Pantera

Rex Brown's Official Truth: Pantera's Literary Autopsy

Official Truth, 101 Proof: The Inside Story of Pantera By Rex Brown Da Capo Press, 304 pp., $15.47 Back in Pantera's '90s heyday, few fans would have guessed that the first guy to write a tell-all history of the band would be Rex Brown. Though an indivisible component of Pantera's larger-than-lif ... More >>

5 Bands Studies Show Make You a Bad Person

We've been hearing for years that rock music makes us bad people. We've heard it from our parents, from teachers, from those goody-goody kids at school. AC/DC has probably written at least 100 songs about the subject. But what if I told you that scientists in the Netherlands have proved definitively ... More >>

Metal Lifers Warbeast Trample Warehouse Live Tonight

For metal fans, it'll be thrash before hash tonight at Warehouse Live when Arlington's Warbeast returns once again in support of Down, the New Orleans sludge metal supergroup fronted by Pantera's Philip Anselmo. Rewind: Down Singer Philip Anselmo Kicks Off Busy 2013 Despite the clash of styles - ... More >>

Down Singer Philip Anselmo Kicks Off Busy 2013

From Pantera to Down to Superjoint Ritual and half a dozen more side projects, one band has never been enough to contain all of the musical ideas rattling around inside the shaven, tattooed head of legendary metal vocalist Philip Anselmo. This year, fans will get to experience the purest strain yet ... More >>

Friday Night: Hell City Kings and Burn the Boats at Fitzgerald's

Hell City Kings, Burn the Boats Fitzgerald's Januarary 4, 2013 Rocks Off was able to catch the middle chunk of American Fangs' record-release lineup, and while I didn't have a chance to see the headliners support their long-awaited release, Burn the Boats put on a strong enough show to make the qui ... More >>

The 10 Best Metal & Punk Albums Too Rough for the Texas 30

So, the Texas 30 has been revealed at last. And it's a good list, too: Well-considered, fair and complete. Even if a lot of the records that got picked tend to be a little... well, pussy, I guess is the word I'm looking for here. Rewind: The Texas 30 (cover story) Slideshow: The Texas 30 album co ... More >>

Rex Brown On Moving On, Kill Devil Hill & Smoking Dope With Dio

To fans, bassist Rex Brown was always a bit like Pantera's answer to "The Quiet Beatle," typically overshadowed by the more outsized personalities of his bandmates. Nevertheless, his contributions to the group's groundbreaking metal groove were undeniable, and as a founding member of the band, he wa ... More >>

Texans-Titans: The Best Rapper Tweets

The Top 10 Weirdest U.S. No. 1 Hits

It's not often that the pop charts will surprise you. After all, the average consumer in most countries doesn't have time to delve too deep into an artist's catalogue. They don't often pick up on songs that will stand the test of time. They like the ephemera record labels tell them is hot right now. ... More >>

Yes and Zeppelin? 5 True All-Star Near-Collaborations

Quick, what's your dream supergroup, living or dead? When I was a big prog nerd, mine was Peter Gabriel on vocals and lyrics, David Gilmour and Robert Fripp on guitar, Geddy Lee on bass, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Levin on Chapman stick, and Rick Wakeman on keys. Come to think of it, that still sou ... More >>

7 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: Bang Bangz, Praia Urbana, Greezy Wheels, Etc.

First up: Damn. According to Space City Rock (via Pegstar), the upcoming Guided by Voices show next Monday (Sept. 24) at Warehouse Live has been canceled. That would have been cool. Anyhow, if you're a fan of shimmery guitars and sad songs, get thee to Cactus Music this evening at 5 p.m. sharp, for ... More >>

Wouldn't It Be Cool If the Houston Texans Only Played Texas Music at Games?

Much like most Houstonians, I will be in front of a television on Sunday watching our Houston Texans play the Miami Dolphins at Reliant Stadium. It's a big and promising year for our team, one of only professional sports franchises in town that are successful. Did you know that Billy Ray Cyrus is ... More >>

Who Are the Greatest Metal Bands In Texas Music History?

When I asked our friends on the Rocks Off Facebook wall who they thought were the greatest heavy metal bands in Texas music history, the response was larger than I thought it would be. I assumed five of you would say Pantera, deadhorse and King's X and go back to sleep, but no. You stepped up and g ... More >>

5 Non-Rap Acts We'd Like to See Chopped Not Slopped

Here's a confession: I've never really understood chopped and screwed music. Because of this I've never had an opinion on it and filed it away with Reggaeton and Texas Country in my "genres not for me" mental file folder. Then I heard OG Ron C's take on Girl Talk's All Day and I found myself really ... More >>

No Fences: Garth Brooks & the Fuzzy Math of 10 Mega-Concerts

Fifteen years ago this week, the greatest country music artist of all time, Garth Brooks, made history by playing a free concert to a massive crowd in New York's Central Park. Now, not just anybody gets to play Central Park, but Brooks had the megawatt stroke in the entertainment biz back then to ma ... More >>

Happy Birthday, Phil Anselmo: The Trendkiller's Top 5 Side Projects

On June 30, ex-Pantera and current Down frontman Philip H. Anselmo turns 44 years old. For a while there, it didn't look like he was going to make it this long. The metal titan suffers from chronic back pain caused by degenerative disc disease in his spine, and beginning in the mid-'90s, Phil self-m ... More >>

Down

Phil Anselmo Talks Solo Records, New Down Material & Pantera's Legacy

Phil Anselmo, former lead singer of the mighty Pantera, currently of Down, is a busy man. But he always has time to talk about his beloved New Orleans Saints, who are going through a trying offseason, to put it mildly. "I can talk Saints all day. I think we have a great season coming up and I thin ... More >>

Forever Young: Musicians Who Refuse To Age

The other day, looking around on YouTube for Pantera stuff -- did you know that this month Vulgar Display Of Power turns 20? -- I found a relatively recent clip of lead singer Phil Anselmo VH1 Classic's That Metal Show from late 2010. The current Down crooner and mouth from the south was guesting on ... More >>

Tori, Tool, TLC And The Other Musical Debuts Of 1992

1992 was a pretty heady year for music in general, with the masses gobbling up all the gangsta rap, grunge, and pop-country they could. That year would see the release of not only R.E.M.'s Automatic For The People, Peter Gabriel's Us, Pantera's Vulgar Display Of Power, but also what is arguably The ... More >>

Rock & Roll's Top 10 Brawlin' Brothers

Note: Not real brothers. We just liked the picture.​Brothers share a link that is unique and special. Same DNA, same familial backgrounds, quirks, talents, and sometimes musical taste. They can also argue, get physical, try to overpower one another, and hold grudges over years that are hard to ... More >>

Black Label Society

Down

In the Spotlight

Spotlight Karaoke sets standard for do-it-yourself singing spots.

John Lennon And Dimebag Darrell: Together In Death

​On this day in 1980, Mark David Chapman shot and killed former Beatle John Lennon. On the same day in 2004, Nathan Gale shot and killed Darrell Abbott, aka Dimebag Darrell of Pantera. In the spirit of the famous Lincoln/Kennedy coincidences list, which is mostly bullshit, here is a list f ... More >>

Cowboy From Hell: Dimebag Darrell's Best Guitar Solos

findagrave.com​This blog is stupid, because Rocks Off - this member at least - loves everything that Pantera did. In turn, that means we like everything that the Texas metal gods' late guitarist, Metroplex-bred "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, did. But still, let's look back and some of the best solo ... More >>

The Top 20 Iconic Rock T-Shirts Of All Time

​When you are young and exploring all the magic that rock and roll offers, wearing a shirt of your favorite band feels like an act of defiance. You want everyone to know who you support, even if the shirt doesn't fit right or it's faded. We remember a time when kids were getting suspended from ... More >>

Beavis And Butt-Head's Greatest Video Hits, Dillhole

​On the night of November 28, 1997, Rocks Off was sitting in his friend Chad's parents' house in Pearland, watching the final episode of MTV's Beavis and Butt-head. The boys had been a part of our daily lives since at least fifth grade, and as we marched into the second semester of ninth grade ... More >>

2010's Hottest Wedding Jams: Aventura, Lady Gaga, Pantera(!?)

​ In the immortal words of Vince Vaughan, "Tattoo on the lower back? Might as well be a bullseye" "It's wedding season, kid!" Whether you're taking the plunge yourself, in the bridal or groom's party or just crashing, Rocks Off thinks knowing what you'll be dancing to at the reception is just as i ... More >>

Slide Show: Albums That Went Darker

​ For most rock acts, the traditional way to deal with success is to rework their lyrics, image and sound to become palatable to a larger audience. Usually this means brightening the subject matter, cleaning up the bad words, softening the sharp edges on those power chords and getting haircuts tha ... More >>

He Said She Said: A Stripper Soundtrack

Rocks Off has a naked lady fetish. It's shameful to admit. We really like seeing naked chicks. It's been something we have dealt with since we were four years old and started sneaking into the women's dressing room when our Mom would go clothes shopping. It's not so cute today, what with the beard ... More >>

He Said She Said: Songs for Getting It On, Part 2

[Ed. Note: Here's Web Editor Katharine Shilcutt's top 10 picks for baby-makin' music. Now it's the boys' turn.] 1. Ryan Adams, "Come Pick Me Up": This has to work, because it shows vulnerability and warmth. It tells her you are the kind of guy who will be the one to get out of bed to get the Wet On ... More >>

Metalocalypse: Texas Hippie Coalition

Denison-based Texas Hippie Coalition, or THC to fans, lays claim to the title "Kings of Red Dirt Metal," and will more than likely rock you the eff out. These guys feel like Pantera meets Lynyrd Skynyrd, so horns most definitely up. (Plus, the drummer goes by "Cowboy.") Lead singer Big D ... More >>

Lamb of God

Otep, Hellyeah

Down

Drenched In Blog: Avenged Sevenfold and Right-Wing Screamo Metal

Hellyeah

Hellyeah

Throwdown

Tuesday, August 22, at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 713-225-5483

Rebel with a Cause

Dimebag lives on in these new recordings

Can't Touch the MMMBop

A new boxed set excavates the '90s

Soilwork and Dark Tranquility, with Hypocrisy and Mnemic

Wednesday, April 20, at the Engine Room, 1515 Pease, 713-654-7846.

Yin and Yang

The killing of Dimebag Darrell rains on Michael Haaga's Continental Club Plus and Minus Show parade

Superjoint Ritual

Saturday, August 16

Faceless

Universal (Republic)

Baby, You're a Star

Simpleton is Houston's best hope for the next big thing

Superjoint Ritual

Saturday, June 29

Texas Thunder

Stay true to Pantera. They're true to you.

Straight Forward

Pantera keeps pumpin' with Trendkill

Live Shots