Pantera bassist Rex Brown thinks nu-metal is partially to blame for the lukewarm reception to their final album, 2000's Reinventing the Steel. The band's fifth LP in their classic run beginning with 1990's Cowboys From Hell is the least commercially successful of the bunch, and while many fans have come around to it over the years, the album is generally considered the weakest of Pantera's core catalog.
In an intimate new interview with Gibson TV for the latest episode in their "Icons" series, Brown reflected on his relationship with that record, which was written and recorded when Pantera were in a state of behind-the-scenes tumult, ultimately leading to their break-up in 2003. He feels better about the album now than he has in years, and he muses that nu-metal — which was reaching its commercial apex right around the time Reinventing dropped — contributed to it getting overlooked and underserved to fans.
"I couldn't listen to it for a long time, because that was the last thing we did," Brown said. "So it was rough. Going back and listening to that record man, Goddamn...it's a sledgehammer, man. Some people call it our weakest record. I disagree, I put it up there with Vulgar [Display of Power] any day."
"When that record came out it was the start of all these nu metal bands coming on the scene," he continued. "Sometimes it's all about timing. Did it come out at the right time? Did it get the push it needed? I think this one didn't get a fair shake."
See Brown's full interview with Gibson TV below.
Below, see members of In Flames, Spiritbox, GWAR, Halestorm and more make their picks for Pantera's single greatest song
