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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Forget Pantera, but don't forget Dime, January 6, 2005
Like others are saying on here, I was completely devastated by the loss of Dimebag Darrell. The music world has lost one of the best guitar players of our time. I considered Dimebag almost a modern day Jimmy Hendrix, and I think "Vulgar Display of Power" and "Far Beyond Driven" are two of the all time greatest metal albums. I can honestly say that Dimebag was not only a great inspiration to me (he made me want to play guitar!), but also the entire metal community. Dimebag will be sorely missed.
I urge you to move on, past Pantera, and pick up Damageplan's debut. If you're a Pantera fan and you need something more, Pantera related, to listen to, Damageplan is exactly what the doctor ordered. To me, Damageplan is, musically, a continuation of the Pantera legacy. Many of the songs grind like Pantera's "Far Beyond Driven", with blowtorch riffs, great solos--although not as many-- and great hand and foot work by drummer Vinny Paul. But the vocals are where Damageplan differs from Pantera. Most of the time, the vocalist, Patrick Lachman, belts out a "throaty yell/gurgle," but he can also switch to crooning and staccatto barks. He may be more of a trendy singer than Phil Anselmo, but so what?! This C.D. rocks!
Highlights include:
"Wake Up" has a slow beginning, which builds into a heavy breakdown and Pat's yell of "Wake up!" It then turns to an almost galloping beat with calm growling.
"Breathing New Life" is a personal favorite. I can't get enough of it (or any of the C.D.'s first six tracks). This song begins with a small drum intro, then explodes into hard rock. Patrick Lachman sings "Can you feel it building?" That's an appropriate line, because this song builds and builds like many-a-great Pantera song. The chorus is a catchy breakdown which I have had running in my mind for days.
"F*** You" is almost like a Damageplan version of Pantera's "F***ing Hostile". The verses are fast and brutal, with blowtorch riffs and double kick drums. A great song to mosh or headbang to.
"Reborn" has verses which almost groove. The real highlight here, though, is the two wailing guitar solos contributed by equally-as-talented Zakk Wylde. I wish there were more of those guitar solos on here.
"Explode" is as heavy as you'd think a song with the title "Explode" would be. It begins with guitars that chug and churn, leading into the brutal chorus and some great guitar work by Dime.
"Save Me" fuses some melody into the typical Damageplan brutality (with big choruses and some of the aformentioned metal crooning and staccatto barks). That's the only reason why I gave this C.D. 4 stars instead of 5, because I think the vocals could stand to be a bit more multi-faced than they are, as in this song. And a few more guitar solos would be nice, too.
"Blink of an Eye" features wah-wah guitars and "Moment of Truth" hits as hard as ever, but "Soul Bleed"--an acoustic track with more guest guitar work by Zakk Wylde-- brings the C.D. full circle. Two tracks like this, one in the middle of the C.D., would have been nice.
Dimebag may be dead, but help his legacy live on. As a Pantera fan, a Dimebag fan, or even as a heavy metal fan, you owe it to him to help the legend of Dimebag Darrell live on. Pick up this C.D.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dimebag's Musical Legacy Will Live On And Inspire Others, February 22, 2005
The tragic and senseless end to 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbot's life on December 8, 2004 in Columbus, Ohio has affected not only those that were closest to him, but also the many fans that knew him only through his music in the bands Pantera and Damageplan. It was from the ashes of Pantera that Dimebag and his brother Vinnie founded Damageplan in 2003, and recruited the powerful vocals of Pat Lachman and the talented bassist Bob Zilla (a.k.a. Bob Kakaha). The release of their first album early in 2004, entitled "New Found Power", is, and will forever be, a testament to Dimebag's resilience and musical talent as he co-wrote and co-composed the album's 14 songs (just over 1 hour of music) with brother Vinnie and Pat Lachman:
1. "Wake Up" (5). A soft, but relenting start prepares for the burst of sound from Pat Lachman, Dimebag, Bob and Vinnie and never lets up until the very end.
2. "Breathing New Life" (5+). A no-nonsense start with double-drumming, artful guitar work and Pat's haunting & very aggressive vocals.
3. "New Found Power" (5). Awesome percussion, guitar & bass accompany Pat's aggressive vocals.
4. "Pride" (5+). A slower, but no less powerful song featuring Pat's ballad-like and aggressive vocals. One of my favorite songs on the album.
5. "F*** You" (4.5). No-nonsense, straight to the point thrash. Great lyrics too! Love the speed-up midway.
6. "Reborn" (4). This song features some great guitar & bass work accompanying Pat Lachman's aggressive singing.
7. "Explode" (4). Relentless percussion and guitars precede Pat Lachman's deliberate singing.
8. "Save Me" (5+). My personal favorite song on the album. Awesome singing, perfect guitar, bass & percussion.
9. "Cold Blooded" (4.5). Intense guitar & percussion with very aggressive singing that is somewhat reminiscent of Henry Rollins.
10. "Crawl" (4.5). Slightly slower percussion begins, then gives way to Dimebag's great guitar work before doubling in tempo with Pat's singing. The tempo then goes back & forth between the two.
11. "Blink of an Eye" (4.5). Singing reminiscent of David Bowie before giving way to a more aggressive style.
12. "Blunt Force Trauma" (5). Good chord progression starts then is joined with percussion and finally, Pat's aggressive singing. A well devised song that exemplifies Dimebag's masterful guitar work.
13. "Moment of Truth" (4). A mix of quickly changing tempos, guitar & percussion start this unusual song.
14. "Soul Breed" (5). An acoustic ballad with a rich harmonic chorus. An impressive finale to a great album.
There is no rationalization for the acts of a madman such as the one that took the life of Dimebag and the three other innocent people at the club in Columbus, Ohio on December 8, 2004. Though Dimebag will not have another opportunity to perform or compose, we can celebrate his life not only through this album and the many albums of Pantera, but also through those that will be inspired by him to compose and perform music of their own. Hence, Dimebag's musical legacy will live on, and heavy metal will never die. R.I.P. Dimebag.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Damageplan - New Found Power, May 26, 2006
After Pantera went their separate ways in 2001, Vinnie Paul Abbot and the late Dimebag Darrel Abbot went on to form Damageplan and this CD "New Found Power" was the first CD of the unfortunately short lived venture by the Abbot brothers. From reel to reel, this is a great album (and again, I'm not just saying that because it's the right thing to say about Dime but SERIOUSLY, it's great).
Just like the rest of you, I would consider myself a Pantera purist first for several reasons. Dime was the reason I stopped playing guitar in Grunge bands and graduated to the sophisticated Metal that bands like Pantera made famous. Damageplan doesn't follow the same stylings as Pantera but the direction of this group was still very good. This CD may not be as heavy as Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display of Power or even Far Beyond Driven but nonetheless, the music is artistically sound and Dime and Vinnie show their technical prowess as well.
There aren't as many guitar solos on this but the ones that are on here are classic Dime. The bass lines are also very heavy, almost Korn like in a way on some tracks. And vocalist Pat Lachman reminds me of a younger Max Cavalera (of Sepultura and Soulfly) who can still croon like Layne Staley on some of the slower tunes. I think one mistake people make when they get this album is that they spend too much time comparing Lachman to Phil Anselmo. Well, DON'T! You're wasting your time if you're doing it that way. If you ask me, Lachman helps Damageplan be a little more unique.
I highly suggest this album. It doesn't matter if you're the avid metal head or a newcomer or even a true Pantera fan. This is an album for all to enjoy. I'll admit, there aren't many metal albums that I can listen to all the way through without skipping any tracks (my list of albums like that are Slayer "Reign in Blood", Slipknot "Slipknot", Pantera "Vulgar Display of Power", Anthrax "Persistence of Time", Soulfly "Soulfly" and System of a Down "Toxicity"), I can now easily add this album to my list. Also, check out the other albums and artists I've listed.
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