I wish the surviving estates of Dime and Vinnie would get together and get these four early albums to come out as remasters, and stop the endless bootlegging of these titles. The market is definitely there for them. I love these early albums as it shows the influences they had, and man they could play anything. This was the last album to feature Terry Glaze on vocals before Phil would sing in Power Metal.
Hot And Heavy is just wild and Dime’s playing is incredible – see if you can spot the Van Halen riff he throws in. I Am The Night is pure Judas Priest, and we know how much the brothers loved them. Killer descending riff from Dime and pounding kicks from Vinnie. Onwards We Rock is next up and has a super cheesy lyric, but Dime is the saviour with an amazing solo. D.G.T.T.M is a Dime showcase instrumental. Side 1 comes to an end with my favourite track, Daughters Of The Queen. It’s all about the riff and Dime’s guitar sound. Quite a simple song but that guitar sound!!!
Down Below opens up Side 2 and it’s pedal to metal double kicks all the way. Oh and lots of Dime! Come On Eyes is not that great lyrically but who cares when Dime is just ripping it up. Right On The Edge has a huge pounding beat with Dime riffing Priest style. Valhalla has a killer riff with double kicks all the way but the vocals are a bit weak on this track. There is a Primal Concrete Sledge feel to the middle section. The album closes out with Forever Tonight. I guess this is as close as Pantera gets to a ballad, but which Ozzy track does it remind you of? I do love these early albums, I’m biased in that way, but they are a fun listen and Dime was such a great player.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
