** 1/2 PANTERA “Vulgar Display of Power” <i> Atco</i>

It’s a not an inconsiderable skill, causing a headbanger’s head to bang, pushing a band along at that sort of chunka-chunka tempo that allows the forehead to oscillate at a rate that feels more natural than forced, something like a speedy oil derrick or those bobble-headed Dodger Dolls that you sometimes still see in the backs of old Chevelles.

Suicidal Tendencies is good for headbanging, as are Slayer, Iron Maiden and certain old Metallica. But be careful. If you haven’t done a lot of this sort of thing before, you could get really dizzy and fall down.

Even though the guitars are pretty much buried in the mix, Pantera’s got that chunka-chunka thing down pat, so that any 30 seconds off “Vulgar,” its new release, are as much an invitation to headbang as a snippet of “Tales From the Vienna Woods” is an invitation to waltz. It’s the beat, dude--turn it up and drive real fast. It doesn’t even matter that much which song you put on, because they’re all more or less the same--hey, AC/DC songs all sound the same too.

Pantera’s lead singer also has a really good ‘tude, a self-righteous, angry, sort of howling groove, so that even if certain people call Pantera “Suicidal Lite”--which is a pretty good description of the band, come to think of it--it’s just the thing to play in the Camaro on the way to a big night out. A- roooooooo .

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