The third band in the last seven from the Texas Triangle (along with tech-prog wizards Blotted Science and Power of Omens), post-thrashers Pantera hailed from Arlington, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Scraping by for the duration of the 80's, they started out emulating the popular sound of the decade, glam metal. While not completely terrible, and despite some proficient and interesting guitar playing by then-Diamond (later Dimebag) Darrell Abbott, their first four albums didn't really stand out from the crowded field. It wasn't until 1990 that they broke out (in a big way) with what's commonly regarded as their real debut, Cowboys From Hell, having evolved their sound into something far heavier, thrash-influenced and really unique for the time. As it turned out, that sound was also highly influential, as it seems every American metal band of the subsequent two and a half decades claims them as an influence.
I remember first hearing "Cemetary Gates" from that album, which was getting heavy rotation on So Cal's metal station, KNAC, and not knowing what to make of it. It was both melodic and percussive, kind of funky and super heavy. Because of the later armies of emulators, it sounds more commonplace now, but at the time it was striking music. The next album, Vulgar Display of Power, is my favorite of theirs, and takes their trademark "groove metal" sound a step further with Darrell's crushing riffs and lightning solos, rock-solid rhythm section playing by Darrell's brother Vinnie Paul Abbott on drums and bassist Rex Brown, and the versatile half sung, half shouted vocals of Phil Anselmo. Below is the opener, "Mouth For War", which is an exemplar of the band at its height. The riffs are as good as any in rock, and the pocket is palpable. Following that is a live performance of one of my favorites from the "debut" entitled "Domination", which was the heaviest thing I had ever heard in 1990.
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