Pantera was formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by brothers Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell, and with Phil Anselmo they built groove metal from the ground up. Cowboys from Hell (1990) and Vulgar Display of Power (1992) are the pillars; Far Beyond Driven debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Find Pantera vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Pantera formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 around brothers Vinnie Paul Abbott and Dimebag Darrell Abbott (Darrell Lance Abbott). Their early catalog (1983-1988) consisted of glam metal material with original vocalist Terry Glaze. After Glaze's 1986 departure and Phil Anselmo joining as vocalist, the band abandoned their earlier glam metal aesthetic and pivoted toward the heavier groove metal approach that would establish their international commercial breakthrough. The 1990 Atco Records debut Cowboys from Hell (the band's fifth studio album but their first major-label release) launched the foundational template for groove metal as a recognized genre. Their 1994 album Far Beyond Driven debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 - the heaviest album to ever debut at #1. The band dissolved in 2003 amid Anselmo / Abbott brothers tensions. Dimebag Darrell was murdered on stage on December 8, 2004 at age 38 at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio while performing with his subsequent band Damageplan - Vinnie Paul was performing alongside him and survived. Vinnie Paul died of dilated cardiomyopathy on June 22, 2018 at age 54. A reunion tour with surviving members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown alongside tribute musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante began in 2022. Their foundational influence on groove metal and broader heavy metal is widely cited.
Pantera's sound is foundational to groove metal as a recognized genre - combining groove metal, thrash metal, heavy metal, alternative metal, southern metal, and (in early catalog) glam metal with Anselmo's distinctive vocal delivery (range from melodic clean approach to extreme growl), Dimebag Darrell's foundational virtuosic guitar work, Vinnie Paul's signature drumming approach, and arrangements drawing on classic thrash metal alongside Southern American musical influences. Their foundational influence on groove metal is widely documented.
Atco Records and EastWest pressings of the Pantera catalog are widely collected.
Listeners new to Pantera typically start with Vulgar Display of Power (1992) or Cowboys from Hell (1990).
