Vinnie Paul On Pantera During ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ Era: We Truly Were An Army
In the early nineties Pantera were hitting their stride, and with the recent reissue of 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power’ twenty years later, it’s hard not to remember what an impact Pantera had on music during that era.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, drummer Vinnie Paul talked about the atmosphere in the studio during that time period, how he feels about the album two decades later, and what the future holds for Pantera.
When asked if the atmosphere in the studio was more work or play Paul said that the music always came first for Pantera. “Always work first and party later,” explained Paul. “We would get serious and kick some f—ing ass, and then at about two o’clock in the morning, three in the morning, four in the morning, five in the morning – whenever it was when we finished, we’d crack open a bottle of whiskey and start hitting the beer really hard and just sit back and listen to what we’d been working on. We’d think about what we were going to do to make it better and really just get excited about it as it came together.”
When reminiscing about that time, a feeling of solidarity was very present. “I just remember at that point in time, we truly were an army. And if you f—ed with one of us, you f—ed with all four of us,” said Paul. “We pulled the very best out of each one of ourselves, and with each record that we made, that mountain got taller and taller to climb.”
As for what the future holds for the legacy of Pantera, Paul feels that the music is better left as is. “It really was a great time and a time period, and it’s time for all of us to move on with all of the other things that we’re doing,” explained Paul. “And we’re all doing our own thing and happy about it. But Pantera definitely was special.”
You can say that again.