Formed: 1982
From:
Dallas,
TX,
United States
Last Known Status: Disbanded
Background
Formed in Dallas in the early 80's, Pantera was founded by brothers Darrell and Vincent Abbott. Along with Terrence Lee and a bassist named Rex Brown, Pantera joined the glam scene. Producing three records, the band never accomplished what they set out to do. In 1986 the members agreed to replace Terrence Lee with Phillip Anselmo. After Releasing aother album the band recieved a record deal with East West Records.
The groups first release with the new label was 'Cowboys From Hell.' This album put Pantera on the metal map, but did not sell very well because mainstream never picked it up. Two years later Pantera released 'Vulgar Display of Power', which defined Pantera's true aggressive style. The next release (Far Beynd Driven) surprised the world by debuting at number one on the Billboard Charts. Pantera released two more studio albums, and a live album in the following years.
Even though they never reached the status of No.1 again, Pantera built a following by touring for four years straight. Pantera have toured with everyone from Slayer (2001) to Rob Zombie (1996). They have also been featured on the Ozzfest on many occasions. Needless to say Pantera are still playing and preaching the same metal that made them metal icons in the early 90's.
Latest Pantera News
Tom Sanford Comments On Dimebag Darrell Painting
Artist Tom Sanford, whose painting of the assassination of Dimebag Darrell is to be auctioned this weekend, has issued the following statement through his website about the controversy surrounding the piece:
"It seems that my 2005 painting 'The Assassination of Dimebag Darrell' is going back to auction and this has re-ignited the ire of Dimebag’s fans. In fact I learned of the auction through a surge in the regular trickle of hate mail/criticism that this piece engenders. Roadrunner records blog, called Blabbermouth, posted a short (and i thought remarkably fair) article about my painting and the upcoming Phillips de Purdy auction. This post was picked up by various other metal blogs and was heavily commented on by their readers. The post linked to my website, and led to an onslaught of email to me. Most of the email amounted cursing me out while accusing me of crimes ranging from poor taste to exploiting the death of Dimebag. I guess that I am guilty of both.
"Back in early 2005, when I made the painting, the reaction of Dimebag’s fans was actually not on my mind. I was interested in this tragedy as a historical event that occurred in our media saturated world, but was without a defining image of the event. Normally the pervasive 24-hour news and infotainment industry is able to define news worthy events with an image or video. In this case the event was only captured in the accounts of witnesses who saw the horrific event live at the Alrosa Villa. This afforded me an opportunity to make a painting that might be the only visual depiction of the tragedy, and yes I exploited this opportunity.
"In my defense I thought it to be an extremely significant event, and one that needed to be remembered. I thought my painting might help remember the tragedy. The painting is certainly in poor taste, but I think that when one is describing a mass murder, etiquette is really not an issue. More...
Painting Of Dimebag Darrell Death To Be Auctioned
Metalhammer.co.uk is reporting that a painting by Tom Sanford of Dimebag Darrell's murder will be auctioned off for a charity event this weekend. The painting is expected to receive between £500 – £700 at the auction. The painting itself and the artist's explanation of it can be viewed at this location.
Lick Library Releases Dimebag Guitar Tuition DVDs
Lick Library, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of guitar tuition DVDs, has just released a comprehensive series of Dimebag Darrell guitar tuition DVDs.
Best known as a founding member of Pantera and Damageplan, Dimebag Darrell was considered one of the most influential guitarists in modern metal. He was renowned for his ferocity of style as well as his creative riffs, licks and hard hitting solos that left fans begging for more.
Learn to Play Pantera (RRP £24.99) is taught by internationally renowned guitarist and tutor Andy James. This double DVD set unlocks the secrets of 5 classic Dimeball Darrrell tracks in 3 hours of guitar lessons broken down into clearly explained sections. Tracks include Cowboys from Hell, Cemetery Gates, Mouth For War, Rise and This Love. Each song is split up into Intro, Verse, Chorus and includes detailed guitar solos and lead fills. It gives you plenty of time to understand what Andy is teaching as he shows you how to play different styles of metal including heavy rhythm parts and fast guitar solos at slow, medium and normal tempos.
Learn to Play Dimebag Darrell, The Solos (RRP £23.99) is also taught by Andy James. It teaches you note for note the solos from 5 classic Pantera tracks, Cowboys from Hell, Cemetery Gates, Mouth For War, A New Level and Walk. This matchless style of guitar lesson shows solos broken down into manageable chunks and demonstrates alternate, hybrid and tremolo picking, string skipping, tapping octave shapes and much more. Production is superb, with multiple camera shots so you see both the left and right hand at the same time.
Quick Licks in the style of Dimebag Darrell (RRP £19.99) is again presented by Andy James. This DVD shows you how to play over 25 killer metal licks which take in some of the best ideas used by Dimebag Darrell. Aimed at the intermediate to advanced guitar player this guitar tuition DVD covers a host of tips & techniques of differing degrees of difficulty. In addition backing tracks are included for you to practice playing the licks with. Your speed of progress is up to you, as you steer through the DVD using the chapter points placed at key places.
Guitar Techniques in the style of Dimebag Darrell (RRP £19.99) is presented by Danny Gill, a former Joe Satriani pupil. Danny uses a clear and patient manner to look closely at how to play rhythm guitar and solos. He explains in small steps, time signatures, syncopated & staccato techniques, rhythm patterns, and a wide range of phrasing ideas. There is for true metal devotees an important lesson on de-tuning, plus the most amazing section detailing what would surely be Dimebag Darrells top ten favourite wacky noises such as the “horse”, “mosquito”, “Elephant”, “flanger and ring modulator FX (without using an FX pedal) and much more.
All these Dimebag Darrell products are available to purchase through www.licklibrary.com along with over 20,000 other guitar tuition products.
Hellyeah To Release New Album In 2010
Hellyeah, the southern tinged metal "supergroup" founded by members of Nothingface, Mudvayne and Vinnie Paul of Pantera/Damageplan fame, has announced that they will be releasing their second studio album around the April/May mark of next year with plenty of touring to follow. Drummer Vinnie Paul has also stated the album is half-done at this point in time. No-one is sure whether the band will release the new album through Epic Records again or through Paul's own label, Big Vin Records. The debut sold around 500,000 copies.
Machine Head To Cover Pantera Classic
In an update from Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn, he revealed that the band have been in the studio recently putting their own spin on the classic Pantera song, "Fucking Hostile." The message reads as follows:
"Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. After two and a half years of touring we're (finally) two months into a three month break, and let me tell you, it's been awesome!!! I've been out camping / wake-boarding a ton, Adam (Duce) is taking flying lessons and just did his first brief solo flight, Dave's (McClain) hanging in Alameda enjoying his new Yamaha drum kit (amazing!) and was hanging in L.A. with the KORN dudes and his long time buddy Ross Robinson, and Phil (Demmel) was most recently Best Man at his best friend Shack's wedding. We've also found time to hop into Trident Studios with Juan Urteaga and record a PANTERA tune for a b-side. We're doing 'Fucking Hostile'!!! Dave is done with drums (nailed it on the 2nd take!), and I finished guitars yesterday and got vocals in the bag. Phil comes in tomorrow, then Adam, then it'll be mixed and mastered by the end of the week. Mike Sloat has been documenting, so we'll probably have video snippets up when the whole thing gets closer to release.
"We also just announced our sole US. headline date on November 6th in NY, so fuckin' A!!! Come make a road trip to N.Y. for some raging metal!!!"
Just For Fun
Ten Worst Album Covers From Great Bands
In a special article at Noisecreep.com, you can check out their own list of the ten worst album covers from otherwise well respected bands (and Dragonforce.) Among the embarassing album covers are Iron Maiden, Pantera, Razor and Artillery. You can check it out by heading to NoiseCreep.com.
Big Vin Records Signs Chinaman
Vinnie Paul's Big Vin Records has announced the signing of comedian Chinaman, well known for his impressions of rockers among other things. You can watch a few video clips below. More...
Metal Music To Be Featured In Madden '10 Game
The forthcoming new video game Madden 10 will be seeing its fair share of metal music featured on its soundtrack, as classic songs from the likes of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Pantera and Iron Maiden will be appearing on the game. The game will be released on July 31st.
The tracklisting for the game is as follows:
2pac - Can't C Me
Airbourne - Heads Are Gonna Roll
Alice In Chains - Them Bones
B.O.B. - Created A Monster
Bang Camaro - Revolution
Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Cypress Hill - Get 'em Up
Helmet - Unsung
Iron Maiden - Aces High
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Kid Rock - I Am The Bulldog
Killswitch Engage - Reckoning
Korn - Blind
Mastodon - Divinations
Nas feat. Puff Daddy - Hate Me Now
Nirvana - Breed
Pantera - Walk
Public Enemy - Shut 'em Down
Rage Against The Machine - Guerilla Radio
Set Your Goals - Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)
Slipknot - Duality
System Of A Down - Sugar
The Vanity Plan - Before I Die
Young Dre The Truth - Cheah Beah
Metal Superstars To Appear At Ride For Dime 5
The organizers of the annual Ride For Dime event has announced a special BBQ & Bash All Star Jam which will feature former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor and many more including members of Testament, Staind, Shinedown, Snot, Machine Head and Buckcherry.
Meet and Starting Point:
Longhorn Harley-Davidson / Buell, located at 2830 W Interstate 20 Grand Prairie, TX
12:30pm -- bike staging
2:30pm -- ride begins under police escort, total ride 38 Miles
3:30pm -- arrive at the Palladium for parking lot party
BBQ & Bash All Star Jam:
6:00pm -- doors
In This Moment Covers Pantera's "I'm Broken"
Metal band IN THIS MOMENT has recently posted a video online for streaming of them covering a all-original metal song "I'm Broken" by Pantera. The song was done as a tribute to the former metal giants, and has been posted for downloading in several locations on the web. More...
