Reinventing Metal: The True Story of Pantera and the Tragically Short Life of Dimebag Darrell

by Neil Daniels

Overview

(Book). Pantera is widely regarded as one of the most influential and revered American metal bands of the past 20 years. Although its output was relatively short from 1983 to 2000 it released only nine studio albums its impact on the metal scene since the band split up in 2003 is still felt to this day. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell was tragically killed in 2004 but his legacy remains undiminished. Pantera had an enormous influence on nu-metal, groove metal, metalcore, and grindcore and continues to be publicized and written about. Its 1990 breakthrough album Cowboys from Hell is still regarded as one of the greatest metal albums in history, as is Pantera's sixth opus, Vulgar Display of Power . Previously, the band had been associated with the glam metal scene, but as 1987 saw the release of many important thrash albums by such bands as Slayer and Metallica, Pantera recruited underground metal fan Phil Anselmo and changed its image and sound to something more aggressive, becoming a thrash-groove metal crossover band. With a wide array of research and many first-hand interviews with those who knew the group well, Reinventing Metal is an unauthorized, first-ever biography that focuses on the entire band from its Texas high school start to the global mega-success that anchored Pantera as one of the most important metal names ever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781480362727
Publisher:	Hal Leonard Corporation
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	5 MB

Table of Contents

Foreword Jeff Waters ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

Part 1 The Glam Metal Years

1 At Hell's Gates: The Birth of the Panther 3

2 Rock Out: The Making of Metal Magic 15

3 Heavy Metal Rules: Pantera Unleashes Projects in the Jungle 23

4 Onward We Rock: The Release of I Am the Night 31

5 Rock the World: Phil Anselmo, Power Metal, and the Dawn of a New Era 53

Part 2 Southern Cowboys From Hell

6 At the Cemetery Gates: Finding a Label 73

7 Psychos from the South: The Release of Cowboys from Hell 81

8 Demons Be Driven: The Release of Vulgar Display of Power 103

9 Strength Beyond Strength: The Release of Far Beyond Driven 115

10 Five Minutes Alone: Communication Breakdown and Band Tension 123

Part 3 The Great Southern Trendkillers

11 Underground in America: The Release of The Great Southern Trendkill 135

12 Hell's Wrath: Band Life Ain't Easy 141

13 'Southern Shredders: Ozzfest, Official Live, and Some Much-Needed Downtime 149

14 Goddamn Electric: Pantera Hit the Studio for Reinventing the Steel 159

15 Immortally Insane: Pantera on Tour 169

16 We'll Grind That Axe for a Long Time: The Inevitable Breakup of the Band 179

Epilogue: A Decade of Domination-The Tragic Death of Dimebag Darrell and the Enduring Legacy of the Panther 187

Afterword Brian Slagel 211

Discography 213

Sources 223

Index 233