Far Beyond Driven

Untitled

Far Beyond Driven is an album by heavy metal band Pantera. The album was released on March 15, 1994 through East West Records. It is considered one of the most extreme albums ever to debut at #1.

An explicit version of the cover art (seen below) was originally sold but was later replaced due to censorship issues.

Album information

Far Beyond Driven took Pantera's music to an even heavier and more extreme style than on previous releases. Much of the shift was due to Dimebag Darrell's more down-tuned and up-tempo playing styles. Anselmo's lyrics of "I'll be a better father than you ever were" may shed some light on his personal life.

In the liner notes of the album, all the song's lyrics are printed beside the cover of "Planet Caravan". The liner notes read: "This is a Black Sabbath song off of the Paranoid album. So don't freak out on us. We did the song because we wanted to. It has nothing to do with the integrity of our direction. It's a tripped out song. We think you'll dig it. If you don't, don't fucking listen to it. Thanks. On behalf of the rest of Pantera, Philip Anselmo '94".

This was the first Pantera album with Darrell being called Dimebag Darrell and not Diamond Darrell although in Vulgar Videos he is referred to as Dimebag.

The album is referenced in the Machine Head song "Aesthetics of Hate", the third track from the 2007 album The Blackening.

On January 4, 2008, the North Texas home of record producer Sterling Winfield was burglarized. Several items of sentimental and collectible value were taken, including an award commemorating platinum sales of Pantera's Far Beyond Driven. This case is currently under investigation by the Lewisville Police Department.

Reception

The album features a cover version of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan" as the closing track, which reached #21 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks and #26 on the UK Singles Chart. The album's fourth track and first single, "I'm Broken", reached #19 on the UK Singles Chart.

Professional reviews:

• Rolling Stone (5/19/94, p.103) - 3 1/2 Stars - "...a kind of aesthetics of thud...the real art smolders in the noise itself..."

• Entertainment Weekly (4/1/94, p.54) - "If you're burned out on raging young men spewing aggression atop jackhammering drums and grinding guitars, then pass on Pantera. But if you've still got a yen for that sort of fare, than you can't do much better than this slab of metallic mayhem." - Rating: B+

• Melody Maker (4/2/94, p.35) - "Like great techno, it's utterly flawless music, free of any error, minimal and animal enough to make a screaming bloody mess of the head."

Track listing

• All tracks by Pantera unless noted otherwise.

1. "Strength Beyond Strength" – 3:38
2. "Becoming" – 3:05
3. "5 Minutes Alone" – 5:47
4. "I'm Broken" – 4:24
5. "Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills" – 2:53
6. "Hard Lines, Sunken Cheeks" – 7:01
7. "Slaughtered" – 3:56
8. "25 Years" – 6:05
9. "Shedding Skin" – 5:36
10. "Use My Third Arm" – 4:51
11. "Throes of Rejection" – 5:01
12. "Planet Caravan" (Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward) – 4:03

Credits

• Pantera – Arranger, producer
• Terry Date – Producer, engineer, mixing
• Phil Anselmo – Vocals
• Rex Brown – Bass
• "Dimebag" Darrell – Guitar
• Vinnie Paul – Drums

Charting positions

Album

Singles

Year	Chart	Position
1994	The Billboard 200	1
1994	UK Album Chart	3

References

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1994	"Planet Caravan"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	21
1994	"I'm Broken"	UK Top 40 Singles Chart	19
1994	"Planet Caravan"	UK Top 40 Singles Chart	26