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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I dig it!, May 3, 2006
For those who don't already know, Rebel Meets Rebel is a project composed of Pantera's trio of musicians ("Dimebag" Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott and Rex Brown) and country singer David Allan Coe doing the vocals. This self-titled debut C.D. was recorded over the course of four years, from 1999 to 2003. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell was said to have loved this C.D. very much, but, for reasons beyond my knowledge, his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, waited until now (a year and a half after Dimebag was killed) to release it.
Rebel Meets Rebel is just what it was supposed to be: a country/metal/rock/blues hybrid. Vinnie Paul describes it perfectly in the C.D. booklet: "It's not metal and it's not country, it's just a get together of country metal minds! Pure Hell raisin', boozin', jammin' fun!"
Mixing country music and heavy metal (which are two very different musical genres) has been done before. One example is when one of ex-Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo's side projects, Down, put sludge metal alongside country-style ballads for their second album, "Down II: A Bustle In The Hedgegrow." But I don't think country and metal has ever been fused together and had such successful results as Rebel Meets Rebel. If, for some odd reason, you can't give this album credit for anything else, at least give it credit for being very interesting.
The music on here is almost always quite heavy, since Dimebag still contributes Pantera-esque guitar crunch to nearly every song, and also includes a few solos. And there are a lot of deep, catchy grooves to be heard, here. There are only a couple of songs when the music sounds like it could have come off of a bluegrass record: as in the title track, when Dime makes his guitar sound like a fiddle, and the closer, "N.Y.C. Streets," which is an acoustic strummed ballad.
David Allan Coe's "Southern fried" vocals are supposed to make or break this record (if you don't like his voice, you won't this album.) That may be true because some fans will surely not get over the fact that he chooses to sing and not scream. But, if you give him a fair chance (or if you like a more melodic vocal style), his vocals are very enjoyable. They help to make Rebel Meets Rebel somewhat unique (if Coe chose to howl like Phil Anselmo, this disc would probably be just like any other Pantera release.) The music may still be heavy, but Coe's clean singing/crooning voice makes this disc sound like a less commanding, less dissonant, more gentle and docile Pantera. And it's not like D.A.C.'s vocals are at all annoying; in fact, they're actually rather catchy.
The album begins with the sound of David Allan Coe and Dimebag Darrell playing slot machines. This is followed by some wah-wah guitar sounds, Rex's grumbling bass notes, and a few R-rated women noises. Then the song (which is called"Nothin' To Lose") launches into an awesome, propulsive groove. The next song is the title track, and it's a highlight because it's a duet between Coe and Dimebag (!), with one singer trading off lines with the other.
Track three, "Cowboys Do More Dope," is probably my personal favorite on here. It begins (and ends) with a cool wall of Gershwin-esque piano, and the rest of the song is a grinding groove. A memorable sing along chorus ("Cowboys do more dope than rock `n' rollers"), and two guitar solos (one of which is wild) are also included, here.
"Panfilo" is a brief interlude. It's described by the band as an "acoustic jam," but the guitars on this song almost sound like they're flamenco.
The next highlight is "One Nite Stands," which is backed by a catchy, chug and churn rhythm and a sweet, wailing Dimebag solo. "Arizona Rivers" is a dreary ballad, but the proceeding song, ""Get Outta My Life" (which features a vocal cameo by Hank III), is maybe the record's heaviest track. It begins with a killer, stomping, blazing riff which wouldn't sound mismatched if it came off of Pantera's 2000 album, "Reinventing The Steel."
The last two songs worth mentioning are the very hooky "Time" and "No Compromise." On the former, Dimebag makes a grinding, lurching rhythm for David Alan Coe's staccato vocals to sing over and the latter song begins with wah-wah guitars which are vaguely reminiscent of the beginning of Pantera's six year old hit single, "Revolution Is My Name."
Unless Vinnie Paul releases the demos from Damageplan's second album, "Rebel Meets Rebel" is the last we'll ever hear from Dimebag Darrell. Thus, this album is recommended for all Dimebag collections. But this disc is a very good, catchy, entertaining, and interesting listen, so it's recommended to every other rock fan (even if you aren't a Dimebag diehard). And even if you're curious what country metal sounds like, you need to get it.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
REBEL MEETS REBEL "F*CK Y'ALL, WE'RE FROM TEXAS", July 10, 2006
REBEL MEETS REBEL "F*CK Y'ALL, WE'RE FROM TEXAS" (popular T-Shirt in The Lone Star State)
On the surface this seems to be an un-likely and un-workable combination: Alt/outlaw country and extreme metal.
Alt/outlaw county musician & songwriter David Allen Coe, and heavy metal thrash/shred-guitarist Darrell 'Dimebag' Abbott, known mainly for his work with PANTERA, join forces. Upon listening, it's clear that this almost accidental collaboration was one of those rare moments where the end result is much greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Coe spent most of his younger days in prison. After moving to Nashville to write & play Country music (while living in a Hearse), he toured with Grand Funk Railroad during that band's heyday, because he draws as much from Rock as he does from Country. But he never fit any molds: Coe's concerts became notorious for their unpredictability -- he would often roar up on-stage astride his enormous Harley-Davidson, swearing at the audience. He cultivated a large cult following with his act, but he couldn't break into the mainstream. He's back on the biker circuit these days -- and judging by the reviews, fans love it.
Coe's biggest hits went gold for people like Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Tammy Wynette. Darrell Abbott's & Pantera's biggest hits were barely heard outside of the metal-community (althought PANTERA did top the Billboard Album charts in 1994 with "Far Beyond Driven"). Pantera's big problems were internal personality conflicts that evenutlly led to the band's break-up up in 2002.
It's sad, but this album has probably ONLY been released because Darrell Abbott (Dimebag) was brutally killed when a deranged gunman opened fire during a club performance in December, 2004. Dimebag's brother, Vinny Paul Abbott, put this album package together and released it on his own record label (VIN RECORDS). The material, according to the liner notes, was recorded from 1998 -- 2003, and both David A Coe's and Dimebag's record companies declined to release it. Their loss.
With 3 of Pantera's 4 members playing behind Coe's vocals, it definitely has that PANTERA sound, even though it's different genres of music.
REBEL MEETS REBEL is unique and hard to categorize, but it's also way-cool. I'm not sure if this will win many new fans for either PANTERA or David Allen Coe, but it might cause both of their fan-bases to consider broader possibilities. Few hard-core Country fans are going to like it, because the instrumentals are shred-heavy metal (no surprise: that's what PANTERA was all about). And I'm not sure how many hard-core Metal fans are going to like the vocals (which are much more Country than Rock). However, I think anybody who listens to a wide variety of music will 'get' this. Reading the liner notes will really add to your overall appreciation of how similar Coe and Dimebag were in many respects.
Like a lot of other cool metal-heads, Dimebag was a big fan of David Allen Coe. Though he was a'big rock star', he stood in line to get Coe's autograph after a show in New York City. Coe was impressed enough that he proposed getting together, and the end results were the recordings here. But what really makes this work so well is the clear enthusiasm, and the utter lack of pop-calculation that undrlies the recording sessions. This sounds like it was lots of fun for all who were involved.
"Rebel Meets Rebel" opens with "Nothin To Lose", featuring hard-driving guitar riffs that set the tone for most of what follows. "Rebel Meets Rebel" and "Cowboys Do More Dope" are either country rocking-hard ,or a metal variant of heavy foot-stomping music. Good ol' country boys. of rock and roll. It's a candid overview of Dimebag's spontaneous and fun-loving rock and roll attitude.
As much as ever, Dimebag showcases his diversity as a guitarist on this album. He goes from skull-crushing metal-riffs to folk-acoustic, blues and country styles -- revealing that he may have been one of the world's best guitar players when he was alive. Dimebag had a heart of gold according to those who knew him (and on that point there is too much consistency and agreement for any doubts to remain). The warmth of his personality is very evident on two near-ballad songs; "Panfilo", and "Heart Worn Highway." The writing talent of Coe and the playing talent of Dimebag get better as the CD plays on.
From start to finish, Vinnie Paul Abbott lives up to his billing too -- never missing while laying down pulverizing drum beats. The rhythm tracks (with help from Rex Brown on bass) prove to be the backbone of this album. There are many southern rock influences on this album, and David Allan Coe really does a great job, adding a Thin Lizzy/Lynyrd Skynyrd twang to the vocals in most of the songs.
Other highlights of this CD include "Arizona Rivers" and "Time." "Get Outta My Life" is the most 'metal' tune on the disc, with a classic Dimebag guitar-solo for the ages. That solo, coupled with Coe's echoing vocals (and backing vocals from Hank WIlliams III), makes it a potentially classic Metal song. The riffs on songs like "No Compromise" or "Time" are far better than anything he laid down on the sole Damageplan CD release.
I expect that this is one of those albums that might sell slowly at first, but it's likely to pick up fans and listeners over time. It's easy to dismiss it as a drunk-musician's party gone out of control (and that is pretty much how the liner notes describe the actual recording sessions), but that would be a big mistake.
Posthumous releases rarely feature great sound and production like REBEL MEETS REBEL does. Dimebag's guitar playing here is some of the best he's ever recorded. And David Allen Coe, free from the constraints of today's Country , has never sounded so enthusiastic or relaxed in a studio. I'm not sure what Coe himself thinks, but contemporary Country is called "Velveeta Music" in private -- not only cheesy, but full of unhealthy synthetic ingredients -- by some of that genre's major stars.
Vinnie Paul gets a heartfelt "Thanks" for putting this one out. Hope there are more.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Thank Vinnie For Releasing This! ***R.I.P. Dime***, May 31, 2006
This is the project that Dimebag, Vinnie, and Rex recorded during their off-Pantera time from 1999-2003 with legendary country outlaw David Allen Coe. I was really curious how this was going to sound. I've never liked country, so I was worried that I might hate it, Pantera being the backing band or not. I can happily say that I definitely dig it. It's got a really fun vibe going on, and (as always) Dime does lay down some killer riffs and solos. Coe's vocals WILL take some getting used to if you are as opposed to country as I am, but (at least for me) they will probably grow on you. If you're looking for Pantera part 2, I would suggest not even bothering with this. If you're like me though and are interested in everything Dime ever recorded, I'd suggest giving it a try. Is it my favorite material Dime ever recorded? Of course not. But it is enjoyable if you can try and keep an open mind. I for one am happy that Vinnie released this, and I can actually see myself listening to it more than the Damageplan album. Production wise it SOUNDS more like Pantera musically than Damageplan did, and that is a very good thing as far as I'm concerned. Let's put it this way, if you don't have an ear to ear grin on your face after hearing the duet Coe and Dime do on the title track, I doubt you were as affected with Dime as I was. You can tell they were just doing this to have a good time jamming with someone they admired. Different genre of music be damned! I could best describe it as The Charlie Daniels Band meets Pantera. If that sounds interesting to you, or you love Dime's playing as much as I do, I'd recommend picking this one up.
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~ David Allan Coe
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by David Allan Coe 
