10 Most Underrated Members Of Legendary Rock Bands
The Musical Secret Weapons.
You ever listen to a band and feel like there's one band member that's pulling all the weight? The other people may be doing their thing onstage, but for whatever reason everyone focuses on the one person who seems to be putting all of the pieces together. They may seem like the leaders, but that doesn't mean that the other members aren't still important too.
Even though all these bands clearly have some more photogenic people in the group, these are the members that are a lot more focused on the music. Looking to be more in the background compared to everyone else, these are the people that usually have a lot more in to do with the writing and arranging of the songs, most of the time turning them into some of the most celebrated songs in rock history.
And for whatever reason, they never really get their due either, with people either just ignoring their presence or chalking up their successes to someone else at the worst of times. That's not fair by any stretch, so it's only fair to take a look at the forgotten members of these legendary bands and see just how much they end up bringing to the table. Because even with a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, there's a lot more to a band than just the guy out front.
10. Rex Brown - Pantera
As the world was getting used to the alternative revolution underway in the '90s, Pantera were one of the few bands proud to fly the flag for metal. From the crushing riffs of Dimebag Darrell to the amazing shrieks of Phil Anselmo, you couldn't take your eyes off the videos for Walk and Cowboys From Hell if you tried. The rhythm section does take some getting used to though, and even then Rex Brown never seems to get the kind of praise as Vinnie Paul.
When everyone talks about the amazing sound of Pantera's rhythm, all they do is bring up Vinnie's attention to detail and settling into a groove that feels like ZZ Top by way of Slayer. If you listen to what Rex is doing on the low end, it's a lot more interesting than just straight time keeping, oftentimes harmonizing with Dimebag on some riffs and laying back right when he needs to.
To Rex though, this kind of stuff came naturally, having already had the opportunity to leave the rock star lifestyle in his high school days to go and study jazz in college. He stuck it out in metal though, and the chops behind him even led to rumors that he could have taken over for Jason Newsted once he left Metallica. If Phil was the face of Pantera and Vinnie and Dime were the heart, Rex is the sturdy backbone that made sure everything gelled together.