#369 Pantera — Death Match: Vulgar Display of Power vs Far Beyond Driven

It’s DEATH MATCH season again, and it’s time to take two of the very best PANTERA albums and make them battle it out in the Bunkerpoon Octagon, featuring 1992’s multi-platinum VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER against the 1994 Billboard Number 1 follow-up, FAR BEYOND DRIVEN.

VULGAR was under construction throughout the band’s relentless tour for Cowboys From Hell in the states and following their legendary performance at the Monsters of Rock show in Moscow at Tushino airfield in 1991 in front of more than a million people after the fall of the Soviet Union. Possessing a far heavier, angrier, and potent sound than its predecessor, VULGAR had just raised the bar for metal and perfected the power groove metal sound that began on Cowboys.

DRIVEN, much like VULGAR, progressed forward in the same fashion, with a much more aggressive production quality and a sound that is effectively the hairier, darker, and uglier follow up to Vulgar with just as much of a beautifully brutal assault on the senses, not to mention an exponentially more intense album cover (NO, not THAT one! The OTHER one…but also…definitely THAT one, for sure!)

It’s time to throw down the gauntlet and unleash hell in the Bunkerpoon Octagon, because the time has come to pass judgment and “there can be only one” to reign victorious.

So “take your shoes off if you need to” and “get your Book of Sevens out” before you JOIN US to find out THE WINNER of this PANTERA HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH, featuring two of the finest back-to-back Terry Date produced albums in metal history: VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER & FAR BEYOND DRIVEN.

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Show Notes & Time Stamps:

(00:01): “That’s the noise I make…” / “Have y’all seen the Chick-Fil-A Chicken & Waffle thing?” / “I love The Lord’s chicken…but their biscuits aren’t good… / #ChickFilA

“As long as we’re talking shit about fast food…”/ #BK #chickennuggets

“Cats, Rats, & Bats Value Menu…” / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***

“That was Bill…about 35 years ago…”

***WELCOME BACK TO THE BUNKERPOON CENTER FOR METAL EXCELLENCE AND THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** / “I did get the spicy (sandwich)…that’s the move…”

(05:20): ***PATREON US at www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast ***

“This episode is gonna feature some SHITTAH sent to us by the band…this band is called Maidenhead…” #EPK #bandcamp

“I saw that name and immediately thought of an Iron Maiden cover band…”

“Matthew promised he’d be totally respectful…maybe not ‘totally’ respectful…”

#Maidenhead KILL OR BE KILLED - feat. Chris Poland (Maximum Clonage – 2026)

“It’s gotta be after the breakdown…solos kinda go after a breakdown…”

“(Chris Poland’s) sound is very distinct…”/

“All of our followers in Bangladesh are gonna love this…it’s like our 2nd biggest market…”

“Australia likes eccentric stuff…eccentric is a fancier way of saying stupid and sophomoric…”

(13:40): ***SOCIAL MEDIA US at #metalnerderypodcast on #YouTube #Facebook #Instagram #TikTok

***EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com

***GIVE US A CALL AND VOICEMAIL US AT 980-666-8182!!!***

“Dude, that’s fistworthy…let’s do it.” / “Sorry, 4th wall, dude…”

NOTE: Big Hairy Elephant (aka Mastodon) actually played a surprise “secret show” at The Earl in Atlanta, Georgia on 09/11/2026

(17:43): “Take your get ready pills…NOW…He’s ready…he’s primed.”

METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS THE PANTERA HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH – Vulgar VS Driven

#PanterA #VulgarDisplayOfPower #FarBeyondDriven #DeathMatch

“Let’s start with the (album) covers…”

“Who is getting punched in the face there?” (“It looks like Geoff Tate from Queensryche…”)

“Here’s my vocal addendum about Far Beyond Driven…the original cover is WAY more graphic…look at THAT! That’s like Metal Up Your Ass times a thousand!”

“It’s still the pooper…are they holding the cheeks apart?”

What’s YOUR vote for the best cover? / Both albums produced by Terry Date /

Vulgar – released in 1992, Driven – released in 1994 /

“So…before we start: which album do you like better?” / #markthetime

“(Vulgar) sounds classic…to us.” / “As we say this…just thinking about it…I have a feeling…”

(27:15): MOUTH FOR WAR

“(The guitar) sounds like a fucking saw…it’s always sounded like a saw, to me…that slide…”

“Talk about a killer opener…I think Bill might have been right before…”

“Far Beyond has the one Pantera song that I don’t like that I’ll skip every time…we’ve already talked about it…”/

STRENGTH BEYOND STRENGTH

“I’m bone, brain, and cock…deep down, stronger than all!”

The Verdict

(31:36): A NEW LEVEL / “Such an iconic riff…there’s up-picking in that part…”

“This album (Vulgar) really created groove metal…this album mastered it.”/

BECOMING

“That’s actually an ugly solo…”

The Decision

“Here’s the problem: the next two are the two Pantera songs I get tired of…both of them.”

“(Walk) is an anthem…it’s Enter Sandman for Pantera…”

(37:54): WALK

“To me, (the main riff from Walk) that’s always ‘heavy’ Roadhouse Blues…I always think of Roadhouse Blues by The Doors…”/ “Basically the same song on the next album…”

FIVE MINUTES ALONE

“We’ve had this discussion multiple times about the production differences between each Pantera album…you can REALLY hear the difference in production between Vulgar and (Driven)…”

Judgments

(43:15): FUCKING HOSTILE

“That’s one of the raddest fucking solos ever!”

“I’m already gonna tell ya…on I’m Broken, that outro part…one of the best moments in the Pantera catalog…you can just put that on a loop for 18 hours…”

(“And now…Doro with The Weather…”)

I’M BROKEN

“Hostile is thrash mayhem and Broken is groove mayhem…”

(48:02): “And we’re back…” / #tornadowarning (NOTE: the Bunkerpoon is the safest place to be during a tornado warning) / Decisions, decisions… (regarding Track 4) /

THIS LOVE / “Alright, go halfway up…”/ “No. More. Head. Trips.” /

“You have to have something quiet before it gets loud…it’s called light and shade…”/

“Okay, NOW it’s time for Bill’s favorite song on Far Beyond Driven…”

GOOD FRIENDS AND A BOTTLE OF PILLS

“Sounds like he’s nutting off on somebody there…”

“Jury, have you reached a verdict?”

(53:44): “I think that might be one of my favorite tracks on Vulgar…whatever track 6 is…”

RISE / “That is thrash goodness right there…that’s thrash metal…old school.”

“(It’s) Helmet…Unsung…” (the verse riff on Rise) /

HARD LINES AND SUNKEN CHEEKS

“This was a skippy…I like it…I don’t ‘not’ like it…I just don’t know if I like it as much as Rise…” / “That’s a creepy riff…” / “That kinda reminds me of 10’s in a way…the vibe of it…”

Decision Time

“We’re literally just zigging and zagging…zagging and zigging, zigging and zagging…”

“I almost feel like Side 2 of Driven might be better than Side 2 of Vulgar…”

(58:59): SLAUGHTERED / “Here comes the sawblade tone again…”/ “We’ve gotta hear the middle part of this, too…”/ “Completely ridicurlous…”/

NO GOOD (ATTACK THE RADICAL) / “This one’s got a bunch of ‘Awwwwww Mannnnnn’…” / “What!? That’s NOT what he said!” / “That’s a tough one…”

Decisions, decisions…

“Some of these songs with the Far Beyond mix would be different…that song…I think it would be heavier…” / “For the workout mix, Slaughtered gets it for sure…”/

“Y’all can do a half a point…to be fair…if you wanna split, if you wanna draw…”

“That’s my new name by the way…Dick Wildcard.”

(1:06:06): LIVE IN A HOLE

“This may have always been my skipper on Vulgar…”

“That just sounds like a drunk riff, doesn’t it? Sounds like Dimebag after a few Black Tooth Grins…”/ “Ugly blues, that’s it.”/

NOTE: It’s actually called a Talk Box. The Voice Box is more commonly called the larynx.

“(Peter Frampton) is the master. He did it first…in his mouth. That’s how you do it, dude…”

“No, it’s bigger than a straw…you ARE David Lee Roth if you’re snorting cocaine with that straw…”/

25 YEARS / “The riff is just a pick scratch and a bend…it’s ugly.”

“The formula on both albums is the same…” / “It’s like 2 different songs basically…”

The Verdict

(1:13:13): “So, let’s go back to Vulgar…”

REGULAR PEOPLE (CONCEIT)

“Great riff…very technical…like ZZ Top on steroids…”

“I’m trying to remember how the middle part went…oh yeah…the weird, siren guitar solo…”

#usethoseheadphones / “To me, that’s where he started with all the weird noises…”/

SHEDDING SKIN

“That clean part kinda reminds me of ‘The Sleep’ (from CFH) …”/ #markthetime

“That’s a meaty fucking bass tone…”

Decisions, decisions…

(1:20:37): BY DEMONS BE DRIVEN

“I still love it…that riff is so ugly…”/ “Breakin’ the law…” / #JudasPriest /

#BeavisAndButtheadASMR / “It’s the same exact cadence and everything…”/

USE MY THIRD ARM

“It’s almost like death metal, this next part…that’s fucking death metal!”

“That one is on the workout mix, for sure…”

Hmmmmmmm…which one?

(1:25:45): HOLLOW

“You don’t even have to play the first part, just get to the meat…”

“It’s the perfect evolution of Cemetary Gates…”

“That solo before the breakdown? Oh my God…chef’s kiss.”

“Ovah they-uh, I declay-uh…I say, I say, boy…” /

THROES OF REJECTION

“Let’s jump to that end part…”

“Reminds me a little bit…of the end of Bury Me In Smoke…”

“(Driven) is an uglier album…it’s got more hair on it…”/ “Wanna split a point? ½ point?”

Last call…what’ll it be?

(1:34:13): “We’re not gonna include Planet Caravan in the tally…”

“Take your shoes off if you need to…maybe you should get your Book of Sevens out…”

AND THE WINNER OF THIS PANTERA HEAD-TO-HEAD DEATH MATCH IS…

“We have the answer…that’s pretty close.”

“I need some either wings or fried chicken…”/ “I’ve got a wings question…”

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / #untilthenext #DeathMatch #outroreel