Pantera — Death Match: Vulgar Display of Power vs Far Beyond Driven
Metal Nerdery Podcast — Episode 369 | Published September 17, 2026 | metalnerdery.com | @metalnerderypodcast
"(The guitar) sounds like a fucking saw… it's always sounded like a saw, to me… that slide…"
"This album (Vulgar) really created groove metal… this album mastered it."
"Hostile is thrash mayhem and Broken is groove mayhem…"
"Driven is an uglier album… it's got more hair on it…"
"We're literally just zigging and zagging… zagging and zigging, zigging and zagging…"
"That's my new name by the way… Dick Wildcard."
"I almost feel like Side 2 of Driven might be better than Side 2 of Vulgar…"
About This Episode
It's Death Match season again — and this time it's personal. Two of the greatest Pantera albums ever recorded enter the Bunkerpoon Octagon. Only one walks out.
Vulgar Display of Power (1992) was forged in the fire of Pantera's relentless Cowboys from Hell tour — including their legendary performance at the Monsters of Rock show at Tushino airfield in Moscow in 1991 in front of more than a million people after the fall of the Soviet Union. Heavier, angrier, and more potent than anything that came before it, Vulgar perfected the power groove metal sound and raised the bar for all of metal.
Far Beyond Driven (1994) progressed forward in the same fashion — hairier, darker, uglier, and more brutally aggressive. The album shot straight to #1 on the Billboard charts, making it arguably the most extreme album ever to achieve that feat — and yes, the original cover is exactly as graphic as you think it is. (NO, not THAT one! The OTHER one… but also… definitely THAT one.)
Both albums produced by Terry Date and Vinnie Paul. Song by song. Track by track. No mercy. There can be only one.
🎙 We'll Play Your Sh*t-tah! — Maidenhead
🎧 Featured Artist — Maidenhead
"Kill or Be Killed" feat. Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth) — from Maximum Clonage (2026)
"I saw that name and immediately thought of an Iron Maiden cover band…" "Matthew promised he'd be totally respectful… maybe not 'totally' respectful…" "(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…"
The Death Match — Song by Song
🏃 Vulgar Display of Power (left, gold) vs Far Beyond Driven (right, red) — track by track through the Bunkerpoon Octagon
"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…" vs "I'm bone, brain, and cock… deep down, stronger than all!"
"Talk about a killer opener…"
"Such an iconic riff… there's up-picking in that part…" "This album (Vulgar) really created groove metal… this album mastered it." vs "That's actually an ugly solo…"
"This album really created groove metal… this album mastered it."
"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…" "Here's my problem: the next two are the two Pantera songs I get tired of… both of them." "We've had this discussion multiple times about the production differences between each Pantera album… you can REALLY hear the difference."
"Walk is Enter Sandman for Pantera."
"That's one of the raddest fucking solos ever!" vs "That outro part… one of the best moments in the Pantera catalog… you can just put that on a loop for 18 hours…" "#TornadoWarning — NOTE: the Bunkerpoon is the safest place to be during a tornado warning."
"Hostile is thrash mayhem and Broken is groove mayhem…"
"Alright, go halfway up…" "No. More. Head. Trips." "You have to have something quiet before it gets loud… it's called light and shade…" vs "Okay, NOW it's time for Bill's favorite song on Far Beyond Driven…" "Sounds like he's nutting off on somebody there…"
"That is thrash goodness right there… that's thrash metal… old school." "(It's)
Helmet…
Unsung…" (the verse riff on Rise) vs "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…"
"We're literally just zigging and zagging… zagging and zigging, zigging and zagging…"
"Here comes the sawblade tone again…" "Completely ridicurlous…" vs "This one's got a bunch of 'Awwwwww Mannnnnn'…" "What!? That's NOT what he said!" "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… if you wanna split, if you wanna draw…"
"That's my new name by the way… Dick Wildcard."
"This may have always been my
skipper on
Vulgar…" "That just sounds like a drunk riff… 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 — the master. vs "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…"
"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…" vs "That clean part kinda reminds me of 'The Sleep' (from CFH)…" "That's a meaty fucking bass tone…"
"Like ZZ Top on steroids…"
"I still love it… that riff is so ugly…" "Breakin' the law…" #
JudasPriest #BeavisAndButtheadASMR "It's the same exact cadence and everything…" vs "It's almost like death metal, this next part… that's fucking death metal!" "That one is on the workout mix, for sure…"
"You don't even have to play the first part, just get to the meat…" "It's the perfect evolution of Cemetery Gates…" "That solo before the breakdown? Oh my God… chef's kiss." "Ovah they-uh, I declay-uh… I say, I say, boy…" vs "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?"
"Hollow is the perfect evolution of Cemetery Gates."
NOTE: Planet Caravan was not included in the tally. "We're not gonna include Planet Caravan in the tally…"
⚔ And the Winner of this Pantera Death Match is…
Listen to Find Out 🤘
"We have the answer… that's pretty close." · "Take your shoes off if you need to… maybe you should get your Book of Sevens out…"
Episode Timestamps
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 patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast / "This episode is gonna feature some SHITTAH sent to us by the band… this band is called #Maidenhead…" / "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) / "(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…"
13:40SOCIAL MEDIA: #metalnerderypodcast / EMAIL: metalnerdery@gmail.com / VOICEMAIL: 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 Queensrÿche…") / "Here's my vocal addendum about Far Beyond Driven… the original cover is WAY more graphic…" / "It's still the pooper… are they holding the cheeks apart?" / Both albums produced by Terry Date / "So… before we start: which album do you like better?" / #markthetime / "(Vulgar) sounds classic… to us."
27:15TRACK 1 — Mouth for War vs Strength Beyond Strength / "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…" / "I'm bone, brain, and cock… deep down, stronger than all!"
31:36TRACK 2 — A New Level vs Becoming / "Such an iconic riff… there's up-picking in that part…" / "This album (Vulgar) really created groove metal… this album mastered it." / "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…"
37:54TRACK 3 — Walk vs Five Minutes Alone / "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…" / "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
43:15TRACK 4 — Fucking Hostile vs I'm Broken / "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…") / "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) / TRACK 5 — This Love vs Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills / "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…"
53:44TRACK 6 — Rise vs Hard Lines and Sunken Cheeks / "I think that might be one of my favorite tracks on Vulgar…" / "That is thrash goodness right there… that's thrash metal… old school." / "(It's) Helmet… Unsung…" / "This was a skippy… I like it… I don't 'not' like it…" / "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…"
58:59TRACK 7 — Slaughtered vs No Good (Attack the Radical) / "Here comes the sawblade tone again…" / "Completely ridicurlous…" / "This one's got a bunch of 'Awwwwww Mannnnnn'…" / "What!? That's NOT what he said!" / "Some of these songs with the Far Beyond mix would be different… 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."
1:06:06TRACK 8 — Live in a Hole vs 25 Years / "This may have always been my skipper on Vulgar…" / "That just sounds like a drunk riff… 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." / "The riff is just a pick scratch and a bend… it's ugly." / "The formula on both albums is the same…"
1:13:13TRACK 9 — Regular People (Conceit) vs Shedding Skin / "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…" / "That clean part kinda reminds me of 'The Sleep' (from CFH)…" / "That's a meaty fucking bass tone…" / #markthetime
1:20:37TRACK 10 — By Demons Be Driven vs Use My Third Arm / "I still love it… that riff is so ugly…" / "Breakin' the law…" / #JudasPriest / #BeavisAndButtheadASMR / "It's the same exact cadence and everything…" / "It's almost like death metal, this next part… that's fucking death metal!" / "That one is on the workout mix, for sure…"
1:25:45TRACK 11 — Hollow vs Throes of Rejection / "You don't even have to play the first part, just get to the meat…" / "It's the perfect evolution of Cemetery Gates…" / "That solo before the breakdown? Oh my God… chef's kiss." / "Ovah they-uh, I declay-uh… I say, I say, boy…" / "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?"
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
- Episode: Metal Nerdery #369 — Pantera Death Match: Vulgar Display of Power vs Far Beyond Driven
- Format: Death Match — song by song, track by track, 11 rounds
- Both produced by: Terry Date & Vinnie Paul
- Vulgar Display: Released February 24, 1992 · Atco Records · Mastered the power groove metal sound
- Far Beyond Driven: Released March 22, 1994 · East West/Atlantic · Debuted #1 on Billboard — arguably the most extreme album ever to do so
- Planet Caravan: Not included in the tally. You're welcome.
- Featured artist: Maidenhead — "Kill or Be Killed" feat. Chris Poland (Maximum Clonage, 2026)
- Tornado warning: The Bunkerpoon is the safest place to be. Fact.
- Dick Wildcard: That's his new name. It's in the record now.
- The winner: Listen to find out 🤘
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