SilentScream213 Some people think this is the worst metal album, if not THE worst album of all time. It's bad, but not that bad.

I'll Be Alright has some nice riffs, and Biggest Part of Me is catchy and cheesy in the best way. Other than that, there's absolutely nothing to praise.

The vocals are pretty bad, the production is rough, and the lyrics are atrocious. Some of the music is listenable, though. While no songs other than the earlier two I mentioned provide anything of quality, they aren't abhorrent or overly offensive. The ratings this thing gets would have a listener anticipating aural hell, as it's presented in a way that it's not only bad, but absolutely unlistenable and possibly painful.

In actuality, it's a bad album, nothing I'd ever spin for pleasure. But it's no worse than that; just a bad glam album with every bad glam trope you can think of. Nothing that makes you want to tear your hair out or throw up. Most likely, the biggest reason this album is painted this way is because it's compared to Pantera's later works, which many consider groove metal masterpieces and core foundations of 90's metal. Of course this album and their other pre 90's material pales in comparison, so much so that they appear offensive; a hideous blemish in a legendary band's career.

If someone was playing this in their car and I had never heard it before, I'd just think "Damn, that's some bad glam." However, I might also find myself headbanging to a track or two. And then I would never think of it again. It's poor and forgettable, but not nearly as bad as it's made out to be.

The album cover is so bad it's funny, and because this album has become a joke in itself, it really works. A definite positive.

UMUR "Metal Magic" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Texas based heavy metal act Pantera. The album was released in June 1983 on the band´s own label, which like the album was also called Metal Magic. The band consisted of Terrence Lee Glaze (vocals), Rex Brown (bass), Diamond Darrell (guitars) and Vinnie Paul (drums). "Metal Magic" was produced by Jerry Abbott, who is the father of Diamond Darrell and Vinnie Paul and a respected country musicians in his own right.

Stylistically the band play a melodic heavy rock/metal style, not too far removed from a band like Van Halen, but with the occasional glam metal edge thrown in. Keyboards are occasionally used. The material are generally nothing out of the ordinary for the genre and seriously lacks in attitude, and you probably won´t be able to remember many of the tracks on the album when it´s finished playing. At this stage of their career Pantera were definitely second tier imitators and not first tier innovators like they would be in the nineties. The band are relatively well playing and Terrence Lee Glaze has a decent voice and delivery. To my ears it´s Diamond Darrell´s guitar solos and general guitar playing that´s the most interesting feature on "Metal Magic". Already this early on you could hear that this guy had a lot of talent.

The guys in the band were very young when they recorded "Metal Magic" and as the band had only existed since 1981, both the musicianship and especially the songwriting are pretty immature. The sound production is also rather amaturish and thin sounding, which is not exactly something that helps on the listening experience either. The youthful energy and determination that´s so pivotal in metal is here in limited quantities though, so while the album as a whole doesn´t score too high in my book, there is promise and obvious talent that need to be mentioned as positives when evaluating "Metal Magic". A 2.5 star (50%) rating is deserved.