Publisher: Backbeat Books 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen
From my pile of ”books to read”, I found this book that I have actually read and then forgotten about it. It was sent to me for a review, and I guess a long overdue one is better than no review at all.
The whole title of the book is a bit more revealing that just ”Reinventing Metal”. It is ”The true story of Pantera and the tragically short life of Dimebag Darrell - an unauthorized biography”. And that’s says it all, really. If you’re familiar with any of the other Daniels’ biographies, you’ll know that he’s done a lot of research and interviews for his books, coming up with different sides to the story. After reading this, I probably know more about Pantera than most of my favorite bands.
Even though I don’t really like Pantera, their story was fascinating to read. To some younger fans of the band it might come as a surprise that the band had released several albums before their breakthrough album ”Cowboys From Hell”. It might be an even bigger surprise that 80’ies Pantera was a full-on spandex-clad Hair Metal band. This book has the photos to prove.
There’s a definite ”dramatic arc” in the book, starting with the passionate, metal-loving Abbott brothers’ fight to get Pantera off the ground. With the addition of Phil Anselmo, they find a new style that takes them to the forefront of the metal scene. Then things go sour and the band splits up. With Dimebag’s tragic death in 2004 the story of the band ends violently, but their legacy lives on.
http://www.neildaniels.com/
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