Pantera - Projects In The Jungle
1984 Metal Magic

Track Listing:
1.  All Over Tonight
2.  Out For Blood
3.  Blue Lite Turnin' Red
4.  Like Fire
5.  In Over My Head
6.  Projects In The Jungle
7.  Heavy Metal Rules
8.  Only A Heartbeat Away
9.  Killers
10. Takin' My Life

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Terrence Glaze
Guitar:  Diamond Darrell
Bass:  Rex Rocker
Drums:  Vincent Paul

Website:  www.officialpantera.com

Horatio's Rating:  A
Overall Rating:  A

Also be sure to read:
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven by Horatio
Pantera - Metal Magic by Horatio
Pantera - Power Metal by Horatio

Horatio's Review:
Of Pantera's four 80's albums I was torn as to which one I should review, such are their overall excellence.  'Projects' stood out as I reviewed it for another site a few years back, meaning I could read that and basically copy it word for word.  Not really.  No matter what your opinion of Pantera, they succeeded at everything they tried because at heart they were one of metal's greats, whether it be hard rock or thrash.  At this early stage of their career, Pantera were a traditional metal act with their sound heavily influenced by their idols, Kiss, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, etc.  Even then it was obvious Pantera were a step above most hard rockers, making pretenders like Dokken look like the pathetic acts they really were.  Wildman Terry Glaze was the vocalist and an accomplished one at that, a perfect voice for the type of metal Pantera were attempting.  For that, however, so was Anselmo on 'Power 'Metal'.

The album is a stark contrast in styles, ranging from the all out speed metal of the title track to classy AOR like 'Takin' My Life'.  While it's clear who they are copying, Pantera had an individual style that made it seem effortless, therefore maintaining an individual style that made them more than mere copyists.  Pretenders like to scoff at Pantera's image in the 80's, but tracks like 'Killers' are as fast and heavy as it comes, and on par with the 90's material.  If their intentions weren't clear enough then 'Heavy Metal Rules' says it all, a ready made anthem.  Pantera should have broken huge with this and it's a shame there were so many similar bands impeding their progress.  A year later they released the equally effective 'I Am The Night', with unforgettable tracks like 'Right On The Edge', 'Valhalla', 'Hot And Heavy', 'Onward We Rock' and 'Forever Tonight'.  For me this is what it's all about, and a reason why I regard Pantera so highly.  What they were capable of was eye opening and this pisses all over Maiden, Priest, Metallica, Anthrax, any of them.

Song summaries include:

1. All Over Tonight - I have been known to listen to this fifty times in a row.  Brazen hard rock with hints of Adam Bomb, Glaze's Joe Elliot impersonation is perfect.  The riffs are raunchy and the lyric 'go down, give it some action, I wanna see your face' is a gem.  US Metal never had it so good.  A+

2. Out For Blood - I have to laugh when posers dismiss 80's Pantera as glam fags.  Have they heard this?  It's all out metal, speed personified, with REAL metal riffing, not thrash or hardcore or some ineffective stoner rock bollocks.  You can headbang to this, crush a can of beer on your head, do anything.  It has all the energy in the world with inescapable melody.  A+

3. Blue Lite Turnin' Red - Guitar solo from Darrell Abott, who gets a chance to flex his Eddie Van Halen like prowess.  B

4. Like Fire - Impressive hard rock which rips off Leppard's bass line for 'Let It Go'.  Then again so did Quiet Riot with 'Metal Health'.  AOR meets metal heaviness here, an aspect which saves them from wimp accusations.  B+

5. In Over My Head - Bon Jovi's David Bryan makes an appearance on keyboards as he copies his synth work from Bon Jovi's 'Roulette' and 'Love Lies' and helps out the struggling Pantera.  Quality AOR that is a dead ringer for Jovi's 1983 debut, a masterful stroke of genius from Vincent and Diamond Darrell.  A+

6. Projects In The Jungle - A maelstrom of vicious riffs from Darrell, who tears it up heavier than 'Slaughtered' and 'Uplift'.  Vinnie Paul's double bass kick work is easily identifiable, the whole track an exercise in crushing metal.  Don't believe me, you fraud?  Go out and listen to it.  I can hear some geek saying, 'That's not heavy, and that riff at the end's a Kiss rip-off of 'Gimme More'.  Give it up, Horatio.  Do you really know anything about metal?  You don't have a clue, do you?  You don't know what metal is.  I do, I'm seventeen and have been into it since 2002'.  A+

7. Heavy Metal Rules - This indeed does rule.  Raise your fist, pump it up and kick some nerd ass man.  Vintage lyrics, 'put on your leather, snap on your spikes, me and the boys are hot rocking tonite!'  Macho man chorus intended for real men included.  This is why 80's metal was so memorable.  The intentions were honest and not forced.  There was a certain innocence and disregard for anything.  It's bizarre how Pantera ended up becoming the dominant face of 90's metal.  Even then they stood proud for the genre as it died around them.  A+

8. Only A Heartbeat Away - The Leppard direction is opted for again, but rightfully so.  You see, back then Leppard didn't suck, something that only began with 'Hysteria'.  This works anyway, stunning harmonies and some gut level riffs at the forefront.  A

9. Killers - More sub-speed metal, this time taking on a Tokyo Blade style, British metal sound.  A whirlwind blur which doesn't relent, metal of the highest order.  Some of the finest you'll hear.  Demonstrates how good Dimebag really was and still is.  A+

10. Takin' My Life - From pure metal to seamless AOR, the results are faultless.  This is AOR Michael Bolton or Paul Dianno could have used and been proud of.  The keyboard-guitar interplay is dynamic, the melody lines thrilling to the very end.  These guys could do it all.  It's a shame Pantera choose to ignore this material, they should dust it off for a one off performance.  A+

Horatio's Rating:  A

Discography (last updated 6.29.06):
Metal Magic - 1983
Projects In The Jungle - 1984
I Am The Night - 1985
Power Metal - 1988
Cowboys From Hell - 1990
Vulgar Display Of Power - 1992
Biomechanical EP - 1993
Alive And Hostile EP - 1994
Driven Down Under Box - 1994
Far Beyond Driven - 1994
The Great Southern Trendkill - 1996
The Singles 1991 - 1996 Box - 1996
Official Live:  101 Proof - 1997
Unofficial Hits EP - 1998
Reinventing The Steel - 2000
Extreme Steel Plus EP - 2001
Reinventing Hell - 2003
The Best Of Pantera:  Far Beyond The Great Southern Cowboys Vulgar Hits - 2003