For other uses of the name "Pantera," see Pantera (disambiguation).

Pantera was a popular heavy metal band from Dallas,Texas, USA.

Biography

Activity

Formed in 1983, Pantera were one of the most influential Heavy Metal bands of the 1990s. They were modern (or so-called "power-groove") metal.

Pantera released three forgotten albums (Metal Magic, Projects In The Jungle and I Am The Night) before ditching singer Terry Glaze in favor of Phil Anselmo with 1987's Power Metal. Terry Glaze was included in talks to sign with a label that was fronted by Gene Simmons of KISS. When Terry balked at the contract he was kicked out of the band. Pantera then located Phil Anselmo and produced "Power Metal", a tape that had Phil singing some songs that were originally sung by Glaze, as well as a few originals.

The first really successful record Pantera recorded was 1990's Cowboys From Hell. At this point, Pantera's music was still heavily influenced by "classic heavy metal" — with Rob Halford-style vocals and the extravagant riffs and solos of guitarist Dimebag Darrell, though the album also showcased a more extreme style.

Pantera's breakthrough album was 1992's Vulgar Display of Power, which saw the replacement of falsetto vocals with a more shouted delivery and a heavier guitar sound. The extent to which this album grew in popularity can be assessed by the instant success of the 1994 follow-up, Far Beyond Driven which debuted at number one in both American and Australian album charts, the first metal album ever to achieve this, despite the failing fortunes of metal in America at that time. In this release, Pantera took an even more extreme direction. Pantera's next album Great Southern Trend Kill , was released in 1996 during the height of grunge rock. This album saw moderate success for the time at which it was released. Pantera's final album was Reinventing The Steel.

Break-up

Pantera irretrievably dissolved after Anselmo left the band to pursue other work with such bands as Down. It was thought he would return to Pantera, but didn't and instead formed Superjoint Ritual, who have released two albums. After this, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell formed a band of their own called New Found Power which was later renamed Damageplan.

The break-up of the band was not amicable and invariably a war between Superjoint and Damageplan was waged via the heavy metal and musical press. It is believed that negative comments made by Anselmo in the press about Dimebag inspired Nathan Gale to take his Beretta pistol to a Damageplan performance.

In 2004 Gale shot and killed Dimebag Darrell at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio as they took the stage. An audience member, a club employee, and a member of the bands' security entourage were killed before Gale was shot dead by police officer James Niggemeyer (for more on the shooting, see Dimebag Darrell).

After Dimebag's death, a Pantera reunion has become impossible but comments made in public by Phil Anselmo suggest that he had planned on reuniting the band.

Final line-up

• Phil Anselmo - Vocals
• Dimebag Darrell (Darrell Abbott aka, Diamond Darrell) - Guitars
• Vinnie Paul (Vincent Abbott) - Drums
• Rex Brown (aka, Rexx Rocker) - Bass

Discography

Studio releases

• 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)

Live and other releases

• Official Live: 101 Proof [Live] - (1997)
• Reinventing Hell: The Best Of Pantera [Compilation] - (2003)

DVD & Video

• Cowboys from Hell - The Videos
• The Vulgar Video
• 3: Watch it Go
• Pantera: 3 - Vulgar Videos from Hell (1997) (DVD re-release)

External Links

• Dimebag Darrell Tribute Site