Pantera  the story

 

In 1983 band Pantera was formed by founding members Diamond Darrel, brother Vinnie and Rex. At the same year they released their independent album titled Metal Magic. A year after that they released their second album - Projects In The Jungle. Their third album - I Am The Night - was released in 1985, three years before their last independant album - Power Metal. Through the release of first three succesfull independant albums the band became progresively heavier and to complete their direction added Phillip Anselmo. With him band recorded their most succesful independant album - Power Metal. That album was combined with their incredible live shows, gained Pantera a large underground following worldwide. In the year of 1990 Pantera sign with East West/Atlantic and released Cowboys From Hell, Produced by Terry 'Rope King' Date.

Cowboys From Hell (1990)
Cowboys From Hell (4:06); Primal Concrete Sledge (2:13); Psycho Holiday (5:19); Heresy (4:45); Cemetary Gates (7:03); Domination (5:02); Shattered (3:21); Clash With Reality (5:15); Medicine Man (5:15); Message In Blood (5:09);
The Sleep (5:47); The Art of Shredding (4:16)

The Album breaks new ground with its style and direction. Incorporating raw and aggressive energy with their polished songwriting and emphasising their trademark 'Power Groove', Cowboys From Hell is a worldwide success. In 1991 the Cowboys From Hell long form video is released and the band perform at the 'Monsters Of Rock' festival in Moscow. The Russian audience go 'BUGFUCK' at the band's earth shattering brutality. Their second album Vulgar Display Of Power is released!

Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Mouth For War (3:56); A New Level (2:57); Walk (5:15); Fucking Hostile (2:49); This Love (6:32); Rise (4:36); No Good (Attack the Radical) (4:50); Live In A Hole (4:59); Regular People (Conceit) (5:27); By Demons Be Driven (4:39); Hollow (5:45)

 

Mouth For War was the first metal single ever to debut at #1 - beating Metallica's "Enter Sandman", while the album topped the U.S. metal charts for weeks on end! Critics are unanimous in their entusiasm...Guitar World raved "Anselmo sings with the fury of a post office psycho" and the Village Voice called Pantera an "angry, cantankerous, ferally aggressive band that channels all the free-floating rage of their enviroment into a murderous mettlic growl." After that in 1993 Pantera had its first headliner tour of the UK begins. Band members are preparing for the recording of a new album. In 1994 Pantera release new album, Far Beyond Driven.

Far Beyond Driven (1994)
Strength Beyond Strength (3:39); Becoming (3:05); 5 Minutes Alone (5:50); I'm Broken (4:25); Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills (2:54); Hard Lines, Sunken Cheeks (7:01); Slaughtered (3:57); 25 Years (6:06); Shedding Skin (5:37);
Use My Third Arm (4:52); Throes of Rejection (5:01); Planet Caravan (4:04)

 

"It's Fucking Heavy!" quotes singer Philip Anselmo. In March, Far Beyond Driven is released debutting at No. 1 on the Australian and U.S. album charts simultaneously. The world tour begins. The true definition of Pantera is their live performance which literally rattles every bone in your body and crushes at your ears like a vice - a sheer hostile takeover... "We felt like after 7 years of playing live, that we wanted to put out a record with all our best tunes. Songs that have our own TLC instead of all that foolishness that happens when a band puts out a greatest hits album or some overdubbed live album." So says Vinnie Paul, drummer for one of the seminal metal bands of the 90's, Pantera. He's talking about the upcoming release of their first sanctioned live LP (Pantera live bootlegs have had fans salivating for years) Official Live - 101 Proof, scheduled to hit stores on July 29.
Culled from years of relentless touring, the album features hand-picked gems from Pantera's legendary/critically acclaimed roadshows, as well as two new songs specially recorded for the album as a gift to their fans. The connection between the group and their audience is one of the most magnetic in rock. "We've always been real honest about what we do. We have always taken our music directly to our fans," says Vinnie. "Our deal - what we do - is a live deal. It's what we do fucking best. The fans are so much a part of that. There's a circular energy when we play that goes back and forth. Our story wouldn't be complete without a live record." And what a story it is. Official Live - 101 Proof, is the follow up to 1996's masterwork, The Great Southern Trendkill.

The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL; WAR NERVE; DRAG THE WATERS; 10'S; 13 STEPS TO NOWHERE; SUICIDE NOTE PT. 1; SUICIDE NOTE PT. II; LIVING THROUGH ME (HELLS' WRATH); FLOODS; THE UNDERGROUND IN AMERICA (REPRISE); SANDBLASTED SKIN.

 

With only four albums under their belt, and nearly 8 million sales worldwide, the group (featuring Vinnie Paul, vocalist Philip Anselmo, guitarist Dimebag Darrell, and bassist Rex Brown), has become one of the most integral (and best selling) metal bands of the decade by, in Darrell's words, "Staying true to our fans and our music. We haven't conformed to any trend. We went against the grain and blew it up. Selling out would be against what we're all about." That passion rings loud and true on Official Live - 101 Proof, featuring 14 live tracks which the band personally chose as the cream of the Pantera arsenal, and of course the two new songs.

Official Live (1997)
New Level; Walk; Becoming; 5 Minutes Alone; Sandlblasted Skin; Suicide Note Pt. 2; War Nerve; This Love; Dom /Hollow; Strength Beyond Strength; I'm Broken; Cowboys From Hell; Cemetary Gates; Fuckin Hostile; Where You Come From (previously unreleased); I Can't Hide (previously unreleased)

"We recorded the new material during a break in our tour," smiles Vinnie. "We recorded them in 12 days. It was a great feeling to get back in the studio again. Especially when we knew the songs were going to go on an album that is so important for us and our fans." Pantera will also release 3 (Watch It Go), their third home video, in August. The video will follow in the outrageous footsteps of the band's previous two home video releases, Vulgar Video and Cowboys From Hell, both certified gold. The new package will include home movies of the band's on the road antics, state of the art live footage, as well as clips from the last two albums, 1996's The Great Southern Trendkill. and 1994's platinum-plus Far Beyond Driven. You can view Pantera's live mayhem up close and personal through June 29 as they bring their gauntlet to the Ozz-Fest. Pantera is playing alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Machinehead, Fear Factory, Type O Negative, and Powerman 5000. "It's a thrill for us to be doing it," says Vinnie. "Black Sabbath was a huge influence for us and we like all the groups on the bill. It's nice to be able to just play and enjoy all of it as a fan, as well." On July 1 Pantera is scheduled to venture on alone, performing their first ever show in Anchorage, Alaska. July 17 and 19 find the group in Mexico City and Monterey respectively, as they play their first ever headline gigs in Mexico. Pantera returns to headline their own U.S. tour again from September through the end of the year. Band members are preparing for the recording of a new album. In 2000 Pantera release new album, Reinenting the steel.

Reinventing The Steel (2000)
Hellbound; Goddamn Electric; Yesterday Don't Mean Shit; You've Got To Belong To It; Revolution Is My Name; Death Rattle; We'll Grind That Axe For A Long Time; Uplift; It Makes Them Disappear; I'll Cast A Shadow.

The End ?