Until now, almost none of the true story of Pantera has been told by its actual members. Since the death of Dimebag Darrell Abbott in December of 2004, the surviving members of the band haven’t been exactly forthcoming to discuss all of the ups and downs they had. Fifteen of those years were lived under a very intense microscope, as the band that rose from a local act, and became one of the great headliners in metal history. The first true memoir to be penned by a member of the band, Rex Brown gives the readers a glimpse into his childhood in Texas, his formative years as a teen music prodigy, and how he got to sling the bass over his shoulder alongside of some of the best of the best. The death of Dimebag hangs over some chapters like a shroud, taking up the Prologue and a prominent place in the heart of the text, but is also not the whole story either.
Official Truth:101 Proof, The Inside Story of Pantera (DaCapo Press) starts with the childhood of Rex which for the most part, was happy. Born in Graham, Texas his early childhood was marked by a lot of music, mainly brought to him from his grandmother’s blues and ragtime records and his father’s big band collection. This left an indelible mark on him. After the death of his father, Rex’s family moved from the sticks to Arlington for an easier life and eventually this led to a teenage rocker meeting up with Vinnie and Darrell Abbott. Teenage Rex was more into playing Frisbee, dealing drugs and cutting school than being in a band, but what teenage kid isn’t? The thing is, Rex was becoming an immense Jazz bass prodigy, who could have written his own ticket to the finest music conservatories in America. Eventually Rex’s ambition to have fun and play kick-ass music got the better of him, and school was out for good.
Along the way to the top, Rex formed a brotherhood with the Abbott’s, Terry Glaze and his replacement Phil Anselmo. As the cliché goes, familiarity breeds contempt, and Rex details the many years of rocky relationships and personal mistakes the band endured together. Many internal (drugs, crumbling trust) and external forces (record industry BS, Jerry Abbott’s control of their publishing, rock-star excesses, domestic issues) took hold. Rex definitely pulls no punches when breaking down the faults and flaws of everyone closest to him, including himself. He seems to direct a surprising amount of ire at Vinnie Paul Abbott, in particular. Still, he looks back on all of the highs with Pantera very fondly. He also details his working relationships and friendships with Down, Crowbar, Jerry Cantrell, Geezer Butler, Metallica, Soulfly and his current band Kill Devil Hill, which he is extremely happy with.
The book has an easy-going style, and doesn’t seem to be ghost-written like so many other tomes of this sort. If you have ever talked to Rex, you know the book has his voice in it and came from him. Mark Eglinton interviewed many people closest to Brown, and that showed up in the form of little side notes in every chapter that really help flesh out the story. If you are a fan of Pantera or 90s metal in general, this book is essential reading. Overall, Rex’s story is one of survival. Of overcoming the odds, and the dream of a skinny little kid who made it out of Texas to rock the world.
9.0/10
[amazon asin=B00BW8IUUG&template=iframe image]