Pantera (band) life and biography

Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul (drums) and Dimebag Darrell (guitar) in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as the new vocalist.

Pantera have been dubbed one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time, and have sold around 20 million albums. Starting as a glam metal band, Pantera became famous for a more heavier groove and thrash sound when they released Cowboys from Hell in 1990. Their second album Vulgar Display of Power, released in 1992, revealed a heavier sound than Cowboys from Hell and their 1994 release of Far Beyond Driven reached No.1 in the Billboard 200.

Tensions began to surface amongst the band members when Phil Anselmo became addicted to heroin in 1995. This resulted in the recording sessions for The Great Southern Trendkill to be recorded separately. The ongoing tensions lasted for another seven years, in which only one studio album, Reinventing the Steel was released.

Pantera disbanded in 2003 due to Anselmo's time away from the band, which resulted in the Abbott brothers, who felt that Anselmo abandoned Pantera, forming Damageplan. Any hopes of reunion were lost on December 8, 2004 when Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage during a Damageplan performance.

Studio albums

Metal Magic (1983)
Projects in the Jungle (1984)
I Am the Night (1985)
Power Metal (1988)
Cowboys from Hell (1990)
Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Far Beyond Driven (1994)
The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
Reinventing the Steel (2000)

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