Pantera "The Great Southern Trendkill (2016, 2CD, Rhino Records, Digipak, 20th anniversary Edition, Remastered)"

The Great Southern Trendkill is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on May 7, 1996, through East West Records. It reached number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, and stayed on the chart for 16 weeks. During the album's production, Phil Anselmo recorded the vocals alone at Trent Reznor's Nothing Studios in New Orleans[3] while Dimebag Darrell, Rex Brown, and Vinnie Paul recorded the music at Chasin Jason Studios in Dalworthington Gardens. This would be the Pantera's last studio album to be produced by Terry Date, who had worked with the band since Cowboys from Hell (1990).

"Floods", the album's longest song, contains a guitar solo considered by many to be Dimebag Darrell's finest. Guitar World magazine voted it as the 32nd greatest guitar solo of all-time, Darrell's highest-ranking of three solos to make the list (the other two being his solos from "Cemetery Gates", ranked 35th, and "Walk", ranked 57th).

The album is available as downloadable content for the video game Rock Band, with the exception of "Suicide Note Pt. I".

Considered Pantera's most aggressive album, The Great Southern Trendkill is known for featuring much screaming, most notably on "Suicide Note Pt. II" and "The Great Southern Trendkill" while also featuring some of the fastest tempos and most down-tuned guitars ("The Underground in America" and "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin" were played in A=425Hz standard D tuning, with the 6th string tuned to a low G.) that the band ever recorded. It also has a more experimental nature, such as the acoustic guitars and ballads.

Unlike Pantera's first three major label albums, the vocals are often double-tracked and layered to create a more "demonic" effect. An example of this can be heard in the chorus of "13 Steps to Nowhere", when Phil Anselmo's singing voice is backed up by high-pitched screaming, done by Seth Putnam of the band Anal Cunt. Screams done by Anselmo on the song "The Great Southern Trendkill" were compared to Putnam.

The lyrical themes on The Great Southern Trendkill include drugs, a flood that ends mankind, finding deeper meaning, anger, and the media. The album features elements of thrash metal and death metal, but is mostly considered a groove metal album overall.

On August 12, 2016, Pantera announced the release of a 20th anniversary edition of The Great Southern Trendkill for October 21. The reissue features two discs, including a remastered version of the original album as well as 12 unreleased tracks (these include instrumentals, as well as alternative mixes and live recordings from the Dynamo Festival in 1998). In addition, a separate LP named The Great Southern Outtakes was released. It consists of songs also released on disc 2 of Trendkill's reissue except for the intro and early mix of "Suicide Note Part l".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Pantera.

1. "The Great Southern Trendkill" 3:47
2. "War Nerve" 4:53
3. "Drag the Waters" 4:55
4. "10's" 4:49
5. "13 Steps to Nowhere" 3:37
6. "Suicide Note Pt. I" 4:44
7. "Suicide Note Pt. II" 4:19
8. "Living Through Me (Hells' Wrath)" 4:50
9. "Floods" 6:59
10. "The Underground in America" 4:33
11. "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin" 5:39

Total length: 53:05

Disc 2 (from The Great Southern Trendkill: 20th Anniversary Edition)

1. "The Great Southern Trendkill" (2016 Mix) 4:07
2. "War Nerve" (Live at Dynamo Festival, 1998) 5:21
3. "Drag the Waters" (Alternative Early Mix) 5:00
4. "10's" (Alternative Early Mix) 4:53
5. "13 Steps to Nowhere" (Instrumental Version) 3:40
6. "Suicide Note Pt. I" (Intro) 1:13
7. "Suicide Note Pt. I" (Alternative Early Mix) 3:53
8. "Suicide Note Pt. II" (Live at Dynamo Festival, 1998) 4:48
9. "Living Through Me (Hells' Wrath)" (Instrumental Version) 4:54
10. "Floods" (Alternative Early Mix) 7:19
11. "The Underground in America" (Alternative Early Mix) 3:56
12. "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin" (Live at Dynamo Festival, 1998) 4:34

Total length: 53:38

Two-disc set wich includes the original album remastered, plus a dozen previously unreleased mixes, instrumentals, and live recordings. The set also features rare photos from the era, as well as new liner notes by rock critic and radio producer Katherine Turman that explore the stories behind the album and its legacy.

The second disc features an unreleased version of every album track, including two versions of "Suicide Note Pt. 1" - a rough mix of the track, along with a separate version of the introduction, which spotlights Dimebag on 12-string acoustic guitar. The second disc also features a newly remixed version of the title track, rough mixes for "Drag The Waters" and "The Underground In America," as well as instrumental takes for "13 Steps To Nowhere" and "Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath)." In addition to the studio recordings, the anniversary collection features three live tracks recorded at the Dynamo Festival in Holland in 1998: "War Nerve," "Suicide Note Pt. II," and "Sandblasted Skin."

There is a hidden track (0:41) after "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin".

Recording information:

Recorded in DWG, TX at Chasin Jason Studios.

Mixed in Los Angeles, CA at Larrabee Sound Studios.

Vocals recorded at Nothing Studios, New Orleans, LA.

All songs written & arranged by Pantera.