Cliff Burton or Rex Brown?

[VintageBoutique]

I've listened to some Cliff isolated tracks. I'm starting to think those right hand harmonic clanks were done in pattern.

 

[SteveHeissner]

This is a great question to be posed on "That Metal Show".

 

[MeLikeDaLowNote]

Its hard to tell because the band dynamic was so different. Metallica was awash in guitars whereas Pantera - Rex was more often than not the one holding the song together.

Exactly right. For a perfect example. listen to what Rex is doing during guitar solos on Vulgar Display of Power.

 

[spector_boogie]

I'm much more preferential to the "3 pc" setup so Rex all day. Toane for days.
Cliff was cool but meh, Jasonic is my fave Meh-tallica player anyway, so.

 

[spector_boogie]

Rex is a mediocre player root plugger, not even in the same level of atmosphere as someone who singlehandedly composed Orion and Anesthesia, and is likely listed as an influence for 80% of bass players in his genre. All before the age of 24.

you're as stupid as your username suggests lol
Cliff as well as the rest of the band talked about at lengths their approach to the "wall of sound" where the bass was just another and bigger guitar. so, yeah. kinda go ahead and swap those around and maybe you'd be close. they picked him to join as the third guitarist per Jaymuhhz, so good luck with that.

 

[DeliriumTremens]

Another thing for Rex is playing all those Dimebag riffs on a bass when the band is locked in machine tight

 

[joeyl]

I always found Rex playing great, the tightness and syncopation of his notes is hard as hell to replicate.

 

[pedroims]

Rex hands down,monstruous tone and bottom end.This is my favourite bass line from him

Thanks !! never listened to this band before, like it alot

 

[Korladis]

I love absolutely love the master of puppets and vulgar display of power.

Master makes me want to ask was there anyone playing bass on the album? Though no question IMHO solid bottom met...when you can make it out!

Now vulgar great tone, solid, solid playing...definitely holding it all together.

No questioning Cliff's legacy, a crying shame we'll never know what could've been.

Rex however was ever the consummate bassist for Pantera...not flashy but switch the two players into the two albums I reference and I think Rex would come out on top because he would do what is required.

Rex Brown certainly played on better mixed albums.

The problem with comparing Burton to bassists who are still around is that there is just really not very much recorded material of his playing. Three albums, two of which badly mixed, and some live bootlegs, and a little bit of the stuff he did before. That's it. His career ended when he was 24.

When Brown was 24, Pantera's newest album was Power Metal. I don't think it's really that fair to compare the stuff he did later with Pantera and then with Down to Burton's tiny amount of recorded material. I mean, I'm 25 myself, and I'm nowhere near as good as either of them were at 24.

That said, as I've mentioned previously, I usually think of Burton primarily as a songwriter rather than specifically as a bassist. And I like the songs he wrote better than the ones Brown was involved with. Simple as that (though the latter has certainly played some awesome music).

 

[sloasdaylight]

Imo, Rex, even though I love Cliff, and he's been a huge influence on me, I just like Rex's sound more, and I associate more with his style.