| Pantera was formed in 1981 by Vinnie Paul Abbott, Dimebag Darrell Abbott, Tommy Bradford, Donnie Hart, and Terry Glaze. Rising in an era ruled by juggernauts such as ‘Metallica’, ‘Slayer’, ‘Megadeath’, and ‘Anthrax’, Pantera quickly earned the reputation of a band to be looked forward to. They release an initial three albums before the departure of band member Terry Glaze, who left to form a band of his own. Theses three albums, namely ‘Metal Magic’, ‘Projects in the Jungle’, and ‘I Am the Night’ were in the genre of hard rock and hair metal sounds. They hired Phil Anselmo as Terry’s replacement and recorded their next album. ‘Power Metal’. This album was dubbed as glam rock by most critics. It was the release of ‘Cowboys from Hell’ that made famous their thrash rock style. This album marked their transition from all their previous endeavors to their now infamous thrash rock style. According to the band, this album blended power metal and groove metal; a mixture the band termed ‘Power Groove’. Considered by the band themselves as their official debut album, ‘Cowboys from Hell’ included the smash hit ‘Cemetery Gates’. Pantera’s second album proved their evolution from power metal vocals to hardcore delivery and heavier guitar solos. ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ included songs such as "Walk", and "Mouth for War", which still are some of Pantera’s most popular songs. In 1994, Pantera released the first ever rock album to debut at the peak position on the American and Australian charts, ‘Far Beyond Driven’. It received a nomination for Best Male Rock Performance at the Grammy’s. Their follow up album ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’ was released in 1996 and received low key success, this album is often termed as the Pantera’s ‘overlooked’ album. A recorded compilation of the band’s live performances was released in 1997, it was called ‘Official Live: 101 Proof’. Their final album, ‘Reinventing the Steel’ debuted at the fourth spot on the Billboards 200. It includes tracks such as ‘Hellbound’, ’Goddamn Electric’, and ‘Revolution is my Name’, which was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the Grammy’s. On December 8, 2004, Nathan Gale, a crazed fan shot and killed Dimebag Darrell on stage at an Ohio concert. Various rock bands and artists such as Nickelbag, Black Label Society, Limp Bizkit, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, and Russell Allen of Symphony X have paid tribute to Dimebag through performances. |
