some ZEPPELINesque electric slide. The album's closer, "Soul Bleed", is perhaps the most startling cut of all: nearly all acoustic, it features vocal harmonies from Zakk Wylde that make it sound like nothing less than ALICE IN CHAINS.
Oddly, the production sounds a bit thin Vinnie and Dime's normally dependable sound doesn't come across as thick here as it has in the past. Yet as "New Found Power" comes to a close, it's evident that Vinnie and Dimebag are trying to keep certain elements from the classic PANTERA sound, perhaps bring in some older styles that they abandoned along the way, and make it all sound fresh. That's a daunting challenge, even for seasoned musicians like these boys. While they're not reinventing the steel (ha, ha) on "New Found Power", DAMAGEPLAN churns out solid, straight if somewhat undercooked metal that shows these cowboys haven't lost their touch.
- Don Kaye
posted by: SDJM123
2/10/2004 3:13:04 AM
i think its a good album, not great, but good
posted by: illtolife
2/10/2004 5:31:56 AM
It's pretty fuckin boring to me.
posted by: Nowdsa
2/10/2004 7:27:40 AM
If you pretend, while listening to this, that Dimebag and Vinnie are not in this band, you will find that the music is very stale. I guess that is what is driving ppl to listen to this and thats cool I suppose, but to me, it sounds like another generic metal band with a very uncharismatic singer.
posted by: loboquiddity
2/10/2004 7:53:47 AM
SOUNDS LIKE A FLOP
posted by: Blood_From_The_Soul
2/10/2004 8:42:22 AM
God, talk about a boring fucking album.
posted by: orphy
2/10/2004 8:56:48 AM
Pantera's still better.
posted by: CrackerAss Honky
2/10/2004 9:16:30 AM
this is a total shitfest....boo hiss!!!!
Thankfully we have Superjoint....
posted by: A Staring Elf
2/10/2004 9:34:04 AM
really really underwhelmed. The lyrics were even more cliched than I had expected and there wasn't nearly the shredding and chugging one would hope forl.
posted by: Blackwater Park
2/10/2004 10:22:21 AM
"SUPERJOINT RITUAL is either routinely praised as a return to old-school thrash or dismissed as junk by the readers of this site, for instance"
I am firmly in the SJR = Junk camp.
As for Damageplan... I think this review hits the nail on the head!
posted by: Turk
2/10/2004 10:32:10 AM
thanks don
i'm in the minority on this site as an SJR supporter. i thoroughly enjoy em
posted by: Jarlaxle
2/10/2004 10:53:31 AM
I guess this is a very boring and below average album. They sound like a generic metalcore band. In addition to weak vocals of Lachman, songwriting in this album is poor. And i guess that's the real reason this album is not good.
Out of the ashes of a great band, two mediocre bands are born. How sad.
posted by: horrorbiz13
2/10/2004 12:04:56 PM
Although I'm a bit discouraged by what I'm reading here, I am still running out right after work and picking this up and listening for myself. At the least, dimebag is such a great guitar player and I know he won't dissapoint.
And for the record, I would also put myself in the SJR = junk category.
posted by: Johnny Wildchild
2/10/2004 12:24:09 PM
Damageplan's new album sucks. Not because I subconsciously expected them to sound like Pantera..(although they indeed attempt, and fail miserably, to capture that vibe) but because simply Pat Lachman is a weak-ass singer. The best vocals on the entire disc are Zakk's harmonies on the acoustic track. Don Kaye's right on with this review. Very dissapointing release.
posted by: dnoonan
2/10/2004 12:30:41 PM
i cant see phil, dime and vinnie allowing these bands to end their careers. they obviously need each other and theyll get back together before they give it up.
posted by: sade
2/10/2004 1:21:07 PM
Average, kind of boring after awhile.
posted by: RTHolocausto
2/10/2004 1:29:39 PM
Like the album cover didn't speak in volumes how lame this fucking band is? No matter what band they were, using the title "New Found Power" is about as gay as "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins.
Freedom to chose what you like to listen to is not a reason. Purchasing a product labeled "metal" is a marketing ploy just like spandex, hair spray, and lipstick.*
* Note: All items used by Pantera in the 80's. Dont believe me? Check out the albums before "Cowhands From Houston". Ya know what they say about Texas....
posted by: hotkarl
2/10/2004 2:38:43 PM
I quickly doused myself in Pantera
posted by: BlindGuardian45
2/10/2004 2:42:15 PM
Mediocre song writing, weak vocals, and from what I can sense, a little bit of a nu-metal influence, makes this album a 6.0/10.0 in my book.
I know, i wanted it to kick ass too. I really did. Just like the way I wanted St. Anger to kick ass. Eventually, you just have to embrace reality that this album isn't all that good. Hopefully their sophomore effort (if there is a sophomore effort!) will be better.
posted by: bizkid
2/10/2004 3:16:51 PM
BORING!!!!!!!!!i come uo with rifss like this in between playin break stuff an shove it,the riffs are average,the lyrics are poor an the singer is just boring,where the fuck is that dimebag TONE,its gone thats where,an slipknot rules,but the song fuck you just sucks fucking ass.this isnt anyhting special,an the song save me is ellout shit.fuck this pussies(puts on in flames-colony)
posted by: brickshithouse
2/10/2004 3:29:52 PM
...I was really hopin' this would kill but really...this is verrrryyyy average...some of it is good (breathing new life) but I sorta thought that would be the tip of the iceberg...
They're capable of such heaviness....
why this??
From BlabberMouth.Net
