Pantera: Official Live: 101 Proof : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Few thrash-metal bands provoke a crowd into frothing fits of rage as effectively as Pantera. The group's first live album, Official Live: 101 Proof, captures the sonic assault that sparks such hysteria. Militaristic beats, jagged riffs and tortured guitar squalls are intertwined with Phil Anselmo's rabid-drill-sergeant vocals, which can build from a staccato bark to an elongated roar. Song tempos alternate between a goose-step march ("Walk," "Becoming") and a full-tilt spring ("Strength Beyond Strength," "Fucking Hostile"), and even the slowest tracks broil with tightfisted fury. Throughout Official Live, Pantera's followers roar with approval as their messiah spews bits of betweensong wisdom like, "May you get high, may you drop acid, may you get laid and all that good shit!" For those who survive the 14 live tracks, the band draws fresh blood on Official Live: 101 Proof with two new studio cuts. Drink up!