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Far Beyond Driven | 
 enlarge | Artist: Pantera
Label: Atlantic / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy Used: $3.59
You Save: $15.39 (81%)
New (53) Used (46) Collectible (7) from $3.59
Rating:  209 reviews
Sales Rank: 2873
Format: Explicit Lyrics
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 92302
UPC: 075679230225
EAN: 0075679230225
ASIN: B000002JR8
Publication Date: 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Strength Beyond Strength | | • | Becoming | | • | 5 Minutes Alone | | • | I'm Broken | | • | Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills | | • | Hard Lines, Sunken Cheeks | | • | Slaughtered | | • | 25 Years | | • | Shedding Skin | | • | Use My Third Arm | | • | Throes of Rejection | | • | Planet Caravan - Pantera, Butler, Terence |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
For Pantera, rage flows like water from a faucet. Far Beyond Driven vents the band's animosity in a maelstrom of hateful harangues fueled by thunderous drumbeats, piercing guitar noise, and raw-throated vocals. --Jon Wiederhorn
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| Customer Reviews: Read 204 more reviews...
 Best Pantera album ever -- one of the best metal albums July 12, 2008
I bought a copy of this album when it first came out in 94. Almost 15 yrs later, it still sounds riveting and fresh. This truly is an uncompromising masterpiece in hardcore heavy metal. The music has enormous amount of aggression, rhythmic energy, power and anger, all wrapped up in a great sound editing/mastering/overall production. The musicianship shown by each member and the band as a whole is utterly tremendous and puts to shame other hardcore metal bands that are less disciplined in execution. Sloppiness plaguing in hardcore metal could no longer be an excuse after Pantera.
 Good, but not Great February 3, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
The follow up to Pantera's masterpiece, Vulgar Display of Power, this begins with the thrash and groove inspired "Strength Beyond Strength" and after the first three tracks the album seems a bit heavier than its predecessor. The band does a good job of varying tempos throughout, so the album rarely seems to drag on in monotony. Phil Anselmo also tries some new things with his vocals, which have taken on a somewhat more brutal tone. Unlike the higher screams from their earlier albums, and the raspy yell from Vulgar, he occasionally (on "Slaughtered," for example) uses a lower growl, which borders on a more extreme metal vocal.
While the album certainly isn't weak, it does lack that certain something that they achieved on Vulgar, where almost all of the tracks were noteworthy. On this release we find a number of strong tracks, but no real killer material that leaves you wanting more. The grooves aren't as strong as they're capable of, and the material, overall, is just not as amazing as I expect having heard on Vulgar what the band can do. Good...but not a great one.
Good but not great September 22, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
The first four songs of this release are classic relentless Pantera. Strength Beyond Strength, 5 Minutes Alone, and Becoming are some of Pantera's best work. If this is true then why do I give it only 3 stars? Probably because after the opening 4 songs, I don't find anything else on this album that memorable, with the exception of their cover of Sabbath's Planet Caravan. I can put in Cowboys From Hell and Vulgar Display and listen all of the way threw over and over, however, midway through this album I grow a but tired and generally take it out to listen to something else. It's not that those songs are necessarily bad, just not as memorable as previous Pantera tunes. Of course if your a Pantera fan, this album is well worth buying, but if you don't own any of their albums start with Vulgar Display Of Power and Cowboys From Hell...
At the top of their game. September 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been a Pantera fan for years and when I bought this it did not leave my cd player for at least a month. I still get this out regularly during my travels and I still get the same feeling I did when I first heard it. The evolution of Pantera is evident here. There couldn't have been a better bridge between the "Vulgar Display" and "Trendkill" records. The only band to ever give me the goose bumppy shivers upon first hearing them other than Pantera is Freaklabel. If you like these guys you will LOVE Freaklabel's Monolith for sure!
 Heavy, brutal and intense...Pantera never fail to impress! July 25, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Far Beyond Driven (1994.), Pantera's third recognised studio album (their seventh if you count their four album releases during the 1980's which the band now totally disregards)
Pantera's emergence as a major force in the world of heavy metal in the early 90's a very much right `in your face' affair. The band was able to breakthrough into popularity with an amazingly powerful and brutal style which got people listening without fail. Pantera's distinctive groove metal style that incorporated the heavy thrash metal of the `80's with elements of hardcore and some punk was defined to perfection on the band's second album `Vulgar Display Of Power'. The uncompromising and technically brilliant riffing of Dimebag Darrell, the screams of Phil Anselmo and the brutal rhythm section of drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Rex were winning over more and more metalheads day by day. However, how much further could Pantera go with their ultra heavy music. In 1994, upon its release, `Far Beyond Driven' debuted at number 1 in the Billboard 200 album chart...
...And never before had an album quite so heavy and powerful flown its way straight to the top of the charts. `Far Beyond Driven' catches Pantera exactly where their previous album `Vulgar Display Of Power' left off. It is very much the album which consolidates Pantera's definite brand of metal with pure heaviness, plenty of downtuned riffs and intense grooves. It is overall, a very strong album with plenty of great arrangements. However, this album is weaker than its two predecessors which I find are more impressive the songwriting department. It is a testament to Pantera's strength and depth as a band that this is the weakest of their first three albums yet it is still no short of excellent. As said the album backs up the innovations of `VDOP', it just occasionally lacks that extra spark on some of the albums songs meaning the album is not quite up to the 5* quality of its predecessors. Still, all of the band members are in fine form throughout the album. Dime (who from this album onward actually is referred to as Dimebag Darrel as opposed to Diamond Darrell) is masterful as always both with riffs and solos. Some of his finest riffs and melodies are on here - who can forget the main riff to `I'm Broken' or the opening melody to '25 Years'! Phil Anselmo further develops his distorted, heavy styled hardcore vocals on this album giving greater intensity to the music. The production of the album is also top notch. I've found with all of Pantera's major label releases that they've always had great production - all of the instruments and vocals sound clearly defined, energetic and crisp. As said earlier, this album was number 1 hit for the band and full credit to them for making such a level of impression. These guys achieved it without at all selling out and they always stuck to their own direction. I salute you!!
Pantera's third serving of intense groove metal opens with `Strength Beyond Strength'. It is a high energy and low pitched opener with some express paced verse lines. The middle section is slower with a powerful grinding feel; Dime plays out some great melody lines. `Becoming' is one of my favourites off the album. An excellent opening riff with shrieking guitar notes paves the way to a bloodcurdling chorus with crunching chords. `5 Minutes Alone' is slower with some great instrumental melodies. The verses are classic Pantera with low punchy chords coupled with Phil's aggressive growls! `I'm Broken' contains one of Dime's best riffs setting up a great song. Dime often makes himself sound like two guitarists in harmony during his solo. `Good Friends And A Bottle Of Pills' is an interesting experimental track - it is a bit fillerish but still has some nice bass and drum grooves. `Hard Lines, Sunken Cheeks' is a sprawling epic with plenty of abrupt tempo changes. Theres some atmospheric moments although I feel as though the track could do to be a little shorter than its 7 minute run time.
`Slaughtered' opens with some scratchy riffs and classic Vinnie Paul double bass kicking. An uncompromising Pantera staple. '25 Years' has a brilliant intro melody which caught my ears instantly. This long song is a moody affair with plenty of mellow riffs and grinding bass lines; an excellent track. `Shedding Skin' has some great catchy rhythms and some unusual clean guitar interludes. Phil Anselmo mixes up a good mixture of hardcore vocals with some powerful cutting whispers. `Use My Third Arm' is another good track with lyrics about the police and the law misusing force. It contains more deep riffs with some surprising dissonant chords thrown in. The band often fly into some racing sections with thrashing beats. `Throes Of Rejection' opens with a signature Dime guitar melody over pounding bass. The chorus on this one is especially floor shaking when Phil screams `REJECTION!' The band then decide to round things off with a Black Sabbath cover `Planet Caravan'. I personally love this Sabbath track and I think the band do a fantastic job with the cover.
`Far Beyond Driven' continues Pantera's brutal metal style excellently. Although not their strongest work, this is still a great album with plenty of stellar songs I'm sure you will want to play back again and again. After keeping the aggression at full pelt with this album, the band would then go on to experiment a little and get even heavier! with their follow up `The Great Southern Trendkill', an underrated Pantera album which I would really recommend. That aside, going back to this album, `Far Beyond Driven' is further essential listening from Pantera. Like all of their other albums, I couldn't recommend this one more highly!
R.I.P. Dimebag Darrell
MY RATING: 8/10
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