PANTERA WAS FORMED IN '83 BY BROTHERS DARRELL AND VINNIE ABBOTT,
ON GUITAR AND DRUMS RESPECTIVLEY AND REX ON THE BASS. THEY
RELEASED AN INDEPENDANT ALBUM WITH TERRY GLAZE SINGING CALLED
"METAL MAGIC".84 AND '85 SAW TWO MORE RELEASES "PROJECTS IN
THE JUNGLE" AND "I AM THE NIGHT" BOTH OF WHICH WERE INDEPENDENT
AND BOTH PROGRESSIVLEY GETTING HEAYIER. THE FORTH INDEPENDANT
ALBUM WAS POWER METAL WITH PHILIP ANSELMO AS FRONT MAN, THIS
GAINED PANTERA A BIG UNDER GROUND FOLLOWING.
EAST WEST ATLANTIC SIGNED PANTERA IN 1990 AND "COWBOYS FROM
HELL" WAS RELEASED. IT WAS A GROUND BREAKING ALBUM WITH A VARIETY OF SONGS
FROM "PRIMAL CONCRETE SLEDGE" TO "CEMETARY GATES". ,
IT WAS A HIT THE WORLD
OVER AND PUT PANTERA WELL AND TRULY ON THE METAL MAP.
"VULGAR DISPLAY OF
POWER" WAS RELEASED IN '92
AND THE SINGLE "MOUTH FOR WAR" WENT STRAIGHT IN
AT NUMBER 1 BECOMING THE FIRST METAL SINGLE EVER TO DO SO. "VULGAR DISPLAY
OF POWER" WAS PRAISED THE WORLD OVER, PANTERA THEN DID AN EXTENSIVE TOUR
INCLUDING THE UK.
"FAR BEYOND DRIVEN" WAS WRITTEN AND RECORDED IN 6 WEEKS. THEN RELEASED IN 1994 AND WENT STRAIGHT TO
NUMBER 1 IN AUSTRALIA AND THE US ALBUM CHARTS. PANTERA WERE GOING FROM
STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, ANOTHER TOUR THEN BEGAN WITH SOME BRUTAL LIVE
SHOWS.
PLANS ARE FOR A NEW ALBUM EARLY NEXT YEAR. VINNY COMMENTED THAT IT WOULD SEE A RETURN TO THE ‘COWBOYS FROM HELL’ STYLE OF MUSIC.
1996 SAW THE RELEASE OF THE LONG AWAITED EIGHTH ALBUM THERE WERE SUCH HIGH HOPES FOR THE ALBUM, AND PANTERA SURPASSED THEM ALL. ALL OF THE BAND MEMBERS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ALBUM, MORE SO THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES AND HAVE DONE SOMETHING RATHER SPECIAL. THE ALBUM IS MUSICALLY TIGHT AND THE VARIETY IN SONGS, FROM THE OPENING ROAR OF ‘THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL’ TO THE LAST FADE IN OF ‘(REPRISE) SANDBLASTED SKIN’, IT IS TRULY AMAZING.
PANTERA’S 101 PROOF WAS RELEASED IN ’97, WHICH IS A REALLY GOOD LIVE ALBUM, THAT HAS A GOOD MIX OF SONGS OFF THEIR ALBUMS. ALSO ON THE END THERE ARE A COUPLE OF BONUS STUDIO TRACKS.
