Pantera was an extremely popular metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed in 1981. Specifically, some fans consider them power metal, groove metal, or an amalgamation of both (so called "power groove", a term the band devised themselves). Emerging alongside influential classic thrash metal acts such as Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, Pantera was a key formulator of the post-thrash subgenre of heavy metal music. At the start of the career the style of Pantera's image and sound was heavily influenced by bands like KISS & Van Halen. At certain stages, Pantera drew more on the popular LA glam scene. The extent to how far Pantera took the glam image is one of many disputes among fans of heavy metal and those who discredit the band's popularity to the 90s; however most of the material on the albums themselves were a contrast to typical glam metal formula. They released three albums during this stage before acquiring Razor White vocalist, Philip Anselmo from New Orleans. As soon as Anselmo joined the band the group took a noticable change in style and image with their Power Metal. The album shifted away from most of the glam image and focused mostly on the more respectable speed metal genre. This style would continue evolving for two years as Pantera drew on many more sources of influence within the metal scene. As they began their transformation into post-thrash/groove metal they began to absorb a lot more from the underground extreme metal scene of the late 80s which included bands such as Slayer, Sepultura, Cro-Mags, and Exhorder. The latter band to this day causes much controversy and dispute between fans despite the fact that Exhorder lead singer Kyle Thomas himself stated that many of these claims are over-exaggerated and unfair for a band that "worked a hell-of-alot harder" than Exhorder did to get where they did. On VH1's list of 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, Pantera ranked forty-fifth. Legendary guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott has won numerous awards from Metal Edge, Hit Parader, Circus, Kerrang, Guitar One, Guitar World, & Guitar For The Practicing Musician magazines for his brutal, lighting fast solos, and unmatchable grooves. Pantera played a major role in the "resurrection" of American Metal in the 90's and inf
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