Review by Frost on December 14, 2021.

Use Once And Destroy is an album that's hard to approach for me. I discovered this project by Phil well after its demise and pretty much liked it the moment I heard it. Maybe it's because I've taken a liking to Phil and what he's done for the metal world. With Pantera and Down being huge benchmarks of high-quality metal in each of their respective genres, his name giving way to many distinctly voiced opinions of approval and disapproval, and just the fact he's such a bloody workhorse with never a shortage of ideas clamoring through his mind, I can't help but respect the man's dedication to his craft. And, of course, with so many different projects under his belt, many of which fell through (looking at you, Eibon, Viking Crown, Christ Inversion...), the one that somehow managed to succeed despite many people disliking it was the post-Pantera project Superjoint Ritual.

The band was actually formed in the early to mid-90s when Pantera was very much alive and active, but it wasn't until the band folded that Anselmo would focus on the project long enough to put out a full-length album in 2002. If Phil and his cohorts were building this project over the course of almost a decade, writing and re-writing, recording and re-recording songs, then you'd figure this album would be a slam dunk with maybe the occasional filler track or bump in the road. Not quite. This album is a very mixed bag with more filler than it knows what to do with.

Lots of tracks are forgettable, which is amazing to me given the space of time between this band's formation and this thing's release. Songs like 'Haunted Hated' or 'Creepy Crawl' fly by with naught a trace, leaving you with nothing to recall its existence except the track list on the back on the CD case. 'The Introvert' is by far the most forgettable song on here. I don't really know what to say about it. It exists, but that's about it. Sure, it's fast, there's some riffs, fast drumming, and tempo changes, but what else is there in it worth remembering? Not much. 'All Our Lives Will Get Tried' is the same case. It exists. It could've been a good song if it weren't for the transitional breakdowns paced awkwardly in it at two different points, and the oddly sexual sounding groans of Mr. Anselmo during those spaces where the guitar is acting as filler. The riffs from Phil and Jimmy Bower don't stick half the time, nor do the bass lines from Michael Haaga, the drumming from Joe Fazzio, while very good and pleasant to listen to, don't have much power to them because of how dry the album sounds, and Phil's screaming vocals can get directionless at times to the point where it's just frenzied shouts that don't match the lyrics at all.

This album does have some gems worth being mentioned, though. 'Fuck Your Enemy' is the obvious culprit and without a doubt the best song on the album. The spirit of the song is fast, frenzied, totally frenetic and off-the-wall. It has great riffs throughout with a thrashy pace that makes you want to bang your head like a maniac. And that part where Phil yells, "Die when you can do no more damage!" is just plain great and the defining moment that sold this album for me. 'Ozena' is another great piece that feels druggy and trippy as fuck. A great song to listen to while buzzed out on weed. The second best song on here is 'The Alcoholik', which is probably the most controlled song on the album. That's saying a lot because this album feels on the fringes of insanity the entire time. A solid driving mid-paced beat with some of the most memorable, engaging riffs on the album. The title track that closes the album is a strange bit of sludge that lasts for six minutes. I don't know how to describe the riffs on this one. All I can say is that there's a lot going on that really shouldn't go together, but somehow the band makes it work because it's a grower. A few listens and the title track's out of place nature will eventually catch up with you.

In the end, it's really hard to recommend this thing. There are some solid songs here, great ideas and whatnot, but Use Once And Destroy ultimately is glossed over by its shortcomings and foibles like its dry sounding production, forgettable songs, lackluster riffs, and inconsistent nature. A more appropriate title would be Use Once, Put Away to Collect Dust, then Listen Again 10 Years Later. Less memorable title than the aforementioned, but at least it's more honest. It doesn't deserve to be destroyed, nor does it deserve to be forgotten, nor does it deserve to be remembered with fond reverence. It just deserves...something, I don't know.

Rating: 5.9 out of 10