Was watching "That Metal Show" with Eddie Trunk tonight. Each episode has a 2 minute battle where Eddie and the other hosts and guests debate which of two classic artists/albums/whatever is more "x" than the other.

This particular show's guests were Nuno and Gary from Extreme (last time I watched it was Frankie Bello from Anthrax... he should have been there to field this question, as it's more up his alley than theirs...) and the question of the day was exactly how I worded it above. Which album is "meaner" than the other? That asked, the concept of meaner is/was apparently left open to debate or the individual to determine. I realize that music is entirely subjective, but that question really pushes the boundaries of subjectivity.

In any case, I was a bit taken aback at the results, so I wanted to pose the same question to YOU! to see which of the two albums you think is "meaner" - and please post why you think so as well and compare our results to their 'panel' and studio audience.

Sorry but imo the evilness of reign in blood can only be compared with more brutal that that album. not the almost heavy metal pantera...

Hmm this made me think. Surprising to me, I voted for Vulgar Display of Power. Reign in Blood has more extreme moments, and while I like that album more, there are a bunch of fun-sounding thrash songs, while Vulgar just sounds pissed throughout. Even the somewhat slow song, Walk, sounds pissed.

Initially, I was thinking Slayer - no question, but then I started thinking about the individual songs on each album, and damnit, I ended up voting for Vulgar Display of Power. It just sounds meaner...Mouth for War, Walk, Fucking Hostile...

If the poll had been for "eviler" rather than "meaner," I'd have gone with Reign in Blood.

It's like the difference between a street fight and a war. In a street fight, I'll take the mean guy; in a war, the evil bastard.

Pantera of course!!!!No one has that sound like Dimebag had!!!!Album is more agressive than Reign In Blood.Mouth for war is a perfect exeample for agressive for me.

Written by terrorist on 22.06.2009 at 13:10

Pantera of course!!!!No one has that sound like Dimebag had!!!!Album is more agressive than Reign In Blood.Mouth for war is a perfect exeample for agressive for me.

is mouth for war more aggresive than necrophobic or reborn????

Ahem.... SLAYER is pretty much the most evil thrash metal band. hell, i wonder if Pantera would have turned into groove-thrash if it hadn't been for Slayer, Dark (Fucking) Angel or Exhorder.

as far as evilness goes, Angel of Death >>> any Pantera song

not saying i don't like Pantera but this is a pretty obvious poll

Written by Deadmeat on 22.06.2009 at 15:47

Written by terrorist on 22.06.2009 at 13:10

Pantera of course!!!!No one has that sound like Dimebag had!!!!Album is more agressive than Reign In Blood.Mouth for war is a perfect exeample for agressive for me.

is mouth for war more aggresive than necrophobic or reborn????

And the rest of the album.

Written by terrorist on 22.06.2009 at 16:09

Written by Deadmeat on 22.06.2009 at 15:47

Written by terrorist on 22.06.2009 at 13:10

Pantera of course!!!!No one has that sound like Dimebag had!!!!Album is more agressive than Reign In Blood.Mouth for war is a perfect exeample for agressive for me.

is mouth for war more aggresive than necrophobic or reborn????

And the rest of the album.

is it more agrresive cause it has the 50% speed of reborn for example or because the lyrics are much more agrresive?

Written by Derwood on 21.06.2009 at 23:42


It's like the difference between a street fight and a war. In a street fight, I'll take the mean guy; in a war, the evil bastard.

I want to vote for this poll, but this is exactly the reason why I can't decide.

Reign in blood is just so much meaner. its just pure violence

I wanted to give folks a bit to think it over before responding.

my take on it:

Pantera's "VDoP" is the soundtrack to a Texas roadhouse bar-room brawl. it's a bad ass album, to be sure. however at that same point, songs like "New Level", "Rise", and "Mouth For War" are almost "Self Help for Metalheads"...

Slayer's "RiB" begins with the following line.... "SCREAM!/Auschwitz, the meaning of pain/The way that I want you to die."

Game over.

Slayer wins.

i don't think a meaner sentiment has even been put to paper. i think with that one line Slayer has 'out-meaned' the entire Pantera discography. it's one thing to talk about kicking ass, psycho killers or sacrificing virgins to satam, but the holocaust really happened - the ultimate in human cruelty and depravity - and to say, "that's how i want you to die" is about the pinnacle of Mount Mean. never mind the breakneck ferocity of the album, along with such catchy lyrics as "I have yet only just begun/to take your fuckin' life.", "decapitated bodies found/on my wall your head."...

"VDoP" is the soundtrack to a bar room brawl, "RiB" is the soundtrack to a slaughter.


For what it's worth, it was basically Eddie Trunk (Slayer) vs. the rest of the panel and pretty much the entire studio audience (Pantera).

he kept stating basically the same case i did, but i think the rest opted for Pantera partially because they were a more popular band with general mainstream society. the metal fans in attendance were more closely straddling that hard rock/hair metal/slightly harder metal line than into more extreme stuff. (pun intended given the guests that weak.)

i think it's Slayer, and i think it's a no-brainer.

Written by BitterCOld on 22.06.2009 at 19:52

I wanted to give folks a bit to think it over before responding.

my take on it:

Pantera's "VDoP" is the soundtrack to a Texas roadhouse bar-room brawl. it's a bad ass album, to be sure. however at that same point, songs like "New Level", "Rise", and "Mouth For War" are almost "Self Help for Metalheads"...

Slayer's "RiB" begins with the following line.... "SCREAM!/Auschwitz, the meaning of pain/The way that I want you to die."

Game over.

Slayer wins.

i don't think a meaner sentiment has even been put to paper. i think with that one line Slayer has 'out-meaned' the entire Pantera discography. it's one thing to talk about kicking ass, psycho killers or sacrificing virgins to satam, but the holocaust really happened - the ultimate in human cruelty and depravity - and to say, "that's how i want you to die" is about the pinnacle of Mount Mean. never mind the breakneck ferocity of the album, along with such catchy lyrics as "I have yet only just begun/to take your fuckin' life.", "decapitated bodies found/on my wall your head."...

"VDoP" is the soundtrack to a bar room brawl, "RiB" is the soundtrack to a slaughter.


For what it's worth, it was basically Eddie Trunk (Slayer) vs. the rest of the panel and pretty much the entire studio audience (Pantera).

he kept stating basically the same case i did, but i think the rest opted for Pantera partially because they were a more popular band with general mainstream society. the metal fans in attendance were more closely straddling that hard rock/hair metal/slightly harder metal line than into more extreme stuff. (pun intended given the guests that weak.)

i think it's Slayer, and i think it's a no-brainer.

I have no choice but to completely agree with what you just said.

Written by BitterCOld on 22.06.2009 at 19:52


Slayer's "RiB" begins with the following line.... "SCREAM!/Auschwitz, the meaning of pain/The way that I want you to die."

Game over.

Slayer wins.

i don't think a meaner sentiment has even been put to paper. i think with that one line Slayer has 'out-meaned' the entire Pantera discography.

COMPLETELY agree with that but really if you think that slayer wins down hands then why you did this poll???

My point of view:
After some thought, I'd actually go with Pantera...

What Craig said above is of course absolutely true and I agree with it wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, I have a different spin on the topic, so let me explain. Sure, Slayer's lyrics and music is more badass than Pantera ever managed to be; however, Slayer also has HUMOR, whereas Pantera is just STUPID. Craig already mentioned the roadhouse bar-room brawl vibe of the album and personally I find that to be a far more realistic threat to my person than Slayer's tongue-in-cheek evil badassery. GWAR has lyrics such as "It wasn't nothing pretty, she took my genital germ/Her limbless body thrashed about filled with infected sperm" but nobody is about to claim that they are a meaner band than either Slayer or Pantera since they are even more cartoonish that Slayer is. Nevertheless, Slayer is more cartoonish than Pantera and their music is not threatening.

Pantera is music for idiots by idiots, music that might actually fuel some drunk morons' appetite for beating up random people because of not enough alcohol in their veins. Slayer fans meanwhile might desecrate churches with Slayer graffiti but otherwise, the band's music is a far more intellectual (and humorous) take on evil/slaughter.

Naturally, it is somewhat academic to ponder what the actual sentiment behind a piece of music is; however, knowing Phil Anselmo and his miniscule brain, I think I'd go for Pantera as having the 'meaner' sentiment. Slayer has an educational sentiment, drawing attention to evil through humor and cartoonish brutality. One can hardly call that mean though.

EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention that I actually voted for Slayer... I did it before writing the post and it was a case of a quick judgment made without a lot of thinking. When I started writing the post; however, I changed my mind. Just sayin...

Written by Deadmeat on 22.06.2009 at 22:25

COMPLETELY agree with that but really if you think that slayer wins down hands then why you did this poll???

1 - slayer winning is solely my opinion. i wish ultimate decision making authority for the masses were up to me, though.

2 - if you read the opening post you would understand that i put forth to Metalstorm the exact question that was asked of the panel. i wanted to see how this community's response would compare to the show and it's audience.

Written by BitterCOld on 22.06.2009 at 22:41

Written by Deadmeat on 22.06.2009 at 22:25

COMPLETELY agree with that but really if you think that slayer wins down hands then why you did this poll???

1 - slayer winning is solely my opinion. i wish ultimate decision making authority for the masses were up to me, though.

2 - if you read the opening post you would understand that i put forth to Metalstorm the exact question that was asked of the panel. i wanted to see how this community's response would compare to the show and it's audience.

fuck, i've read this but i forgot it!!!

Slayer by far!

Seeing as I've completely grown out of pantera, slayer gets my vote

Slayer but Vulgar Display of Power is a great album

Written by BitterCOld on 22.06.2009 at 19:52

I wanted to give folks a bit to think it over before responding.

my take on it:

Pantera's "VDoP" is the soundtrack to a Texas roadhouse bar-room brawl. it's a bad ass album, to be sure. however at that same point, songs like "New Level", "Rise", and "Mouth For War" are almost "Self Help for Metalheads"...

Slayer's "RiB" begins with the following line.... "SCREAM!/Auschwitz, the meaning of pain/The way that I want you to die."

Game over.

Slayer wins.

i don't think a meaner sentiment has even been put to paper. i think with that one line Slayer has 'out-meaned' the entire Pantera discography. it's one thing to talk about kicking ass, psycho killers or sacrificing virgins to satam, but the holocaust really happened - the ultimate in human cruelty and depravity - and to say, "that's how i want you to die" is about the pinnacle of Mount Mean. never mind the breakneck ferocity of the album, along with such catchy lyrics as "I have yet only just begun/to take your fuckin' life.", "decapitated bodies found/on my wall your head."...

"VDoP" is the soundtrack to a bar room brawl, "RiB" is the soundtrack to a slaughter.


For what it's worth, it was basically Eddie Trunk (Slayer) vs. the rest of the panel and pretty much the entire studio audience (Pantera).

he kept stating basically the same case i did, but i think the rest opted for Pantera partially because they were a more popular band with general mainstream society. the metal fans in attendance were more closely straddling that hard rock/hair metal/slightly harder metal line than into more extreme stuff. (pun intended given the guests that weak.)

i think it's Slayer, and i think it's a no-brainer.

Let's split some semantic and philosophical hairs over the difference between mean and evil. All of this is, of course, one man's opinion.

The mean bastard is determined to hurt you because hurting you is fun for him.

The evil bastard is going to hurt you just to see what happens. There's nothing personal, there's no pleasure, just satisfying a curiosity.

It is this latter element that I see being explored on Reign in Blood. It's not mean, it's evil - clinical, calculating, indifferent, dispassionate evil. The evil bastard doesn't care if you scream and will continue hurting you whether you cry out or not.

Meanness is personal. There is a desire to hurt you because it's fun. If you don't scream, the mean bastard won't enjoy it and will probably move on. Causing you pain is his reason.

Vulgar Display of Power is a far meaner album, a boot on the throat because I want the pleasure of watching you writhe. Reign in Blood a far eviler one, the surgical scalpel slicing you just to see what's inside; writhe or not, I don't care.

Written by Derwood on 23.06.2009 at 01:52


Vulgar Display of Power is a far meaner album, a boot on the throat because I want the pleasure of watching you writhe. Reign in Blood a far eviler one, the surgical scalpel slicing you just to see what's inside; writhe or not, I don't care.

i'd argue that hunting someone down and using their severed head as home decor falls into both mean and evil, but hey, semantics.

as i stated in the original post, the term "Meaner" is pretty subjective and open to wide levels of interpretation.

Written by BitterCOld on 23.06.2009 at 02:19


i'd argue that hunting someone down and using their severed head as home decor falls into both mean and evil, but hey, semantics.

as i stated in the original post, the term "Meaner" is pretty subjective and open to wide levels of interpretation.

Heh, I won't argue either of those points, but I stand by my vote.

I'm more of a Slayer fan then Pantera... Pantera is a great band but i wanted more from them... there was like only 3 albums i liked from them "Cowboys From Hell", "Vulgar Display Of Power", and "Far Beyond Driven" now Slayer is my 3rd all time favorite band but coming to the 90' was getting pretty bad every song started to song the same but there newer shit is showing that there getting back on track.... i can't wait for World Painted Blood to come out

Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

Slayer - Reign In Blood, I love that album by Pantera.

Defining "mean" is the thing.

The Slayer album... I don't know, it's pretty insane. The Pantera album is more offensive and violent to me though. I guess I would go for the Pantera album being meanest.

A hard one this one. Vulgar display feels like going 15 rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime (just like the cover artwork suggests) whereas Reign In Blood feels like being skinned alive by some serial killer.

Yeah on some level it is difficult, particularly with the term "mean" - which is open to a lot of interpretation.

Written by BitterCOld on 26.01.2010 at 00:16

Yeah on some level it is difficult, particularly with the term "mean" - which is open to a lot of interpretation.

True, so I might have to roll the dice on this one.
Being skinned alive or going 15 rounds with Mike Tyson are both prospects I am not looking forward to.