"Floods",the album's longest song,contains a guitar solo considered by many to be Dimebag Darrell's finest. Guitar World magazine voted it as the 32nd greatest guitar solo of all-time,[4] Darrell's highest ranking of three solos to make the list (the other two being his solos from "Cemetery Gates",ranked 35th,and "Walk",ranked 57th).
Considered Pantera's most aggressive album,the album features elements of thrash metal[5][6] and death metal,[7] but is mostly considered a groove metal album overall.[5][8]The Great Southern Trendkill is known for featuring much screaming,[5][9] most notably on "Suicide Note Pt. II" and "The Great Southern Trendkill" while also featuring some of the fastest tempos and most down-tuned guitars:"The Underground in America" and "(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin",in particular,were played in A=425Hz standard D tuning,with the 6th string tuned to a low G.[10] It also has a more experimental nature,such as the acoustic guitars[8] and ballads.[11]
Unlike Pantera's first three major label albums,the vocals are often double-tracked and layered to create a more "demonic" effect.[citation needed] An example of this can be heard in the chorus of "13 Steps to Nowhere",when Phil Anselmo's singing voice is backed up by high-pitched screaming,done by Seth Putnam of the band Anal Cunt.[12] Screams done by Anselmo on the song "The Great Southern Trendkill" were compared to Putnam.[7]
The lyrical themes on The Great Southern Trendkill include drugs,a flood that ends mankind,finding deeper meaning,anger,and the media.[8][11][13][14][15][16]
The Great Southern Trendkill received mixed to positive reviews from music critics upon release and was more polarizing than Pantera's previous albums. Steve Huey of AllMusic gave it a score of 3 out of 5 stars and stated,"Longtime Pantera fans will find plenty to enjoy here,and the band's expanding range bodes well,but overall,Trendkill is an inconsistent outing."[11]
In retrospective analysis,the album has often been looked on more favorably,being noted as their heaviest and most aggressive work. In a retrospective review for Pitchfork,Saby Reyes-Kulkarni awarded it a score of 7.7/10 and summarized their review by saying "Intended as a rallying cry against shifting trends,Pantera's most abrasive album comes off more like a cry for help that reveals the turmoil eating the band from within. It's also thrilling."[21] In 2024,Jon Wiederhorn of Loudwire stated "The Great Southern Trendkill writhes and rails with desperation and self-loathing and roars with a new reservoir of aggression and intensity,making it the heaviest album Pantera ever released."[22] In 2019,Kerrang! ranked it as the best Pantera album.[23]
Reissue
On August 12,2016,Pantera announced the release of a 20th anniversary edition of The Great Southern Trendkill for October 21.[24] The reissue features two discs,including a remastered version of the original album as well as 12 unreleased tracks (these include instrumentals,as well as alternative mixes and live recordings from the Dynamo Festival in 1998).[25] In addition,a separate LP named The Great Southern Outtakes was released. It consists of songs also released on disc 2 of Trendkill's reissue except for the intro and early mix of "Suicide Note Part l".[26]
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