Pantera

This Texan heavy metal quartet was formed in 1981. They initially comprised Terry Glaze (guitar/vocals), Darrell Abbott (guitar), Vince Abbott (drums) and Rex Rocker (bass). Drawing musical inspiration from Kiss,
Aerosmith and Deep Purple , they debuted with Metal Magic in 1983. This well-received set led to prestigious support slots to Dokken , Stryper , and Quiet Riot. Projects In The Jungle indicated that the band were evolving quickly and starting to build a sound of their own. The Kiss nuances had disappeared and the band sounded, at times, similar to early Def Leppard , with anthemic cuts such as 'Heavy Metal Rules' and 'Out For Blood' leading the charge. The membership altered their names at this juncture with Glaze becoming Terence Lee, Darrell Abbott switching to Diamond Darrell and brother Vince emerging as Vinnie Paul. Power Metal was the first album of Phil Anselmo taking over as lesd vocals, but the album lacked the depth and polish of previous efforts, and had yet to make the full conversion to extant thrash which would become their new trademark. Diamond Darrell turned down the offer to join Megadeth at this point in order to concentrate on new Pantera material. The decision proved crucial, as a return to form was made with 1990's Cowboys From Hell . This was an inspired collection of infectious hard rock, played with unabashed fervour, with Anselmo growing as a creative and visual force. Vulgar Display Of Power , meanwhile, belied half of its title by invoking a sense of genuine songwriting prowess to augment the bone-crushing arrangements. Building up a fierce reputation, it surprised few of the group's supporters when Far Beyond Driven entered both the UK and US album charts at number 1. Rock music had found powerful new ambassadors in the brutally honest and savagely executed thrash metal of Pantera. The key word here is 'loud', as Official Live: 101 Proof demonstrates without a doubt.