Pantera

This article is about the band. For other uses, see Pantera (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Panthera.

Pantera
The band's best-known lineup, circa 2000. From left: Phil Anselmo, Vinnie Paul, Dimebag Darrell, and Rex Brown.
The band's best-known lineup, circa 2000. From left: Phil Anselmo, Vinnie Paul, Dimebag Darrell, and Rex Brown.
Background information
OriginArlington, Texas, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyPantera discography
Years active
  • 1981–2003
  • 2022–present
Labels
Spinoffs
Members
Past members
Websitepantera.com

Pantera (/pænˈtɛrə/) is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed 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.[1][2][3] Regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, Pantera has sold around 20 million records worldwide[4] and has received four Grammy nominations.[5]

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),[6] 1990's Cowboys from Hell, popularized the groove metal genre, while its 1992 follow-up Vulgar Display of Power 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.[7]

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 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 2018,[8] leaving Brown and Anselmo as the only surviving members of the band's best-known lineup. In July 2022, it was announced that Brown and Anselmo were reuniting in 2023 for Pantera's first tour in 22 years,[9] with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante filling in for the Abbott brothers on guitar and drums, respectively.[10] The new lineup played its first show in 21 years at the Hell and Heaven festival in Mexico on December 2, 2022,[11] and the band's tour will continue into 2025.[12][13]

  1. ^ "Pantera Share Teaser For Upcoming Reunion Tour, Rex Brown Says "This Is Gonna Be One Hell Of A Ride"". Theprp.com. November 27, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  2. ^ Cowboys from Hell - Pantera | Album | AllMusic, retrieved March 10, 2024
  3. ^ "7 Times Pantera Proved They Were the Kings of Groove Metal". Ultimate Guitar. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "Abbott, Vincent Paul [Vinnie Paul] (1964–2018)". November 7, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Pantera". GRAMMY.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "A short biography on Pantera". AllMusic. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  7. ^ "Pantera Chart Positions – Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "Vinnie Paul, Legendary Drummer for Pantera & Damageplan, Dead at 54". Billboard.com. June 22, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  9. ^ "Pantera To Tour in 2023, North America Shows To Be Booked by AG". Billboard.com. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "It's Official: ZAKK WYLDE And CHARLIE BENANTE To Tour With PANTERA's Surviving Members". Blabbermouth.net. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  11. ^ Blabbermouth (December 2, 2022). "Watch PANTERA Play First Concert In Over 20 Years At Mexico HELL & HEAVEN METAL FEST". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  12. ^ "PANTERA Announces January/February 2025 European Tour". Blabbermouth.net. July 2, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "PANTERA Announces First Tour Of U.K. And Ireland In More Than 20 Years". Blabbermouth.net. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.