Now, I was never a fan of theirs- never did it for me -but I always gave their rhythm section credit for having some serious groove. Which this demonstrates.

But: not the point. What's going on with the bass here? This sounds multi-tracked. Is there a high octave part coming in with the main riff @ 0:13? Some of the stuff towards the end (chords, etc.) make me think very strongly this isn't one track of bass as well. Interesting.

Badass tone and playing- nice vibrato, too.

I'm not hearing a high part in at :13 but I am on really shitty coby headphones at work. I like this. Further listening at my humble studio will need to happen.

They always were groovy, and i like how the riffs link together almost mathlike. I am maybe not really hearing a top octave, as an overdub specifically, though i hear what you mean there. It sounds to me like that is just how the part got played, sliding up to the octave, letting the lower note ring. I didn't listen soooper close though, or actually pull out a bass to see how that might or might not work.

When the main riff kicks in again around 1:00 it does seem obviously doubled. In the conventional way. It does sound to me like the bass is doubled throughout- and it's tight enough not to eff up the groove, but it does sound like two takes of bass (aside from any possible overdubs like the first chord slide toward the end), which is interesting, in that it's not something you ever really hear about anyone doing.

Chris may be right re: it being the way it's played as far as the upper octave thing goes. It's enough to make me wonder at first listen (the vibrato makes me assume it's not an 8-string bass) though. There's some cool shit going on here sonically though.

As an aside, re: how it fits together, I actually unearthed this on the Electrical Audio forums with the comment "Pantera - Dimebag = Shellac". I can hear that. The chug sections and to an extent the bass tone as well, though I think of Mr. Weston being a bit dirtier tone-wise and way more chord-y in his playing.

I think it's one bass performance, consisting of a layer of heavily overdriven clackety sounding bass and a DI.