Becoming

Album: Far Beyond Driven (1994)
Charted: 118
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Songfacts®:

  • This was released as the fourth single from Far Beyond Driven. It concerns vocalist Phil Anselmo's childhood, describing it as a time of abuse and neglect. The song peaked at #118 on the Hot 100 chart and also reached #12 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
  • Far Beyond Driven was Pantera's seventh studio album. Upon its release on March 22, 1994 it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, the first extreme metal LP to top the chart.
  • Anselmo told Artist Direct how the song came together: "(Dimebag) Darrell had found this new noisy ass fu--ing pedal, and he came up with this heaving monstrous fu--ing riff using this pedal," he said. "I loved it because it was screechy, fu--ed up, and original-sounding—and ugly at the same time."

    "Also the drum beat and the kick drum patterns to that song are fu--ing outrageous," he continued. "The riff is heavy and very Pantera to the max, and it also has the huge chorus. That song embodies the spirit of Pantera very well."
  • Mick Blankenship covered this song in 2018 in tribute to Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell (Dime died in 2004; Paul in 2018). "Pantera was my favorite band for a long time, mostly around high school," he said. "Me and my brother molded a lot of what we did as a band around them at that time. Vinnie's drums were larger than life to me. His patterns and style has stuck with me all these years. I still draw from that energy when I write my own music."

    Regarding the "Becoming," Blankenship added: "The drums in this song are just huge! And so nasty! That damn kick pattern was stuck in my head for years. I used to get in trouble for tapping it out on my desk in school. Lyrically, I see it as a bit abrasive but at the same time I think it's about Phil Anselmo's perspective. Whatever his tribulation at the time I think over all it's about rising above your struggle and what people think you should be. Phil was never shy about telling how he felt. That's a good thing!"

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