martindavey87 I don’t really like live albums. The few that I do, I very rarely listen to. I’ve just always been a studio albums kind of guy. And that’s for the bands I like. So what does that leave for a band like Pantera? Their live album, 1997’s oddly-titled ‘Official Live: 101 Proof’ doesn’t stand a chance.

Pantera are one of those bands that I just don’t get. Highly revered and beloved amongst metal fans, their albums hold up as some of the greatest of all time... but they’re really not. I find each album has a couple of excellent tracks, such as ‘Cowboys from Hell’, ‘Cemetery Gates’, ‘Walk’ and ‘Revolution is My Name’, and then a whole load of filler tracks. But it’s those singles that manage to keep the bands reputation intact.

This album mostly mixes the two. There’re a handful of tracks I enjoy, and then a load that I don’t. But I’d just much rather listen to the studio version. For what it’s worth, the production is good, with the band sounding incredibly energetic, raw and aggressive, and Phil Anselmo is a crazy frontman who’s between-tracks waffling can be fairly entertaining.

But overall... no. This just doesn’t work for me.

While I have all of Pantera’s groove metal output (from 1990’s ‘Cowboys from Hell’ and onwards’), the truth is, their 2003 greatest hits compilation, ‘Reinventing Hell’, is pretty much the only album I need.

Kingcrimsonprog There is a great deal of hyperbole in the music industry and among fans. Metal music in particular seems to suffer an inordinate amount of over-hyper, and sometimes as a reviewer it can be difficult to stress how good something is without descending into cliches, and as a potential buyer it can be incredibly difficult to get a good idea if a product is actually good, even within a positive review.

I'd just like to say that Pantera's Official Live: 101 Proof album will not melt your face, bludgeon you to death or cause your neighbours to go deaf. It is however; in my opinion, actually one of the best albums ever released within the genre and that anybody who likes metal music should pick up a copy or at least give it a fair try. If you are considering buying it, I'd just like to say that you should definitely go ahead.

Pantera's music is wonderful and much respected within the metal-listening community both for its attitude and musicianship. They are the kind of rallying band that almost anyone can enjoy and their place in metal history as one of the must-listen bands is now forever sealed.

This live album from 1997 captures the band on tour in support of their The Great Southern Trendkill album; the band's penultimate studio release, and consequently features material from all but one of the band's official major label albums. Additionally; the sound is superb, the mix is just right and each member plus the crowd are balanced fantastically to create the all important live feel perfectly.

With a fantastic set list of material from a great band and a good sound this would be a good record that Pantera fans should consider checking out. What elevates Official Live: 101 Proof that bit further into genre-classic territory is the performance, the band put such power and attitude into every song that it is difficult to explain just how very good the album is.

I strongly recommend this album, not just to existing fans of the band but also to newcomers and even to Pantera-skeptics. Without hyperbole I honestly think that every single fan of metal should give this live album a fair and unbiased listen, if only to see if its for them.