Pantera’s ‘Far Beyond Driven’ is widely hailed as essential listening within the metal community. When asked about the album’s significance in an interview, Vinnie Paul said, “Ahh man, it was huge, you know? It took us from being an opening act to being the headliner, and we were really all about playing live.” In this week’s musically inspired outfit post, we’re taking a trip back to Pantera’s massive 1994 release. Keep reading to learn 6 facts about ‘Far Beyond Driven’ + how you can recreate this look.
6 Facts About ‘Far Beyond Driven’ + the Band Merch of the Week
The Pantera ‘Far Beyond Driven’ Band Tee Outfit Details
Before we get into the facts about ‘Far Beyond Driven’ that you should know, I wanted to share the details on this outfit inspired by the album.
The Basics:
- Pantera ‘Far Beyond Driven’ T-Shirt: Loudtrax (gifted*)
- Idefy Mini Skirt: Killstar
- Studded Heels: Killstar
- Tights: Killstar
- Astrid Choker: Killstar
- Lightning Bolt Earrings: Rocker Babe Shop
The first time I told my husband I wanted to wear a band t-shirt with a skirt, he looked at me kind of funny. He didn’t think it would make sense because it’s not something he had really seen before. A relaxed fit MEN’S band t-shirt dressed up?! And who could blame him? So often we’re made to feel that we’re only permitted wear band t-shirts a certain way or we’re “posers”. While my husband does not share these sentiments at all, there are those that do- especially on social media. I like to think this isn’t the majority of metalheads, but is more of an elitist viewpoint.
What they fail to realize is that this really does the bands themselves a disservice. This is how bands and the genre as a whole lose fans. Don’t be discouraged by the punks trolling online and wear what makes you happy. That is, as long as you listen to the music and the merch you’re buying is officially licensed.
This men’s Pantera ‘Far Beyond Driven’ t-shirt was gifted to me by Loudtrax. They have a TON of merch from so many different bands and 100% of it is officially licensed.
What to wear with this Pantera ‘Far Beyond Driven’ T-Shirt
The skirt, shoes, tights, and choker I paired with this Pantera band t-shirt are all from Killstar. PRO TIP: Killstar often runs sales on their shoes and accessories, in addition to frequently updating their clearance section. I always check their clearance before I look at anything else.
The last item you see pictured are these cute lightning bolt earrings from Rocker Babe Shop. I have mentioned this in past posts but these are truly my favorite pair of earrings for every day wear. I have very sensitive skin in addition to the fact that heavy earrings are impossible for me to wear. These are the only earrings I’ve ever had that I’ve worn for several hours and completely forgot I had them in. They’re also super affordable at only $10.
6 Facts About ‘Far Beyond Driven’ That You Should Know
Now that you know where you can pick up this Pantera t-shirt and how to style it, it’s time for your metal history lesson. Here’s 6 facts about ‘Far Beyond Driven’ that you should know.
1. Dimebag Darrell’s guitar on ‘Far Beyond Driven’ was tuned down much further than standard rock and roll tuning.
It’s purpose was to achieve the heaviest sound possible for some songs on the record, taking it as low as C#.
2. Even though the song “Piss” was released in 2012, it’s main riff originally debuted on ‘Far Beyond Driven’.
“Piss” was initially recorded while Pantera was in the studio working on 1992’s ‘Vulgar Display of Power’. It didn’t end up making it on the album, but the main riff made it’s come back on 1994’s ‘Far Beyond Driven’ in the song “Use My Third Arm”.
3. ‘Far Beyond Driven’ was the first Pantera album to hit #1 on the charts.
When Pantera was working on ‘Far Beyond Driven’ their focus was to make an even heavier record than ‘Vulgar Display of Power’. Not only did they accomplish this, but Pantera saw commercial success without compromising their sound. One week after it’s release, ‘Far Beyond Driven’ hit #1 on the Billboard 200. It eventually also became platinum certified by the RIAA.
The band had worked for years building reputation and honing their craft. But while this achievement may not have been as shocking to them after their hard work, it was surprising to the mainstream. Rex brown told Revolver, “The week after the record came out, I walked through an airport and saw USA Today and there was an article that read, “Overnight sensations Pantera have a No. 1 record…” I was like, Overnight my fucking ass! Ten years later, you know?”
4. The album cover for ‘Far Beyond Driven’ that most fans are familiar with isn’t the original album artwork.
While both the final version and the original both include the drill being driven into a human body part, the original artwork depicts it going up someone’s ass. You can still find copies of the album with the original artwork. I actually picked it up on accident from Elusive Disc, but it’s a cool piece to have in my vinyl collection.
When asked in an interview if he was glad they didn’t go with the original artwork, Vinnie Paul said, “Hmmm…um, not really. The original thought was “metal up your ass,” you know? And like you said, in 1994, heavy metal was uncool and we wanted to be as metal as we could. The label agreed with us and then came back three days later and said, “Uhhh…we can’t get this into Walmart, Target and retail and it’s gonna kill us.” So we got back with the guy who did the artwork, Dean Karr, and he did the one with the drill in the head which signifies the same thing.”
5. The inspiration for “5 Minutes Alone” came from a lawsuit involving a Megadeth fan – and his dad.
The song was written after an incident took place at a show where Pantera was opening for Megadeth. Vinnie Paul explained in an interview that the Megadeth fan was flipping off vocalist Phil Anselmo. This caused the crowd to jump him and beat him up.
In the same interview, Anselmo said, “We were sued massively and many times throughout our career, but this one lawsuit was absolutely bullshit. The kid claimed I jumped off the stage and beat him up. There were no witnesses to this—it was absolutely fake. But still, being a person of interest in a lawsuit, it was going to cost me money to fucking get myself out of this problem. The fact that I didn’t do it and nobody could prove anything really incensed me. This kid’s idiot father told our manager on the phone, “Honestly, I could care less about the lawsuit. I just want five minutes alone with that Phil Anselmo.” All our manager said to him was, “I doubt you do.” And he hung up on him.”
6. Pantera’s cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Planet Caravan’ wasn’t supposed to be on ‘Far Beyond Driven’.
It was, however, the first song Pantera had recorded. This was so they could focus on being heavy throughout the rest of the process.
Initially, Pantera’s cover of ‘Planet Caravan’ was intended for ‘Nativity In Black II’, the 2nd Black Sabbath tribute album. Even though the song was already complete, an issue between the labels caused it not to be included on the album. But Pantera really liked it, so they chose to include it on ‘Far Beyond Driven’ instead of letting it go to waste.
*
LOOKING FOR SOME OUTFIT IDEAS WITH COOL BAND MERCH?
Check out the looks I’ve been creating with band merch here.
And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram as well for your daily dose of heavy music in my stories!
WANT TO COLLABORATE?
Click here for more information on collaborations.
