Pantera

Pantera
Country	United States
Style	Groove Metal Thrash Metal Glam Metal (Early) Southern Metal
Year	1981
Website	pantera.com

Pantera is an American heavy metal from Arlington, Texas, formed in 1981. The main lineup of the band included Phil Anselmo (vocals), Rex Brown (bass) and the late Abbott brothers Vinnie Paul (drums) and Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott (guitars). They were the main pioneers and developers of the groove metal subgenre, and is also credited (along with bands such as Testament, Sepultura and Machine Head) for being part of the second wave of the thrash metal scene from the late 1980s to the early to mid 1990s. Pantera is regarded as one of the most influential and successful heavy metal bands of all time, having sold around 20 million records worldwide.

History

Early Glam Years (1981 - 1986)

They started off as a glam metal band, being highly influenced by the style of Kiss and Van Halen. They released three albums in the 80s that were in this genre (Metal Magic (1983), Projects in the Jungle (1984) and I Am The Night (1985)). The vocalist Terry Glaze left the band in 1986 and Phil Anselmo joined.

Phil joins and Power Metal (1986 - 1990)

Two years later their fourth album Power Metal (1988) got released, which was the first album to have Phil Anselmo on vocals. It was a different approach compared to the three previous albums. It had elements of speed metal.

Megadeth attempts to hire Dimebag Darrell (1988)

Shortly after Power Metal got released, the thrash metal band Megadeth needed a new guitarist and phoned Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott, to join the band. Darrell insisted that his brother, Vinnie Paul, be included. However, Megadeth had already hired Nick Menza as their drummer so Darrell declined the offer, and Dave Mustaine instead decided on Marty Friedman.

Commercial breakthrough years (1990 -)

Cowboys from Hell

After the release of Power Metal, the band decided to try get signed by a major record label. Atco Records signed them. After that, they then developed and invented the groove metal sound on their major-label groundbreaking fifth album Cowboys from Hell (1990). It was a new subgenre of metal, they had left their glam metal influences behind for mid-tempo thrash metal dubbed "power groove" (groove metal). Cowboys from Hell is considered by fans as the band's "official debut album".

Touring

To promote their latest album, Pantera began the Cowboys from Hell tour alongside thrash metal acts Exodus and Suicidal Tendencies. In 1991, Pantera performed onstage with fellow heavy metal band Judas Priest. Pantera also opened for other bands like Sepultura, Fates Warning, Prong, Mind Over Four, and Morbid Angel, and co-headlined a North American tour with Wrathchild America. The band eventually landed a billing for "Monsters in Moscow" with AC/DC and Metallica in September 1991, where they played to a crowd of over 500,000 in attendance to celebrate the new freedom of performing Western music in the Soviet Union shortly before its downfall three months later.

Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven

Two years later Cowboys from Hell was followed up with an even heavier album Vulgar Display of Power (1992) , which achieved more popularity for the band and cemented its reputation in the metal community, along with singles like "This Love", a haunting ballad about lust and abuse, "Walk", which would go on to be one of the band's most popular songs. The album would receive significant radio airplay. The album entered itself at the American charts at No. 44. Pantera went on tour again, visiting Japan for the first time in July 1992 and later performing at the "Monsters of Rock" festival co-headlined by Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath in Italy. This is around the time when Darrell Abbott made his nickname "Dimebag Darrell.

Two years later, their new album Far Beyond Driven (1994) then debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album's first single "I'm Broken" earned the band's first Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance.". This album was taking a more extreme direction in their groove metal sound, with having elements of thrash metal and death metal in the album. Pantera began touring again, starting in South America, along with being accepted into another "Monsters of Rock" billing.

Tensions and final years

The band faced tensions with one another when the vocalist Phil Anselmo got addicted to heroin to relieve back pain in 1995, he nearly died from an overdose on stage a year later. During these times the band only put out two albums The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) and Reinventing the Steel (2000). The Great Southern Trendkill is considered the bands heaviest and most overlooked album, with elements of death metal and grindcore in some of the songs. Reinventing the Steel was considered a generic groove metal album. After that the band went on hiatus in 2001, and disbanded in 2003.

Death of Abbott brothers

Shortly after Pantera disbanded, guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul formed a new band named Damageplan, with vocalist Pat Lachman and bassist Bob Zilla. Damageplan released their first and only album New Found Power in 2004. 44,000 copies were sold in its first week.

On December 8, 2004, the guitarist Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed while performing onstage with his band Damageplan. The other Abbott brother, Vinnie Paul, would go on to form the band Hellyeah after Dimebag's death. However, Vinnie Paul died of heart failure in 2018, and Hellyeah would go on an hiatus after that.

Reunion

In July 2022, it was announced that Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo will reunite in 2023 for a tour, with Zakk Wylde (Guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne) and Charlie Benante (Drummer for Anthrax) to fill in for drum and guitar.

Musical Style

Pantera is considered a groove metal band, as well as being the pioneers of the genre. The band's early albums in the 80s were glam metal with Kiss and Van Halen influence along with New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) influence. Pantera can also be described as thrash metal.

Groove metal is an offshoot of thrash metal, being more mid-tempo, having downtuned guitars, and screaming. Cowboys from Hell is considered standard groove metal, while Vulgar Display of Power has elements of thrash metal. Far Beyond Driven has elements of death metal and The Great Southern Trendkill has death metal and grindcore elements.

Despite being a glam metal band in their early years, the band has perceived themselves as never "selling out" or giving into trends. This is most noticeably highlighted in the themes and title of The Great Southern Trendkill. Anselmo said:

"We've survived every fu##ing trend—heavy metal, "grunge metal", funk metal, rap metal—and we're still here. We put everyone on notice that we don't fu## around. Our fans know we're true right down to the fu##ing core."

Aside from their glam and thrash metal influences, the band cites Black Sabbath as one of their favorite bands.

Discography

• Metal Magic (1983)
• Projects in the Jungle (1984)
• I Am The Night (1985)
• Power Metal (1988)
• Cowboys from Hell (1990)
• Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
• Far Beyond Driven (1994)
• The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
• Reinventing the Steel (2000)

Band Members

Current Members

• Phil Anselmo (Vocals) (1986 - 2003, 2022 -)
• Rex Brown (Bass) (1982 - 2003, 2022 -)

Former Members

• Terry Glaze (Vocals) (1981 - 1986)
• Tommy Bradford (Bass) (1981 - 1982)
• Dimebag Darrell (Guitars) (1981 - 2003; died 2004)
• Vinnie Paul (Drums) (1981 - 2003; died 2018)

Touring Musicians

• Zakk Wylde (Guitars) (2022 -)
• Charlie Benante (Drums) (2022 -)