Pantera () is an American heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas, in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consisted of the Abbott brothers along with Brown and Anselmo, who joined in 1982 and 1986, respectively. The band is credited for developing and popularizing the subgenre of groove metal in the 1990s. Regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, Pantera has sold around 20 million records worldwide and has received four Grammy nominations.
Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera released three albums in the mid-1980s with lead vocalist Terry Glaze (Metal Magic, Projects in the Jungle, and I Am the Night), with little success. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera recruited Anselmo in 1986 and released Power Metal in 1988. They secured a record deal with major label Atco the following year. Their fifth album (which the band has since declared to be their official debut album), Cowboys from Hell (1990), popularized the groove metal genre, while its follow-up Vulgar Display of Power (1992) achieved an even heavier sound and increased their popularity. The subsequent seventh studio album, Far Beyond Driven (1994), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Tensions began to surface among the band members when Anselmo, reeling from severe back problems brought on by years of intense on-stage performances, began growing distant from his bandmates in 1995, eventually becoming addicted to heroin as a result of his pain issues (he almost died from an overdose in July 1996). These tensions resulted in the recording sessions for The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) being held separately. The ongoing tension lasted for another seven years, during which one more studio album, Reinventing the Steel (2000), was recorded. Pantera went on hiatus in 2001, but lingering disputes led to the band breaking up in 2003. The Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan, while Anselmo continued to work on several side projects, including Down, which Brown joined, as well.
On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage by a mentally unstable fan named Nathan Gale during a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio. Vinnie Paul went on to form Hellyeah after his brother's death and died of heart failure in June 2018, leaving Brown and Anselmo as the only surviving members of the band's best-known lineup. In July 2022, Brown and Anselmo were announced to be reuniting in 2023 for Pantera's first tour in 22 years, with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante filling in for the Abbott brothers on guitar and drums, respectively. The new lineup played its first show at the Hell and Heaven festival in Mexico on December 2, 2022, and spent the next few years touring the world as of 2026.
History 1981–1986: Formation and early glam years
The band was originally named Gemini, then Eternity, before finally settling on Pantera after it was recommended to Vinnie while he was in drumline by his friend Don Sowers in high school. The name was inspired by the car De Tomaso Pantera. The band initially consisted of Vinnie Paul Abbott on drums with Darrell Abbott and Terry Glaze on guitar; the lineup was completed with two more members, lead vocalist Donnie Hart and bassist Tommy D. Bradford. In 1982, Hart left the band and Glaze took over on lead vocals. Later that year, Bradford also departed and was replaced by Rex Brown (then known as Rex Rocker) on bass. As Darrell rapidly improved, Glaze stuck to playing rhythm guitar, leaving Darrell as the sole lead guitarist. Glaze later gave up playing rhythm guitar altogether other than the occasional live performance, leaving Darrell handling both lead and rhythm duties.
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. Pantera released its first studio album, Metal Magic, in 1983, on the band's record label of the same name and produced by the Abbott brothers' father, Jerry Abbott, at Pantego Studios. Pantera's sound at this stage is often likened to that of bands such as Kiss, Def Leppard, and Van Halen. Darrell's solos and guitar playing have also been noted, Darrell having only been 16 at time of recording.
In 1984, Pantera released its second studio album, Projects in the Jungle. Though still very much a glam metal album, it contained more notable influences in the vein of bands like Judas Priest. Another change was Terry Glaze's name, as he was henceforth credited as "Terrence Lee". 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. According to Vinnie Paul in 1990, the album sold 15,000+ copies.
In 1985, Pantera released its third studio album, titled I Am the Night. As with Projects in the Jungle, this album saw improved production and Pantera's sound becoming heavier (though still rooted in glam metal), and the heavy metal press took more notice of the band. Because of poor distribution, I Am the Night turned out to be a costly album to many fans. Around 25,000 copies of the album were sold. Pantera's second music video was produced for the track "Hot and Heavy". By 1986, Glaze's glam approach did not fit the band's developing style, and tensions between Glaze and rest of the band were rising. The breaking point came when, according to Glaze, following a dispute around the band's voting system (namely that the Abbott's, including Jerry Abbott, never split their vote), the other members and he parted ways.
1986–1989: Anselmo's introduction and Power Metal Pantera began a search for Glaze's replacement and initially auditioned Matt L'Amour, a David Coverdale lookalike. He sang a number of shows with the band in Los Angeles during the winter of 1986, but it became somewhat apparent that L'Amour could not hit the high notes of which Glaze was capable. Together with his lack of stage presence, this meant that Pantera could only play cover songs, leading to L'Amour's departure.Daniels, Neil; Reinventing Metal: The True Story of Pantera and the Tragically Short Life of Dimebag Darrell pp. 42–43 Pantera next auditioned El Paso native Rick Mythiasin, later to sing for Steel Prophet and Agent Steel; however, cultural and image differences – Mythiasin failed to adapt to the Southern culture of the other members – meant his tenure was even shorter than that of L'Amour.Daniels; Reinventing Metal; pp. 44–45 A former schoolmate of the Abbott brothers, David Peacock of the band Forced Entry (who had supported Warlock),Daniels, Reinventing Metal, pp. 46–47 joined the band as lead vocalist in the spring of 1986, but despite Pantera doing most of the work for their fourth album during the summer with Peacock, Rex and the Abbotts found Peacock's voice to be unsuited to the musical direction Pantera wished for.Daniels; Reinventing Metal, p. 48 By the end of the year, Pantera even revisited original frontman Donny Hart. However, Hart himself knew that he was not the right frontman Pantera were seeking and Jerry Abbott was going to fire him.
Also in 1986, New Orleans native and then-eighteen year old Phil Anselmo had heard Pantera were looking for a singer.Daniels; Reinventing Metal, p. 54 At the end of the year, they invited him to audition, and the eighteen-year old Anselmo was hired as the new vocalist on the spot. Anselmo had previously been the vocalist for the bands Samhain (not to be confused with Glenn Danzig's band of the same name) and Razor White. Upon playing with Pantera, Anselmo immediately clicked with the other three members. The years 1986 and 1987 saw the release of several landmark thrash metal albums that would prove influential to Pantera's developing musical style. Among the most prominent of these were Metallica's Master of Puppets, Slayer's Reign in Blood, Anthrax's Among the Living, and Megadeth's Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?. When Anselmo joined the band, he would bring his mixtapes with him and play bands such as Exhorder, Slayer, and Rigor Mortis to the other band members.
Songwriting for the band's next album had begun as early as 1986 and now, with Anselmo, continued into 1987. Keel guitarist Marc Ferrari notably contributed the song "Proud to Be Loud" which had originally been intended for their 1987 self-titled album. With the record was close to being finished, the band was brought in with a contract with Gold Mountain Records, one of the distributors with MCA, primarily based on the band's relationship with Ferrari. They felt, however, that the album's material was "too heavy" and the band refused to change their sound and direction, resulting in delays to the album's release. In the end, the band was forced to release the album through Metal Magic. The band also saw an evolution in their image during this period with promotional material for the upcoming album seeing the band abandoning some of the brighter, neon colors and spandex typical of the glam metal image and adopting a darker more denim and leatherbound image.
In 1988, with Anselmo as the new vocalist, Pantera released their fourth studio album, titled Power Metal. Power Metal, like Pantera's previous three albums, was released by Metal Magic Records; however, it 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; the album was a mix of 1980s glam metal, traditional metal and thrash metal, sometimes blending all styles in a single song. Complementing the band's new sonic approach were Anselmo's harder-edged vocals compared to those of Terry Glaze, though they had yet to develop into the distinct and rhythmic guttural style Anselmo would later become known for. Anselmo's vocals on the album have often been likened to that of Rob Halford. After the release of Power Metal, the band members decided again to seriously reconsider their image and sound. Referring to the band's leatherbound and spandex appearance, Vinnie Paul remarked at a band meeting that "These magic clothes don't play music; we do. Let's just go out there and be comfortable, jeans, t-shirt, whatever, and see where it goes." The band members would later no longer acknowledge their independent releases, including Power Metal, as they sculpted a new, heavier image to accompany their later groove metal sound. Their four independent albums are not listed on the band's official website and have become hard-to-find collector's items.
Shortly after Power Metal was released, Megadeth needed a guitarist and asked Diamond Darrell to join the band. Darrell insisted that his brother, bandmate Vinnie Paul, be included. However, Megadeth had already hired Nick Menza as their new drummer so Darrell declined the offer, and Dave Mustaine instead decided on Marty Friedman.
1989–1991: Cowboys from Hell and mainstream breakthrough The Abbott brothers refocused their attention on Pantera. In 1989, they were given their first shot at commercial success. That year was also when the band formed their relationship with Walter O'Brien at Concrete Management (the management arm of Concrete Marketing), who remained their manager until they disbanded in 2003.