Pantera was an American heavy metal band which formed in 1981 and folded in 2003, as a result of internal conflict. The original line-up, formed while the members were still at school, was Vinnie Paul Abbott (drums) and his brother, 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott (guitar), together with Tommy Bradford (bass), Terry Glaze (guitar) and Donnie Hart (vocals).
Hart and Bradford left in 1982; Glaze took over the vocals and Rex Brown was recruited on bass. In 1983 the band released its debut, Metal Magic and followed this a year later with Projects in the Jungle. Both albums were very much in the glam-metal genre and they released another glam-inspired album in 1984, I Am the Night.
The rise of Slayer and Metallica inspired a change in sound for the band and after recruiting a new vocalist Phil Anselmo, they released Power Metal in 1988 on their independent record label Metal Magic Records. The direction they took with the sound in Power Metal was very close to the sound they would have two years later with the release of Cowboys From Hell.
Although not quite as serious as Cowboys From Hell, Power Metal was still a excellent metal album similar in style to Judas Priest. Phil Anselmo's vocal style for Power Metal sounded much like Rob Halford's vocal style, he would also go on to use this vocal style for part of Cowboys From Hell.
The band was later signed to Atco Records and released Cowboys From Hell in 1990. Now the band had its signature sound of thrash/groove metal, and the album was considered the first 'real' Pantera album. Vulgar Display of Power (1992) was considered to be their best album by both fans and critics, and contained the popular tracks "Fucking Hostile", "Walk" and "Mouth for War". The success of Vulgar... meant that fans were eager to purchase its follow-up, Far Beyond Driven (1994), which debuted at No.1 in the US Billboard charts.
Fame began to have its effect on the inter-personal relations within the band. Anselmo began to distance himself from the rest of the band and spent some time in the mid 90s working with the supergroup Down. For the next Pantera release, The Great Southern Trendkill (1996), Anselmo recorded the vocals separately from the rest of the band. Later that year he overdosed on heroin and the nature of his addiction was made clear to the rest of the band. Nonetheless the band continued while Anselmo involved himself in further side projects, including Eibon and Necrophagia, while Brown and the Abbott brothers began the Rebel Meets Rebel project.
In 2000 the band released what would be their final album, Reinventing the Steel. There was discussion about releasing a further album but nothing appeared. Anselmo was still engaged with side projects and with his return to Pantera unclear, the band split amidst much acrimony.
Within a year Dimebag was dead, shot onstage during a performance with his new band, Damageplan, dashing all hopes of a reunion.
