Ahhh yes, Pantera, the band that opened the door for many bands that we listen to today. When Pantera first hit the scene, there was nobody like them. No band had the riffs and grooves like Pantera did. Now, when listening to bands, you can hear the influence that Dimebag Darrell (RIP) had on their music. He invented a whole new way to play and it would seem that his mind continuously thought of killer, crushing riffs. Phil brought a hardcore edge and sense of vocal rage to these riffs. Darrell’s brother, Vinnie, played some of the cleanest drums I have ever heard, writing most songs with his brother. And Rex masterfully thumped with anything and everything that developed. If I had to name one single thing that made Pantera special it would be the fact that this is a band where everyone was equally talented so no one outshined the other. Each seemed larger than life.
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas that formed in 1981. Their best known lineup is Vinnie Paul (drummer) (RIP), “Dimebag” Darrell Paul (guitarist) (RIP), Rex Brown (bass), and Phil Anselmo (vocalist). They are credited for being part of the second wave of thrash metal. But they became much more than a thrash metal band, they offered metal the fury and force that propelled it into the powerhouse genre that it became. Pantera gets the credit for forming a metal formula which would inspire hundreds of bands to follow.
Before becoming the heavy hitters that we know and love now, they started as a glam metal band and released three albums in the mid 1980s with founding member Terry Glaze as vocalist. When looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera replaced Glaze with Anselmo in late 1986. They went on hiatus in 2001 and were disband by the Abbott brothers in 2003. The brothers went on to form Damageplan, while Anselmo continued several side projects. On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage by a fan. Vinnie Paul went on to form Hellyeah after his brother’s death. Vinnie Paul died of heart failure in 2018.
Pantera has 5 full-length albums: Cowboys from Hell (1990), Vulgar Display of Power (1992), Far Beyond Driven (1994), The Great Southern Trendkill (1996), and Reinventing the Steel (2000).
Favorite songs: This Love, 5 Minutes Alone, Walk, Cemetery Gates, and Cowboys from Hell.
What are your favorite Pantera songs? Did you have a chance to see them live?
Stay Metal,
THE SAW