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Formation
The band was originally named Gemini, then Eternity, before finally settling on Pantera and consisted of Vinnie Paul Abbott on drums, Phil Anselmo on lead vocals and Rex Brown (then known as Rex Rocker) on bass. Pantera became an underground favorite, though its regional tours in this era never took them beyond Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The band began supporting fellow heavy metal/glam metal acts such as Stryper, Dokken, and Quiet Riot. -
First album- Metal magic
Pantera released their first studio album, Metal Magic, in 1983. Metal Magic was released on the band's record label of the same name and produced by the Abbott brothers' father, Jerry Abbott, at Pantego Studios. -
Second Album- Projects in the jungle
In 1984, Pantera released their second studio album, Projects in the Jungle. Although still very much a glam metal album, the band members crafted songs that had less overbearing melodic influences than songs from the previous album. In addition, a music video for the album's lead track, "All Over Tonight", was eventually created. Projects in the Jungle was also released on the band's independent Metal Magic Records label and produced by Jerry Abbott. -
Power metal- Pantera's major musical shift
In 1988, Pantera released their fourth studio album, Power Metal. Power Metal, like Pantera's previous three albums, was released by Metal Magic Records, but showcased a change in their sound. By far the band's heaviest album at this point, Power Metal had little resemblance to the power metal subgenre, but was a mix of 1980s glam metal and thrash metal. Complementing the band's new sonic approach were Anselmo's harsher vocals compared to those of Terry Glaze. -
Cowboys from hell- The band's 1st hit
After being turned down "28 times by every major label on the face of the Earth", they finally got a deal with Atco Records representatives Mark Ross and Steve. In 1989, the band recorded its major-label debut at Pantego Studios and hired Terry Date to produce it. Pantera showed a more extreme style on this outing, leaving behind its glam metal influences in favor of mid-tempo thrash metal dubbed "power groove" by the band. -
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Vulgar Dispaly of power- Far beyond driven: Pantera's popularity peak.
Pantera's unique style came to fruition when it released their sixth studio album, titled Vulgar Display of Power, on February 25, 1992. On this album, the power metal falsetto vocals were replaced with a hardcore shouted delivery and heavier guitar sound, which cemented the band's popularity. Pantera released their seventh studio album, Far Beyond Driven, on March 22, 1994, which debuted at No. 1 in both United States and Australian album charts. 'I'm broken" was nominated for a grammy. -
The great southern trreandkill- Pantera's experimental album
Pantera's eighth studio album, The Great Southern Trendkill, was released on May 7, 1996. Anselmo recorded the vocals for this release in Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor's studio in New Orleans while the rest of the band recorded in Dallas, evidence of the continued distancing between Anselmo and the rest of the band. In comparison to the band's previous efforts, there was a heavier emphasis on vocal overdubbing in a somewhat "demonic" fashion. Drug abuse is a recurring theme in Trendkill. -
The band's breakup
The Abbott brothers officially disbanded Pantera in November 2003 also the year when their best-of compilation album was released, when the Abbott brothers concluded that Anselmo had abandoned them and would not return. The disbandment of the band was not amicable and subsequently, a war of words was waged between the former bandmates via the press. Anselmo's comment in a 2004 issue of Metal Hammer magazine, saying that Dimebag would "attack him" verbally and "deserves to be beaten severely". -
Dimebag's murder
After Pantera's disbandment, Darrell and Vinnie formed a new band, Damageplan, with vocalist Pat Lachman and bassist Bob Zilla. Damageplan released their first and only studio album. On December 8, 2004, less than a minute into the first song of a Damageplan show in Ohio, a 25-year-old man named Nathan Gale walked onto the stage with a gun, killing Darrell, before being shot dead by Columbus police.
No motive has been given as to why Gale killed Dimebag Darrell and the other victims. -
The band's legacy
Even after their breakup, Pantera is still considered to this day as an astronomically influential band for the rock and metal genre. They have been called one of the pioneers of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. PopMatters has claimed that after Cowboys From Hell and Vulgar Display of Power, every notable young American metal band since has, in some way or another, copied their guitar style from those records: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Hatebreed, Lamb of God... the list is endless."