Pantera didn't pull any punches on The Great Southern Trendkill, one of their most intense albums—and that's really saying something.
Released in May 1996, the album reached Number 4 on Billboard's Top 200 and went on to become the band's fourth platinum release in a row.
On October 21, in honor of the disc's 20th anniversary, Rhino will release The Great Southern Trendkill: 20th Anniversary Edition.
The epic, two-disc set includes a remastered version of the original album, plus a dozen previously unreleased mixes, instrumentals and live recordings. Below, you can check out our exclusive premiere of one of the album's previously unreleased cuts—an early mix of "Floods."
“That solo was thought out in a more orchestrated fashion than some of the others I play where I just start ripping right off the bat,” Dimebag told Guitar World at the time. “The thing that really makes the ‘Floods’ solo come across like it does is [bassist] Rex [Brown]’s playing behind it. He’s using his fingers and he plays a whole bunch of cool licks and shit in there. He definitely adds to the vibe and feel of my lead because I’m playing off his part a lot—it was a great foundation for me to build on, man.
“I picked up the idea of doubling from Randy Rhoads. It seemed appropriate to start off in a slow, melodic fashion and then build and build and build to the climax with the big harmonic squeals at the end."
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The Great Southern Trendkill: 20th Anniversary Edition also features rare photos, plus new liner notes by rock critic and radio producer Katherine Turman. The collection will be available a 2CD set ($19.98) and digitally. Also on October 21, a single album, The Great Southern Outtakes, will be released ($21.98); it'll feature 10 unreleased tracks.
You can preorder the album here. For more about Pantera, visit pantera.com.
Check out "Floods" (Early Mix) and the album's complete track listing below.
A High Point for Pantera
After Pantera topped the charts in 1994 with Far Beyond Driven, Philip Anselmo, Brown, Darrell and Vinnie Paul returned two years later with the dark, unrelenting and highly personal music heard on The Great Southern Trendkill. The record stayed on the charts for more than three months and produced three singles: “Drag the Waters,” “Suicide Note Pt. 1” and “Floods,” a power ballad that includes an epic guitar solo that showcases Dime’s fretboard wizardry.
The companion disc that accompanies the original album features an unreleased version of every album track, including two versions of “Suicide Note Pt. 1”—a rough mix of the track, along with a separate version of the introduction, which spotlights Dimebag on 12-string acoustic. The second disc also features a newly remixed version of the title track, rough mixes for “Drag the Waters” and “The Underground in America,” as well as instrumental takes for “13 Steps to Nowhere” and “Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath).” The anniversary collection also features three live tracks recorded at the Dynamo Festival in Holland in 1998: “War Nerve,” “Suicide Note Pt. II” and “Sandblasted Skin.”
The Great Southern Trendkill: 20th Anniversary Edition Track Listing:
Disc One 1. The Great Southern Trendkill 2. War Nerve 3. Drag the Waters 4. 10’s 5. 13 Steps to Nowhere 6. Suicide Note Pt. I 7. Suicide Note Pt. II 8. Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath) 9. Floods 10. The Underground in America 11. (Reprise) Sandblasted Skin
Disc Two 1. The Great Southern Trendkill (2016 Mix) 2. War Nerve (Live ’98) 3. Drag the Waters (Early Mix) 4. 10’s (Early Mix) 5. 13 Steps to Nowhere (Instrumental Version) 6. Suicide Note Pt. I (Intro) * 7. Suicide Note Pt. I (Early Mix) * 8. Suicide Note Pt. II (Live ’98) 9. Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath) (Instrumental Version) 10. Floods (Early Mix) 11. The Underground in America (Early Mix) 12. Sandblasted Skin (Live ’98)
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
