Pantera is a heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, that started as a glam rock in the mid-1980s. It was formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers – drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell – along with singer Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera replaced Glaze with Phil Anselmo in 1987. Pantera released an album in the 1990s called Cowboys from Hell, which the band has dubbed their first debut album under the new sound called grooved metal that Pantera is known for today.
Above is a live concert of Pantera during their Cowboys From Hell Tour. This album features the new grooved metal sound that shot Pantera to fame. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features “raspy singing and screaming, down-tuned guitars, heavy guitar riffs, and syncopated rhythms” (Metal Fandom). Unlike thrash metal, groove metal is usually slower and also uses elements of traditional heavy metal.
This compilation of Dimebag Darrell’s solos shows off his unique guitar skills. Darrell’s sound was actually fairly straightforward and different from other great guitarists. His tone is described as “scooped mids” which means that you’re taking out or scooping the midrange while boosting the lows and highs.
Above is a clip of Pantera’s earliest TV interviews. Featured are singer Phil Anselmo on the left and guitarist Dimebag Darrell. Anselmo and Phil talk about what the songwriting process is like and how Darrell comes up with the crazy guitar riffs and solos during recording sessions.
Above is another interview with Phil Anselmo and Dimebag Darrell on audience participation when they perform during concerts. They bring in the audience and interact with them when performing, which makes their concerts even more popular. They also discuss how their sound is different from most Texas rock musicians bringing in more of a thrash metal sound.
Before the band’s breakup in 2001, the band amended their song “Death Rattle” to appear in an episode of SpongeBob featuring Sandy Cheeks, who happens to be from Pantera’s home state of Texas. Tensions began to surface, however, when Anselmo became addicted to heroin in 1995, which nearly led to his death in 1996 following an overdose. The ongoing tension lasted for another seven years, during which only one studio album, Reinventing the Steel (2000), was recorded. Pantera went on hiatus in 2001 but was disbanded by the Abbott brothers in 2003 amid their conclusion that Anselmo would not return to the band.
The Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan while Anselmo began work on several side projects. On December 8, 2004, however, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage by a deranged fan during a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio. Above is a clipping from the Dallas newspaper about the loss of mourning fans around the Texas area feel for Dimebag Darrell.
Above is another article in the music-book paper about the legacy and life Dimebag Darrell left behind. The article talks about the profound effect the loss had on fans in the Texas area where Pantera was from.
Dimebag’s Aria Pro guitar he played that was on display in the Hard Rock Hotel Hollywood, Florida, when I visited last year.
The notes above were left by fans after Dimebag Darrell’s death in 2004. I also found that fact that he is buried with Eddie Van Helen’s guitar, who was his biggest inspiration.
References:
“Groove Metal.” Metal Wiki, https://metal.fandom.com/wiki/Groove_metal.
“Pantera.” Metal Wiki, https://metal.fandom.com/wiki/Pantera.
“Pantera.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Mar. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantera.
Texas Tech University, https://collections2.swco.ttu.edu/.
