The band’s final full and best known lineup was Phil Anselmo on vocals, Dimebag Darrell on guitar, Rex Brown on bass guitar and Vinnie Paul on drums.   

Pantera released four records with this style throughout the early to mid 80s, none of which would be met with any notable success. And in a turn of events, Pantera would abandon their roots, nearly wiping the world of all traces of them. In 1990, Pantera released their true debut album, “Cowboys From Hell.” 

Pantera were trailblazers, pioneering the groove metal sound which defined their entire later career. Groove metal is a subgenre defined by its slower, repetition-focused and groove-focused riffs, encompassing traits of thrash, traditional metal and extreme metal, especially in the vocal performances of groove tracks. 

Following the success of the groundbreaking “Cowboys From Hell,” Pantera released “Vulgar Display of Power” in 1992, to even greater acclaim than their previous record. Against all odds, with their third record, “Far Beyond Driven,” Pantera not only achieved their first Billboard number one album, but also crafted the heaviest and most extreme record to hold this position. On top of this, they did so at the height of grunge, an alternative rock subgenre defined by highly distorted guitars and introspective lyrics which dominated the mainstream in the mid 1990s.

Even in the midst of band tensions coming from Anselmo’s use of alcohol and hard drugs, Pantera recorded a fourth record, with Anselmo recording his pieces separately from the rest of the band in Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails’ studio. This record was “The Great Southern Trendkill,” the magnum opus of Pantera and one of the greatest albums of all time.

“The Great Southern Trendkill” was far more raw and extreme than any of Pantera’s previous releases, melding elements of death metal, grindcore and other extreme metal subgenres with their original groove metal sound. Not only this, but “The Great Southern Trendkill” features tracks of slow, downtuned doom metal and a country-reminiscent song led by Dimebag Darrell playing a 12-string acoustic guitar. 

A great deal of this record’s quality comes from its sonic variance. It delivers on everything expected from a Pantera record while also exploring new territories which showcase not yet seen facets of the band’s skillset. 

Every element of “The Great Southern Trendkill” comes together perfectly to take the listener on a journey through rage-fueled, spiteful death metal; hypnotic doom metal; mournful acoustic ballads; erratic, violent grindcore; classic groove metal and immaculate traditional metal masterpieces. 

The record opens with its titular track, “The Great Southern Trendkill,” which rages against the vapid materialism and trend-chasing of society. This commentary has only become more relevant in the thirty years since the record’s release. The lyrics describe how people will sacrifice anything to follow the newest trend, hence, “if Hell was ‘in,’ you’d give your soul.”

“The Great Southern Trendkill” is overall a more classic groove metal track. Instrumentally speaking, it displays a relatively traditional riff, just harsher vocals than much of Pantera’s previous work. And in keeping with nearly the entirety of the band’s discography, the track ends with a Dimebag Darrell solo. 

“War Nerve” is one of the more death metal influenced tracks, with its aggressive vocals and instrumentals. Expletive-laden lyrics convey an animosity towards the world. The track is easily one of the most raw and aggressive of the record. 

“Drag the Waters” is the third track of the record, and interestingly, the only track from “The Great Southern Trendkill” to be included on Pantera’s best of release. “Drag the Waters” is one of the track’s most similar to Pantera’s prior releases, with a consistent grooving riff and clean vocals, while the lyrics discuss “dragging the waters,” a metaphor for the difficult search for the truth.

An immediately notable track, “10’s” entirely sheds any resemblance to groove metal, instead favoring the low, slow, crushing riffs of doom metal. Not only is the solo significantly slower paced than the vast majority of its counterparts, it is also preceded by an acoustic interlude, which is rarely seen in Pantera tracks. The out-of-the-ordinary instrumental combined with Anselmo’s hypnotic vocals make “10’s” a clear standout of the record. 

“13 Steps to Nowhere” is one of the less memorable tracks of “The Great Southern Trendkill.” Although far from bad, the song never had as much that made it stand out, hence the lack of any significant analysis. 

“Suicide Note” is Anselmo’s two-part lamentation of his crippling heroin addiction, telling a story mirroring his own. Part one begins with a haunting keyboard opening which transitions into a relatively simple but enthralling piece played on a 12-string acoustic guitar while the lyrics describe a man, heavily implied to be a stand-in for Anselmo, and his struggles with cocaine addiction, eventually leading him to attempt suicide by slitting his wrists. However, the man survives and resolves to “try to live through this night.”

The second part of the track begins by giving the listener sonic whiplash, having changed from an acoustic ballad into an erratic piece of grindcore — one of, if not the most extreme sub genres of metal music — where the man has succeeded in suicide, with a “gun up to the mouth / no pretension, execution.” With a sense of finality, the man states, “this is for me / and me only, cowards only try it / don’t you try to die / like me.”

“Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)” is yet another death metal-influenced track and, like other tracks found later in the records runtime, it features a nearly silent interlude which separates the aggressive punch of the track into sections, giving the listener some valuable breathing room while the track blazes along like a runaway steam engine. 

The magnum opus of Pantera’s magnum opus is without a doubt the ninth track, “Floods.” The track opens with an instantly crushing, atmospheric guitar piece which segues into the first half of the song, where all the lyrics are contained. The moment Anselmo says, “a dead issue / don’t wrestle with it,” the tone of the six minutes to come is cemented. 

With an infinitely ominous echo, Anselmo tells the story of mankind’s limitless sin. Describing how “then throughout the night / they were raped and executed … coldhearted world” and “then throughout the day / mankind played with the grenades … coldhearted world / and at night, they might bait the pentagram … extinguishing the sun.”

And yet, even in the face of man’s sin, those who could stand for the good of the world do not. Hence: “deaf ears are sleeping / a guilty bliss / so inviting (let me in)” and “your language unheard of / the vast sound of tuning out.” Thus, in the face of the righteouses’ apathy towards sin, God exercises his power, deciding to “wash away man, take him with the flood” in a crushing yet doubtlessly beautiful pair of bridges and guitar solo that feels as if the floods of sin and retribution are falling upon you through the song. 

And finally, with all man’s evil, cruelty and malice washed away, the track ends with one final, elegant solo, then silence. 

“The Underground in America” contains the death metal traits of other tracks yet not the respite, creating one of if not the most crushing and heavy track crafted by Pantera’s hands. For that, “The Underground in America” deserves applause. 

The themes of “The Great Southern Trendkill’s” titular track are carried on by its counterpart “(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin,” the record’s final track. Though it’s similar in style to its predecessor, the track is a bit heavier and nearly two minutes longer. However, most of that added time is silence, as the lyrics and instrumental of the song end a bit over three minutes into the song, leading to about a minute and a half of silence before the instruments enter once again for a final breakdown, ending the magnum opus of one of the greatest metal bands to ever play. 

Thirty years after its release, I give it a ten out of ten.

The post Revisiting Pantera’s Magnum Opus, 30 Years Later appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

U2 maintains the same lineup they have had for almost the entirety of their career: vocalist and primary lyricist Paul Hewson, known professionally as Bono; guitarist David Evans, known professionally as The Edge; bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr.

“Easter Lily” has six tracks, totaling 32 minutes, and includes “Song For Hal,” “In A Life,” “Scars,” “Resurrection Song,” “Easter Parade” and “COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?).”

“Song For Hal” is, for the most part, a standard U2 track aside from one major aspect: vocals. Instead of the job being done by main vocalist Bono, The Edge fulfills the role and certainly performs to par. Although their styles do differ slightly, they are of very comparable quality. 

Just from this first track, it is clear that U2 has maintained its iconic style of composition. Minimalist yet moving guitar pieces, emotional lyrics with spirited delivery, light drumming and a bass inaudibly playing rhythm come together into three to six tracks.

“In A Life,” is, well,  pretty good. Especially when the track hits its chorus, “In A Life” is able to capture the energy conveyed by older, better U2 songs, unlike the rest of the EP.

The track “Scars” focuses on self acceptance, with lyrics reading “It’s your scars that give you beauty / You’re a beauty / Don’t cover your scars / Don’t cover your scars… they’re your scars.” However any meaning can only be gleaned from retrospectively reading the lyrics, as “Scars” marks a major problem with the EP: The tracks blend heavily with one another and similar style and lyrics make them indistinguishable from each other. 

“Resurrection Song” and “Easter Parade” feel generic. They inspire no emotion or feeling of any kind, leading to a period of time that just felt blank. So blank, in fact, that despite listening to every track on this EP four or five times, I couldn’t describe any details of these tracks no matter how hard I tried.

“COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)” is an anti-war pop-rock song that is effectively trying to say killing each other is mean and we should just be nice to everyone. It’s a nice sentiment, but simply isn’t how the world works. If one seeks to espouse political stances through music, do so through intelligent lyrics delivered with either solemnity or rage, not naive writing and subpar vocals. 

An example of a much better anti-war song would be “1916” by Motörhead, which tells the story of the 16-year-old boys who shipped out to fight in World War I. The song is entirely structured around conveyance of its core message, the fast hard rock style of traditional Motörhead songs is traded for a slow, almost march-like sounds of a cello and military snare drum.

Not only that but Motörhead’s singer Lemmy Kilmister delivers the poignant lyrics he penned in a soft and mournful tone, adding significantly to the weight of the track as he describes the march to war of 10,000 soldiers and their eventual deaths where they are subsequently forgotten by the world at large.

Although both tracks discuss a similar theme of war, one is a brutal depiction of it, which needs to do no more than illustrate the realities of its subject while the other is little more than preaching about nothing of substance. 

This EP was never going to be groundbreaking, but on top of that, it’s fairly uninspiring and generally uninteresting. Overall I’d give it a four out of ten. The listening experience wasn’t unpleasant but it certainly wasn’t entertaining either. The EP gave me two and a half hours of blank listening which quickly morphed into three or four hours of me struggling to find anything — positive or negative — to say.

The post Trapped In Their Own Shadow appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

It is to be expected that this wide range of subgenres possess their own unique style of metal. Thus beginners can have immense difficulty in finding out where to start listening to the genre. Metal can, however, be broken down into levels of sorts, each becoming progressively heavier and more complex. 

Level One: Introductory 

The first level of metal music is introductory metal, demonstrated perfectly by the record “Meteora” by Linkin Park. “Meteora” is a relic from the peak of the nü-metal genre in the early 2000s. Nu metal was pioneered in the 1990s by bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot and peaked in terms of both popularity and quality with Linkin Park’s first two records, “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora,” released in 2000 and 2003 respectively.

“Meteora” contains the hallmarks of its subgenre: shorter songwriting almost completely devoid of solos, elements of electronic music rather than the traditional instruments of a metal band, although all of those instruments are still present, and a vocal style with elements of rapping,screaming and growling. 

Although almost every track on “Meteora” is legendary in its own right, three standout tracks are  “Faint,” “Figure.09” and “Numb.” “Faint” begins with its instantly recognizable electronic beat, which dominates the instrumental portion of the song. Percussion and guitar only enter around the chorus. As with almost every Linkin Park track of the time, the talent of rapping vocalist Mike Shinoda is elegantly mixed with the voice of lead vocalist Chester Bennington. 

“Figure.09” trades the electronic sound of “Faint” for guitar-led instrumental more reminiscent of traditional metal. 

“Numb” is a deeply emotional ballad with electronic beats intermixing perfectly with guitar riffs and percussion for the entirety of the track similarly to the harmonizing of Shinoda’s backing and Bennington’s lead vocals, which together create an unforgettable sound.

Level Two: Standard

The second level is standard metal, where the record “Painkiller” by Judas Priest is a perfect example. The musical style of “Painkiller” is a perfect evolution of the first metal played by Black Sabbath, with evolution brought on by changing musical capabilities. The album was released in 1990 along with other legendary metal records such as “Rust in Peace” by Megadeth and “Cowboys From Hell” by Pantera. 

The standout tracks of “Painkiller” are the titular track “Painkiller,” “Metal Meltdown,” and “One Shot at Glory.” “Painkiller” opens with its signature aggressive drums which are shortly joined by guitar and vocals, telling the story of the painkiller, a mechanical avenging angel who has come to save mankind from its devastation.

The complexity of “Metal Meltdown” is on full display from the instant the track opens with its masterfully technical guitar play, and although drums and vocals also make up a large part of the song, the guitar remains the most memorable part of the track. 

“One Shot at Glory” is a glorious anthem of courage and heroism, completed by inspiring vocal delivery and energizing instrumental.

Level Three: Experimental

The third level is experimental metal, and with it comes “Leviathan” by Mastodon. “Leviathan” is a concept album which melds the story and literary themes of “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville with the monstrous riffs of Mastodon. Mastodon blends the quas-classical complexity of progressive metal with the slower downtuned riffs of the sludge metal subgenre to create a sound that is almost wholly unique, and “Leviathan” is their masterpiece.

Each one of  the record’s tracks is a beautiful composition of its own, as goes with all of Mastodon’s work, but the best of the best are “Blood and Thunder,” “Naked Burn” and “Hearts Alive.” 

In “Blood and Thunder” the commands of Captain Ahab to his crew as they hunt the white whale who is Ahab’s “holy grail” make up the majority of the lyrics, with the riffs of guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher completely dominating the instrumental.

“Naked Burn” is in my opinion the greatest metal track of all time. The chugging riff is a wondrous demonstration of Mastodon’s prowess, and the protracted cries of “save yourself, don’t wait on me” which are barely audible beneath the guitar are quite simply haunting. One must listen to this track to truly understand its beauty. 

“Hearts Alive” is the nearly 14 minute penultimate track of “Leviathan,” composed of mostly instrumental passages. The song is an unforgettable testament to Mastodon’s ability not only to craft beautifully technical music, but also to impart complex themes and stories through that music. 

Level Four: Intricate  

The fourth level includes some of the most complex and heaviest subgenres and albums metal has to offer, including “From Mars to Sirius” by the French band Gojira. “From Mars to Sirius” is a record of the technical death metal genre, or tech death, for short, which is a subgenre of death metal which focuses on instrumental and songwriting complexity.

The three greatest tracks on “From Mars to Sirius” are “Ocean Planet,” “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” and “Flying Whales.” “Ocean Planet” features a short but technical guitar riff, which repeats for most of the track, sometimes accompanied by vocals and always followed by a moment of respite. This riff is quite enchanting and is alone enough to make a more than memorable track, despite amazing vocals and drumming. 

“The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” is an aggressive joyride, never slowing down and never giving the listener a moment to catch their breath, and is all the better for it. Unlike other tracks, which are dominated by one aspect, the vocals, guitar and drums all perfectly balance one another out, creating a listening experience to remember. 

“Flying Whales” showcases the intermixing of slow, almost melancholic instrumental passages with the aggressive weight of tech death music, taking the listener on a journey for the duration of the almost eight minute track.

From the simplest nü-metal track to the most complex progressive metal, there is a beauty that can be found in metal and nowhere else, and if I’ve managed to impart even a fraction of this beauty on my readers, then I’ve done my job well.

The post A Beginner’s Guide To Metal appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

This change has come at the same time as titans of traditional metal rest their laurels. The rising stars of modern metal are not remotely similar to, for example, the legendary band Megadeth, who released their final, self-titled album on Jan. 28. 

The band was formed in 1983 after guitarist and vocalist Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica due to his issues with substance abuse. The current lineup of the band includes the aforementioned Mustaine on vocals and guitar, James LoMenzo on bass, Dirk Verbeuren on drums and Teemu Mäntysaari on guitar. 

Megadeth’s discography began on May 17, 1985 with the release of “Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good.” Megadeth then went on to release seventeen records including hits such as “Rust In Peace”in 1990 and “Countdown to Extinction” in 1992, ending in 2026 with the record “Megadeth.”

The record contains 11 tracks, which are as follows: “Tipping Point,” “I Don’t Care,” “Hey God?!,” “Let There Be Shred,” “Puppet Parade,” “Another Bad Day,” “Made To Kill,” “Obey The Call,” “I Am War,” “The Last Note” and “Ride The Lightning (Metallica cover).” 

“I Don’t Care” opens immediately with Mustaine listing the things he does not care about. The tough guy act coming from a more than 60-year-old musician is many things; pleasant is not one of them. The instrumental is still enjoyable, but the lyrics are borderline painful to listen to, making this the worst track on the record.

Although a sonically pleasant track, “Hey God?!” could have been much better. Even as Mustaine calls out to God, saying “[he’s] had a lot of things on [his] mind” it feels as if he has nothing of importance to say. 

“Puppet Parade” is easily a standout track of the album. The instrumentals, vocals and lyrics are all well done and enjoyable to listen to.

“I Am War” speaks to similar militaristic themes as many Megadeth tracks, but with a different tone. “I Am War” seems to almost revel in war and all that it brings, providing a shakeup to the usual anti-war commentary one would’ve come to expect from the band. Overall this track is good enough but relatively forgettable, aside from the unique perspective.

“The Last Note” is a more introspective track than any other on the record. Here, Mustaine takes a moment to reflect on his storied career before lamenting its end with a bittersweet mix of pride and regret. Mustaine certainly has a lot to be proud of and he knows it, and he also recognizes that his legacy will outlive him, his “last note [will] never die.”  

Contrary to the band’s storied career, the record has been a disappointment to many. Bennett Ardeljan, a Summit sophomore and Megadeth fan said “If I saw [the album] in a record store, I would probably hide it behind other CDs and records so other people wouldn’t have to listen to it.”

Scathing as this review may be, it isn’t wrong. The majority of the album’s tracks are average and the standout tracks, good or bad, balance each other out, leaving a record which is mediocre. 

“Megadeth” is not just the end of a popular and influential band, but the end of an era. The once-dominant forces of metal are beginning to fizzle out, and there are almost no true, deserving successors to succeed them. For example, Sleep Token, a rising star in the modern “metal” scene, isn’t truly a metal band, let alone a band which produces quality music. 

Take Sleep Token’s song “Caramel,” which is the most streamed track of their most recent record and according to The New York Times, the single best song of 2025. The track is described to contain elements of “rap-metal, dream-prog, pop-reggaeton, backpack hip-hop, cosplay rock, metalcore.” 

As at least three of these subgenres are of either rock or metal, this song is in large part metal, yet its runtime of four minutes and 51 seconds, contains, by my count, only 104 seconds of guitar. In contrast, a track of comparable success, “The Heart From Your Hate,” by metalcore band Trivium contains four minutes and four seconds of guitar in its four minute and four seconds runtime. 

Guitar is undoubtedly a core part of metal and all its variants or subgenres, so to see it cast aside in a track hailed as the greatest of a year long period is a clear demonstration of what metal is coming to, and what is being lost of traditional metal. 

Now do not mistake me, I have no problem with innovation, but watching the genre that I grew up listening to, and will continue to listen to for all my life, be warped beyond recognition is without a doubt saddening. And make no mistake: This is no swan song, but a last gasp. Although even if this is the end of an era, Megadeth, and metal as a whole, had a good run, and for that I am eternally grateful. 

The post “Megadeth”: Swan Song or Last Gasp? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Since its creation TikTok has subtly reshaped the music industry, transforming unknown tracks into global hits overnight and influencing billions of corresponding video content. In fact, according to TikTok’s reflection on 2024, the platform’s top ten songs alone were used in over 200 million videos and generated more than eight million streams on Spotify. Yet, as the Recording Academy adapts to this digital age, I’m left wondering: is the rise of TikTok-driven music a celebration of diversity or indicative of a diminishing musical depth?

On one hand, TikTok’s impact has democratized music discovery, giving independent artists a chance to reach millions—without the backing of major labels. The platform enables fresh, diverse voices, challenging the previously selective system and infusing our music scene with some vibrant, innovative sounds. This is, without a doubt, an incredible accomplishment for modern music.

However, the platform’s emphasis on short, viral clips might be eroding the very fabric of musical artistry. TikTok’s ability to take one song and set it racing up the charts is sought-after, and for good reason. It’s no wonder some artists seem to focus on a catchy 15-second hook—think Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” which only gained popularity for its chorus before the release of the rest of the song—rather than crafting a complete composition. Additionally, artists may put more energy into one song than the rest of the album, banking on one viral dance to skyrocket their streams. But when the measure of a song’s value becomes its shareability, we are sacrificing long-term artistic merit for temporary virality. 

The evolution of the Grammys reflects this tension. In recent years, several Grammy-winning tracks were catapulted into the spotlight because they went viral on TikTok. From the 2023 Record of the Year winner—Lizzo’s “About Damn Time”–to 2025’s winner, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” the influence of TikTok is everywhere. While this shift allows the awards to stay relevant with younger audiences, it illustrates the Grammys’ preference for viral songs. 

This year’s Grammy nominations further underscore this issue. The most popular artists inevitably receive invites, often sidelining more innovative or overlooked talent. For example, Taylor Swift’s latest album dominated the conversation, but did it truly deserve its nomination over lesser-known, yet artistically ambitious, works? For instance, while subjectivity is a vital aspect of music, Maya Hawke’s album “Chaos Angel” has largely gone unnoticed, despite her being a household name and the album’s appealing originality.

The Academy keeps legacy acts like The Rolling Stones and Green Day in the mix, which sure, provides a sense of continuity, but it’s the chart-toppers who drive viewership. 15.4 million Americans tuned into the awards this year, but how many were just waiting for Billie Eilish? 

This emphasis on mainstream appeal makes the awards feel increasingly hollow. Recognition is tied more to commercial success than artistic excellence. If the Grammys genuinely sought to honor the best in music, the nomination process should require voters to listen to every song that exceeds a certain streaming threshold, rather than defaulting to the top 10% of hits.

Ultimately, the TikTokification of the Grammys embodies a broader cultural and artistic debate. Yes, TikTok has ushered in an era of access and diversity, but as the Grammys increasingly spotlight songs that owe their success to viral trends, we may end up trading depth for digital convenience. The challenge moving forward will be finding a balance that honors the immediacy of TikTok while preserving the enduring qualities of musical artistry.

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