Pantera’s 1992 album “Vulgar Display Of Power” is arguably the band’s most popular. Having spawned metal classics like “Walk,” “Mouth For War,” “This Love,” “F*cking Hostile,” and “Hollow,” among others, the album has sold millions worldwide and is considered one of the most influential metal albums ever.
The album cover features a long haired man presumably getting punched in the face. Legend has it that the band paid someone $10 per punch while the band took photos until they got one they liked. Drummer Vinnie Paul claimed it took 31 punches, while Rex Brown said 32.
In an interview with Loudwire, however, “Vulgar Display Of Power” photographer Brad Guice revealed that the model’s name was Sean Cross, and he didn’t get punched, only pushed.
“At the last second, I know Ford Model Agency called me and said, ‘Hey, we have a long-haired model coming from LA,'” said Guice. “He came in and he was perfect for the shoot. His name was Sean Cross. We ended up becoming very good friends.”
“At the time, I was getting really well known for a style I was developing – and that was like a lot of movement to photographs. I would take images and combine strobe [lighting] with tungsten [film], and then I’d put the shutter speed on my camera at a slow shutter speed.”
“Through the movement, it would blur and become soft. And you would have this striking movement to pictures. So I was well-known for that. So I believe that obviously, that was the reason they called me. Because they wanted some kind of drama to what could just be a straightforward picture.”
“I’ve heard the stories, and people have asked me many, many times,” Guice explained of the iconic cover shot. “But that’s not what happened. It was a professional photo shoot. Cross was pushed quite hard actually because I wanted it to look physical. So he was pushed really hard each and every time, but he was never punched per se.”
