Rebel Meets Rebel – s/t
Posted by Mastema on May 1st, 2007
European Pantera fans probably thought this album would never reach the Old Continent! Indeed, Rebel Meets Rebel was released on 1st May…2006 on Big Vin Records (Vinnie Paul’s record company) in the States, which means Europe had to wait for almost a year! It seems Vinnie had a lot of trouble finding a decent distributor here in Europe. That’s a fucking shame but let’s just forget about that for now and thank Locomotive Records for doing a proper job!
For those who don’t know what we’re talking about here: Rebel Meets Rebel is a project which gathers former Pantera/Damageplan members Vinnie Paul (drums), Rex Brown (bass) and Dimebag Darrell (guitars), who has passed away since then (no need to come back to this atrocious assassination which has shocked the metal world), and American country music-icon David Allan Coe. This actually means two things. One: this is a freakin’ strange mix! Two: this album is the very last studio recording featuring Dimebag, and that’s a reason enough for enjoying it.
Apart from this automatic cult-status due to the fact that Dime’s past away now, this album actually sounds really good too! Of course it will disorientate or even derange a few fragile ears which aren’t used to hear this kind of marriage. But let me tell you this: I don’t know much about country music but I was still able to enjoy this quite a lot. The mix between Dime and Vinnie’s metal bashing and David’s raspy and (very) roots voice is as original as it is awesome. David’s voice will probably annoy a few people, but one must try to be open for new stuff once in awhile and this is a perfect opportunity!
This album also enables us to hear once again (for the last time, sadly) the incredible chemistry between the two Abbott brothers. Drums and guitars never sounded as tight on one another than on any Vinnie and Dime recording! More precisely, RMR’s also a great opportunity to hear Dime play something quite different from his usual “in-your-face” type of metal riffing (which he’s perfect at, I’ll add!). It actually made me sad because when I hear the talent this man had, I just can’t help wondering how many different things he might have tried if he had still been alive… Last but not least: I think Rex’s bass never sounded as good as on this album: a lot of feeling and diversity (check the slaps on “Nothin’ to Lose”…) in his playing, a lot of warmth and groove in the sound!
So this album is meant not only for die-hard Pantera fans, but also for curious people willing to give a chance to original projects. Overall it’s a very cool album, especially tracks like “Nothin’ to Lose”, “Heart Worn Highway”, “One Nite Stands” (check the solo!) or the nice ending track “N.Y.C. Streets”. However, a few songs on the second half of the album are a little more uneven, but once again: the mix of the two music styles is really cool, and it’s a perfect testimony for this great musician named Darrell Lance Abbott. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it: Dime’s musical roots have always been in country music, and then he formed a metal band. His final album offers the best of both worlds…
Released : 16/02/2007 (Europe)
Style : Metal/Country Crossover
Country : USA
Label : Big Vin Records (USA)/Locomotive Records (Europe)
Website : www.rebelmeetsrebel.com
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