A remastered version of PANTERA's song "Immortally Insane", taken from the upcoming 20th-anniversary reissue of the band's final opus, "Reinventing The Steel", can be streamed below. The track was originally included on the soundtrack to "Heavy Metal 2000" (the sequel to the 1981 animated cult film).
"Reinventing The Steel" represented a recommitment to everything the band loved about heavy metal. Released in 2000 at the peak of nu-metal's popularity, the album's back-to-basics approach flew in the face of the trend and served as a potent reminder of the enduring power of primal metal. PANTERA's swan song turns 20 this year and Rhino will celebrate with two new versions that feature an unreleased mix of the album by longtime producer Terry Date.
The first is "Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition", a three-CD set that includes a newly remastered version of the original album and a selection of rarities. A major highlight is the new mix by Terry Date, the legendary producer who was behind the console for the band's previous four landmark albums: "Cowboys From Hell" (1990), "Vulgar Display Of Power" (1992), "Far Beyond Driven" (1994) and "The Great Southern Trendkill" (1996). The set will be released on October 30 and will also be available through digital and streaming services.
"Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition" will also be released as a double-LP set on silver vinyl that features the new Terry Date mix on one album, plus eight rare bonus tracks making their vinyl debut on the other. Limited to 5,000 copies, the 180-gram audiophile vinyl collection comes in an embossed, foil jacket and will be available on January 8.
Philip Anselmo, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, Rex Brown and Vinnie Paul Abbott had already earned a No. 1 album and several Grammy nominations by the time PANTERA began recording "Reinventing The Steel" in 1999. The album would prove to be a celebration of the skull-rattling strain of metal the quartet had cultivated through the years with songs like "We'll Grind That Axe For A Long Time", "Goddamn Electric" and "I'll Cast A Shadow". Certified gold and embraced by fans and critics alike, the album would unexpectedly become the band's last.
The three-CD and digital versions open with an unreleased mix of the album by Terry Date, who had been helping PANTERA perfect its piledriving sound since 1990. Date — who likes Sterling Winfield's original mix of the album — says he was initially apprehensive about remixing "Reinventing The Steel" for this reissue. Eventually, he agreed knowing that diehard fans would be curious to hear his take on the album. He says: "I'm just trying to remember what we used to do as I'm going through this stuff. But the riffs and performances are strong. It's just classic PANTERA."
The CD and digital collections also include a newly remastered version of the original album, which was co-produced by Darrell, Vinnie and Winfield. It's joined by radio edits for singles ("Revolution Is My Name", "Goddamn Electric"); covers (BLACK SABBATH's "Electric Funeral" and "Hole In The Sky", Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever"); soundtrack contributions ("Avoid The Light", "Immortally Insane"); and previously unreleased instrumental rough mixes for every album track.
In a 2012 interview with Revolver magazine, Vinnie Paul stated about "Reinventing The Steel": "I felt like things had turned a corner. I felt like Phil [Anselmo, vocals] had discovered some of these demons and maybe had some people around him that wanted to help instead of taking the other direction. We kind of wanted to go back and really grab some of the things that people liked the most about 'Vulgar ['Display Of Power]' and 'Cowboys [From Hell]', and Phil's exact words were that he wanted to make a record that was 'more anthemic,' lyrically. More stuff that people could sing along to. Dime [PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] spent a lot of time in the studio with Phil working with him on his vocal arrangements and melodies."
Anselmo concurred, telling the magazine: "I had kind of cleaned my act up. I had a new fire lit under my ass. Dimebag and I were very close on this one. I showed up for the jam sessions, and I think they were impressed with how I was. I wasn't all fucked up constantly. It was a breath of fresh air. I guess I was dealing with the pain in a better way at the time, and if I was using, it was minimal and very spotty. But there was a renewed bit of brotherhood. There was a renewed sense of enjoyment with the songwriting. I spent a lot of time at Dimebag's house on the particular run. I remember his mother passed away, when we were doing that record, from cancer. I was a pallbearer at the funeral. So it was a bonding thing as well. Somebody's mother passes and it's a big thing. Especially her. She was a big part of their lives, in my life, and in Rex's life. It was a heavy deal. I was there for it. I love that record."
Rex said that he found it difficult to look back on "Reinventing The Steel" knowing that it marked PANTERA's final studio effort. "This record is the end, so it's hard to talk about," he said. "To me, it's a great last performance. One thing we always said is, 'You're only as good as your last show.' Or your last note, or the last thing you do. Because you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. It could all end. And I'll be goddamned if it didn't."
"Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition" 3CD track listing:
Disc One: New Terry Date Mix
01. Hellbound 02. Goddamn Electric 03. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit 04. You've Got To Belong To It
05. Revolution Is My Name
06. Death Rattle
07. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time
08. Uplift
09. It Makes Them Disappear
10. I'll Cast a Shadow
Disc Two: Original Album Remastered
01. Hellbound 02. Goddamn Electric 03. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit 04. You've Got To Belong To It 05. Revolution Is My Name 06. Death Rattle 07. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time 08. Uplift 09. It Makes Them Disappear 10. I'll Cast a Shadow
Bonus Tracks
11. Goddamn Electric – Radio Mix 12. Revolution Is My Name – Radio Edit 13. I'll Cast A Shadow – Radio Edit 14. Goddamn Electric – Radio Edit
Disc Three: Bonus Tracks
Non-Album Tracks & Covers
01. Avoid The Light 02. Immortally Insane 03. Cat Scratch Fever 04. Hole in the Sky 05. Electric Funeral
Instrumental Rough Mixes
06. Hellbound * 07. Goddamn Electric * 08. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit * 09. You've Got To Belong To It * 10. Revolution Is My Name * 11. Death Rattle * 12. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time * 13. Uplift * 14. It Makes Them Disappear * 15. I'll Cast a Shadow *
"Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition" 2LP track listing:
LP One: New Terry Date Mix
Side One
01. Hellbound 02. Goddamn Electric 03. Yesterday Don't Mean Shit 04. You've Got To Belong To It 05. Revolution Is My Name
Side Two
01. Death Rattle 02. We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time 03. Uplift 04. It Makes Them Disappear 05. I'll Cast a Shadow
LP Two: Bonus Tracks
Side One
01. Avoid the Light 02. Immortally Insane 03. Cat Scratch Fever 04. Hole In The Sky
Side Two
01. Electric Funeral 02. Goddamn Electric – Radio Mix 03. Revolution Is My Name – Radio Edit 04. I'll Cast a Shadow – Radio Edit
* previously unreleased
Comments