Pantera

Pantera’s career truly took off when the band’s core members Darrell & Vinnie Paul Abbott and bassist Rex Brown recruited vocalist Philip H. Anselmo. Born and bred in neighbouring Louisiana, Anselmo’s first contribution was on ‘Power Metal’ but that turned out to be nothing but a trial run. All hell broke loose when Pantera unleashed ‘Cowboys from Hell’ (1990). All of a sudden Pantera sounded ultra heavy and modern. The groove laden riffs – or power groove in their own words, faster drums and more intricate guitar work are the key ingredients of this seminal album that contains such metal evergreens as ‘Domination’, ‘Cemetery Gates’ and the title track. Two years later they upped the ante even further with ‘Vulgar Display of Power’. The album cover depicts a guy getting punched in the face and that is the perfect description of the impact this record had on the metal community. Cuts like ‘Walk’, ‘Fucking Hostile’ and ‘This Love’ are blueprints that influenced an entire generation. In addition, Pantera matured into a phenomenal live act. In a sweat-drenched gig at concert venue Vooruit in Ghent in 1993, stage divers even launched from the balconies. It was clear they were destined for greatness and 1994’s ‘Far Beyond Driven’ further confirmed their star quality. Clubs turned into arenas and Darrell changed his stage name from Diamond Darrell to Dimebag Darrell, slang for a bag of weed. Unfortunately their new-found status came with greater temptations and by the time they dropped ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’ and ‘Reinventing the Steel’, the first chinks showed up in the armour. The band fell apart into two camps: Phil and Rex versus the Abbott brothers. Then on 8 December 2004 fate struck a cruel blow when a madman jumped onto the stage at a Damageplan show – the brothers’ new outfit – and shot Dimebag Darrell dead. For many years fans speculated about a possible reunion but Vinnie wasn’t having it. However, times change because the Abbott brothers’ estate has given its blessing for an official Pantera reunion with Phil, Rex, Zakk Wylde and Anthrax’ Charlie Benante behind the kit. They will introduce the younger fans to the primeval power that is the music of Pantera. #GMM23