Pantera — Pantera

Pantera's story has two halves: a run of records that redrew heavy metal in the 1990s, and the long grief that followed.

Arlington, 1981

Brothers Dimebag Darrell, on guitar, and Vinnie Paul, on drums, formed Pantera in Arlington, Texas, in 1981. Bassist Rex Brown joined in 1982 and vocalist Phil Anselmo in 1986.

The band began as glam metal. With singer Terry Glaze they released three albums in the mid-1980s, Metal Magic, Projects in the Jungle and I Am the Night, with little success. Looking for something heavier, they recruited Anselmo and released Power Metal in 1988, then signed with Atco the following year.

Groove metal

Cowboys from Hell (1990), which the band now call their official debut, popularised groove metal. Vulgar Display of Power (1992), home of "Walk," was heavier still and grew their audience further. Far Beyond Driven (1994) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Strain and split

Tensions grew from 1995. Anselmo, in severe back pain from years of intense performances, became addicted to heroin and nearly died of an overdose in July 1996. The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) was recorded with members working separately. Reinventing the Steel (2000) was the last album. The band went on hiatus in 2001 and broke up in 2003.

The brothers, whose family name was Abbott, formed Damageplan. On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage during a Damageplan show in Columbus, Ohio. Vinnie Paul formed Hellyeah and died of heart failure in June 2018.

Back on the road

In July 2022, Brown and Anselmo were announced as reuniting for Pantera's first major tour in 22 years, with Zakk Wylde on guitar and Charlie Benante on drums. The new lineup played its first show at the Hell and Heaven festival in Mexico on December 2, 2022, and has toured the world since.

The numbers

Pantera have sold around 20 million records and received four Grammy nominations.

Where to start

"Cowboys from Hell" for the moment the sound arrived, then "Walk."