Yea! Break out the air guitars and devil horns cause
Pantera is back!
……wait….
Isn’t Dime dead? And David Allan Coe? WTF?!!
That was exactly what ran through my mind the moment I heard of
Rebel Meets Rebel. I mean, in all honestly, Dime died about a year and a half ago, so why am I watching a video that’s new with Dime shredding? It didn’t make sense. And plus, it didn’t sound like his normal playing. And then all of a sudden, David Allan Coe appears on screen singing. Now if that’s not enough to make me blurt out, “Dude…WTF?!”, then I don’t know what does.
Apparently, Vinnie, Rex, and Dime from the influential “Groove” Metal band
Pantera got bored one night and decided to call up bad-a
ss country legend David Allan Coe to see if he just wanted to jam. Well, one thing led to another, and between 1999 and 2004, these guys pumped out a few good licks here and there. After Dime’s death (RIP), Vinnie decided to gather up all of these tracks, and release them under the name they had agreed upon, which was
Rebel Meets Rebel. Only weird thing was that he released it now, which doesn’t make sense seeing as how he probably could’ve released it much earlier. Oh well.
But let me sum up this album for you in an easy to follow equation. Let Vinnie, Rex, and Dime stand for
Pantera, which we will just call “P” and David Allan Coe just stand for “D”. Ok, are you ready for this one? Bust out the Trig books y’all, here it is:
P + D = Turn up the volume and pour me another shot of whiskey, brotha!
Yes, it’s a crazy concept to understand. Heavy-as-sh
it metal heads mixing with a country outlaw-esque singer doesn’t sound like that great of an idea on paper. But we all know that on paper, it can easily be misinterpreted. I mean, how intriguing does a genre like “Country Metal” sound to an average listener? To me, not too enticing. I mean, if I’m riding with a girl, and she’s driving, and she wants to listen to country or 50 Cent, I’m saying country faster than I’m wishing that I was actually driving. I mean, country isn’t
that bad, at least they can usually play guitar. And the bassists usually aren’t too bad. But I’m more of a metal head.
But I’ll say this one to clear it up for the whole review, “Country Metal” is cool. So cool that it makes me wonder why no one ever did this sooner. But then again, I don’t think anyone could pull it off quite as well as it’s displayed here. And come to think of it, this will probably be the only time I ever hear something like this, which makes it even more so valuable in my listening collection.
The album kicks off with the first single, amply titled “
Nothin’ To Lose”, and after a little while of some noises of the boys working on some kind of machine, Dime begins to crank away with some effects while Rex, believe it or not, busts in with a completely funky bass line, with pops and variations! Amazing! The intro, which is also the verse, becomes much more Dime oriented, with straight-forward machine gun type riffing with a hint of Southern hospitality. The song is relatively simple the whole way through, with parts of the verses at times just being driven by Rex and Vinnie pounding away. Now, after this song, you’re probably thinking, “Well, it’s a little bit more southern sounding, but I don’t see no country here, boy!”. Well, that’s what the song “
Rebel Meets Rebel” is here for; to show you wrong. Coming straight in with a fiddle and some chunked riffs from Dime, it’s a trip to the honky-tonk bar without wasting a bit. The whole thing is a boot-stompin fest, with the chorus featuring some great grinding riffs from Dime. Vinnie’s fills at points too, also feel like they were placed specifically if someone were to line-dance. Kinda strange, yet cool at the same time. “
Cowboys Do More Dope”, besides having a sweet name, fools you within the first few seconds, with some soft piano playing, before it tricks you again by having Dime blast your ears with some quick chords, making you think you’re listening to “[u]Cowboys From Hell[/b]” all over again. It’s only for a few seconds however, before the boys begin to chug away with a grooving southern tune, complete with a piano playing a few notes over and over. The verse is roughly the same as the intro, with more emphasis on “chugging” riffs however. The song, unlike the previous two, is the prime example of “Country Metal”. It’s heavy as hell, but has a huge country groove found in it. “
Panfilo” is just Dime jamming away on an acoustic, and it’s cool and sad at the same time, seeing as how it demonstrates some great playing, but at the same time you begin to realize you’re never gonna get to hear him do it again. This actually serves as an intro to “
Heart Worn Highway”, as it just flows right into it. It feels slightly slower, and while still is a rockin’ tune, it seems to fall short of the previous songs. The overlap of acoustic guitar and electric however is quite intriguing, and gives the song a unique feel. Near the end however, the focus shifts to almost a marching beat by Vinnie and again some more surprisingly good bass work from Rex.
“
One Nite Stands” seems slow at first, with the eerie noise, but then a straight-forward thumpin tune becomes to shine through and carry the song through. The song is more “Southern Rock” oriented, and while the last song was still good, this one picks up where it seemed to drag with some head banging riffs and a flowing bridge. If anything, “
Arizona Rivers” could be considered a filler, seeing as how the song rarely changes. The slowest song off the album, it has a “trippy” feel to it, and at times can seem repetitive. Dime again however shows off some great use of an acoustic, and near the end it almost shifts into a “Blue Grass” song. Quite cool, but still a skippable track. But just when doubt sets in making you think the best has past, “
Get Outta My Life” comes right out the gates with such force that was seen on “
Vulgar Display of Power” that you can’t help but get up and thrash about. Easily the best song off the album, the song is fast, loud, and damn fun. Dime’s thrashing riffs are thrown in between quickly-played acoustic verses. The whole song is a fun ride, and might be one of the best songs these boys have ever written in their careers. That songs vibe careers over slightly to the headbangin “
Cherokee Cry”. The verses feature some grinding notes from Dime and a pounding bass drum from Vinnie, while the chorus features again an acoustic number and a huge melodic feel. “
Time” is another thrash fest, with less of a southern influence than most of these songs here, and feels like it could’ve fit in well on “[u]Cowboys From Hell[/b]”. Actually, the same could be said for “
No Compromise”. Those two last tracks seem to go hand in hand. And while it isn’t a bad thing at all for guys like me, others might’ve liked to see a bit more country in those songs. And while there’s a little bit, they both feel to lean towards the metal category heavier than all of the other tracks shown here. The final track is actually the most unique, simply because Dime free-played all of it. Again, it’s more of an acoustic number, but him and David just sat down and started messing around and that’s how “
N.Y.C. Streets” came about. While it’s not the coolest song of this album it’s an interesting listen that just shows off how talented Dime was. The only problem I really have with some of these riffs is Vinnie. He doesn’t really do much. He’s just kinda there. While Dime and Rex have upped their game, Vinnie’s beats are pretty much basic. Kinda disappointing, but I’d rather have him play the way he is on here than just pound away.
Now, I had a worry coming into this thing about solos. I had a fear that Dime wouldn’t solo on this album. Man I was dead wrong! Dime completely shreds this album apart. Most of solos are easily the highlight of the album, and are some of the best he has ever done. While songs like “
Nothin’ To Lose” feature a relatively short solo that’s split in half really, it still doesn’t cease to amaze me. In those short few seconds, he is able to emit such high-pitched noises from his guitar that one has to sit and ask, “How the f**k can he do that?!”. His shred fests on tracks such as “
Cowboys Do More Dope”, “
Get Outta My Life”, and “
Time”, are nothing short of amazing, each will leave your head spinning. But just shredding ain’t all this guy can do, no sir. On tracks like “
Heart Worn Highway” and especially “
N.Y.C. Streets”, Dime takes a more melodic approach, something that wasn’t seen on his past work. However, solos don’t appear on two tracks, but they would just feel out of place if they were there. “
Rebel Meets Rebel” is one of them, but it’s replaced by a rather interesting fiddle solo down by a man by the name of Joey Floyd. “
Arizona Rivers” also doesn’t contain one, but that song is just so weird on its own.
Now, if it was just Vinnie, Rex, and Dime, the album would have a southern feel to it, but it’s David Allan Coe that gives this album its sweet country feel. Known as being the bad-a
ss country outlaw that you don’t wanna mess with, Mr. Coe is a delight on vocals. I was surprised when I mentioned his name to my dad (who likes him), only to have him laugh and say “That guy can’t carry a note!”. Now, I’ll admit, I’ve known who David Allan Coe was, but I have never heard him before. Well, kids, if you’re in the same boat as I was, you’re in for a treat. His vocals are great. They truly do reflect the south, with that deep voice that seems to float everywhere. His vocal range isn’t exactly amazing, I mean, he seems to only have one tone for the whole album, but combine them with the thrashing tracks of “
Nothin’ To Lose” and “
Get Outta My Life”, and he takes the song to a whole other level. Some of his best vocal work comes off the first track “
Nothin’ To Lose”, where he has a great fluctuation of volume and deepness, which takes the song off. His voice sometimes represents a more a bluesy side to him, such as on tracks like “
Get Outta My Life” and “
N.Y.C. Streets”. It should also be noted that Hank III, another known country outlaw type of man, does the chorus vocals on “
Get Outta My Life”, and he mixes it up, singing at parts, and even changes it into a slight scream near the end. Cool stuff.
Pick-up trucks, tractors, and talking bout yo dear momma be what country is!
That seems to be the stereotype from what I’ve heard for country lyrics. Well, none of those are shown here. Most of it is just about being cool-as-hell outlaws, such as on “
Rebel Meets Rebel” with lines like “
Rebel meets rebel, double trouble!” and gambling, like on “
Nothin’ To Lose” when David wails out “
Old lady luck ain't nobody's friend, And old dame fortune broke my heart in the end!”. The funniest, however, have to go to “
Cowboys Do More Dope”, with such unforgettable lines like “
Cowboys do more dope, than rock ‘n’ rollers!”, which is then followed at the end with David just speaking informatively “
Listen up people, don’t take the purple acid! You’ll have to get down off them towers!”. And remember kids, this album has a PA sticker, which means that on songs like “
Get Outta My Life”, you get a pissed off David yelling “
Don’t threaten me, just pack your trash, and don’t let the door hit ya in the a*s! Get outta my mothaf*ckin life!”. He also makes references to historical points in our history, such as the “Trail of Tears”, on “
Cherokee Cry”. But the coolest lyrics weren’t even written originally. They were just made up as he went along. On “
N.Y.C. Streets”, him and Dime just sat down and wrote a song without even planning it. While it’s loaded with expletives, some cool lines such as “
Whiskey signs flashin in my mind, time to get loaded and get outta this town. Pantera on the marquee better stay one more day. Iron Maiden, Motorhead heavy metal ain’t dead!” poke through.
“
Rebel Meets Rebel” is one hell of a cool album. It’s not exactly country, and it’s not exactly metal. And while it some points it leans a bit more to one genre, songs like “
Cowboys Do More Dope” nail this so called “Country Metal” genre right on the head. I really recommend you pick this up, it’s really a great listen. While Vinnie is basic, Dime shows off some of his greatest work, Rex actually plays cool licks on his bass, and David Allan Coe is completely cool. Just check it out. If ya don’t like it, you can’t say you didn’t try it out, cause I tell you straight up: Some people are gonna love this, and some are gonna hate it. I for one, love it. And while there are a few sub-par tracks, the overall ride is great. Pick it up. Try it out.
Overall Grade – 4/5
Recommended Tracks
Nothin’ To Lose
Rebel Meets Rebel
Cowboys Do More Dope
Get Outta My Life
