Devil’s Music - Chapter 98: The Leopard That Lost Its Fangs

It took a week for Rex Brown to arrive in Manhattan. This was due to the need to fully accommodate the schedule of his original band. The other band members didn’t seem too bothered by Rex, the core member, leaving for about four months, anticipating Pantera’s final concert.

The person who came to Manhattan to sign the contract with Pantera after Geon’s call was none other than Director Son Lin himself. This decision was influenced by Pantera’s stature as a giant band and Son Lin’s judgment that he needed to strengthen his relationship with Geon. Son Lin, armed with bags full of gifts, visited Geon’s house and engaged in a friendly conversation on the sofa.

“Thanks to you, we’ve secured a contract with a giant band. It seems to be the biggest deal since I became an executive at Fantagio.”

Geon expressed his gratitude, and Son Lin responded with a smile, “I got more out of it, well. Suddenly stopping activities in Korea must have been a bit of a loss for you.”

Son Lin, as if to deny it, shook his head, “No, Geon. Focusing too much on temporary financial losses won’t help you see the future.”

Geon laughed and pointed to the shopping bags Son Lin had brought, “But what are all these, Director?”

Son Lin, momentarily forgetting, brought the bags forward and lifted them one by one. “Oh, these are gifts Manager Byungjoon asked for. They’re Chinese mooncakes, a seasonal treat for the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s already September, so they might be a bit late. They’re made by Manager Byungjoon’s family, so try them later.”

Geon, curious, opened a bag and tried one, “Mmm, these are delicious, but they might go well with milk. Director, you should have one too.”

Geon handed a mooncake to Son Lin, who laughed and lifted another shopping bag onto his lap, “And this is from Manager Yeongseok. He says it’s handmade clothes, so check them out later. And this one is from Manager Sangmi, it’s cosmetics. It seems like she wrote detailed instructions on how to use them, so just follow that. You need to take care of your skin while you’re still young.”

Geon smiled, appreciating the thoughtful gifts. Son Lin, noticing a smaller shopping bag, picked it up and said, “And this is my gift.”

Geon widened his eyes and asked, “A gift from you, Director? I’m already grateful for you coming all the way here, and now you’ve prepared a gift too. I’m sorry.”

Despite his words, Geon received a small, elegantly wrapped gift from Son Lin. Upon opening it, he found a simple ring without any elaborate patterns. Geon looked at Son Lin with a questioning gaze, and Son Lin explained, “Before I came, I did some research on famous guitarists. They all seem to wear rings on their fingers. I opted for a simple design, as flashy rings might not suit you. Do you like it?”

Geon playfully put the ring on and chuckled, “Haha, it’s the first time I’ve received a ring from a woman since I was born. And it’s from you, Director?”

Son Lin blushed slightly, “No, no. It’s not like that. I just thought a simple ring on a guitarist’s hand would look cool. Don’t misunderstand.”

Geon teased with a smirk, and Son Lin, flustered, quickly grabbed another small shopping bag, saying, “And this, this is a gift from Fantagio’s Chairman Wang Hao. I don’t know what it is, so open it.”

Geon accepted the small bag from Son Lin. When he opened it, he found a tiny smart key inside. Showing it to Son Lin, Geon asked, “Huh? What’s this?”

Son Lin reached out, touched the key Geon was holding, and said, “It’s a bike key. It has the Harley-Davidson logo on it.”

Geon, eyes sparkling, inquired, “Really? But I don’t have a motorcycle license.”

Son Lin chuckled, “You can get a license. Isn’t it worth getting one for a Harley-Davidson? It might take a few days for the delivery to come from China, so get the license before then.”

Geon, excited, said, “Wow, my mother didn’t let me go near motorcycles because she thought they were dangerous, but now I really want to try riding one. Please thank Chairman Wang Hao for me, Director. Oh! Thank you for the gift too!”

Son Lin smiled, nodded, and Geon continued, “For now, with Rex Brown joining, Pantera is in full force, and I’ve secured accommodation in Manhattan for everyone, citing my status as a student during the semester.”

Son Lin acknowledged, “Yes, I’ve heard the reports. It’s not far from here. Have you secured a practice room?”

Geon nodded, “Yes, Professor Corigliano kindly let us use an acquaintance’s recording studio. We’ll be practicing there for a while.”

Son Lin unfolded the documents he had prepared, containing detailed analyses of Pantera members’ current situations, trends in the music industry, and the potential impact and economic ripple effects of Pantera’s comeback. Geon, intrigued, asked as he examined the documents, “What problem do we need to solve first, Director?”

Son Lin lifted a sheet from the documents and said, “According to the analysis by the research team, there’s a claim that Phil Anselmo’s voice changed after Pantera’s last album in 2000.”

Geon, stiffening, turned to look at Son Lin, “His voice? How?”

Son Lin, shaking his head, replied, “I don’t know. That’s what the analysis says.”

“I’m not a music expert, but according to the analysis, it says here that the voice has become thicker compared to before. You might need to check this out yourself.”

Geon furrowed his brow after looking at the documents presented by Lin. The documents detailed the change in Phil Anselmo’s voice, specifically mentioning the album ‘Reinventing The Steel,’ released in 2000, after Pantera disbanded, where Phil worked with the sludge metal band Down.

Geon folded the documents, placing them aside, “I’ll look into this. Thanks for letting me know. Actually, I haven’t listened to the Down album yet.”

Lin raised his hand as if to say it was no big deal, “If it helps, that’s good. When does the rehearsal start?”

Glancing at the clock, Geon replied, “The first rehearsal is at 8 PM tonight.”

Lin checked the time and saw they had about three hours left until then, “Alright then. I’ll work on the Asia strategy. Focus on your rehearsal.”

As Lin prepared to leave, Geon said, “Mr. Lin, if the Asia concert planning goes well, we might consider approaching Carlos Santana. I won’t ask for it directly, but since you’ll be observing, you’ll know.”

Lin smiled and nodded, “Understood. I consider it an opportunity from Fantagio’s side, so I personally dispatched you. I’m staying at a nearby hotel, so if you need anything, just give me a call.”

After Lin left, Geon went upstairs to his bedroom, turned on his PC, and searched for Down on the internet. Although the search results were scarce at first, Geon finally found a few live videos on YouTube by searching ‘Phil Anselmo Down.’

Geon played a video titled ‘Bury me in Smoke!’ and put on his headphones. After some announcements and banter from Phil, the actual performance began. Down showcased a heavy sound typical of a sludge metal band.

After a while, Phil’s vocals erupted, capturing Geon’s deep attention.

“He has definitely changed.”

Phil’s vocals were delivering a deeper and thicker tone than the sharpness of his Pantera days. Geon touched his throat, contemplating.

“Hmm, what should I do about this? It’s not a regression, but it doesn’t feel like Pantera’s vocal style.”

After a moment of contemplation, Geon checked the clock and realized it was already past 7 PM.

“For now, I should talk to Phil and let him make the choice.”

Hurriedly getting dressed and putting on a mask, Geon headed towards the rehearsal studio with Haku. Upon arrival, he realized he was a bit early, as no one was there yet. Sitting on the sofa outside the studio, he took out Haku and got lost in practicing for a while.

Around the time Geon noticed someone entering, it was a familiar face – Vinnie Paul. Sensing Geon’s anticipation, Vinnie called out, “Come in quickly! Kay is already here.”

The sound of footsteps from behind suggested that Phil was entering as well.

“Hey, sorry for being late. I was smoking.”

Geon smiled as Phil joined them, and shortly after, Rex walked in. Having familiarized themselves with Geon’s face a few days ago, there was no awkwardness as they exchanged greetings and headed straight into the studio to check their instruments.

Observing Geon connecting Haku, Phil spoke up, “What should we start with?”

Geon, glancing at Vinnie and Rex, said, “First, Phil, I have a question.”

Phil shrugged, “Sure, shoot. What’s bothering you?”

Looking back at Vinnie and Rex, Geon said, “It’s about yourself recognizing that your voice has changed.”

A serious expression appeared on Phil’s face. After a brief moment of thought, he spoke, “Yeah, it’s gotten thicker. I practiced for it, you know. I’ve heard it adds depth to the vocals. Why?”

Geon, glancing between Vinnie and Rex again, said, “I want to ask the members if they think we can reproduce Pantera with your current vocals. I mean…”

Vinnie, seemingly caught off guard, opened his mouth for a moment, then fixed his mustache with a serious expression. Lin, placing his hands on the bass guitar strings, nodded.

“Yeah, our music is essential, but we also need to consider what the listeners expect.”

When Geon received agreement from Vinnie and Rex, he asserted, “Phil, it’s not that your voice has regressed. It has become deeper and more resonant. We want to see what people who come to our tour, hoping for the resurrection of Pantera, actually want and expect.”

Only now did Phil, deep in thought, show a more serious expression.

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