Pantera started as a glam metal band and reinvented themselves into the heaviest thing in mainstream metal. Phil Anselmo's confrontational vocals and Dimebag Darrell's revolutionary guitar tone created groove metal, a subgenre that dominated the nineties.
Cowboys from Hell announced the new Pantera; Vulgar Display of Power perfected it. Internal tensions split the band in 2003, and Dimebag's murder onstage in 2004 was one of the most shocking events in rock history.
Key Albums
The album that defined groove metal. 'Walk' became a mosh pit anthem.
Debuted at number one. The heaviest album to ever top the Billboard chart.
The reinvention album that buried the glam past and launched a movement.
Why They Matter
Pantera bridged the gap between thrash and the heavier music that followed, essentially inventing groove metal and influencing every heavy band of the 2000s.