It’s easy to forget that Pantera – long before they helped define groove metal in the ‘90s – was a band finding its way through a very different sound — one that leaned far closer to Loverboy than it did to the riff powerhouse they became known for.
In a recent interview with Scott’s Bass Lessons, bassist Rex Brown looked back at those early years, shedding light on the musical influences that shaped brothers Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott and Vinnie Paul Abbott.
“The brothers were playing more Loverboy, 1981, ’82 kind of stuff with a little bit of Van Halen thrown in — a lot of Van Halen, a lot of Def Leppard thrown in — but the pop sense was still there. We were a popular band. We were just trying to write good songs within that sense, and that’s hard to do, man,” Brown recalled (via Ultimate Guitar)
That pop-metal edge carried Pantera through their earliest recordings, but things began to shift in the mid-‘80s. The change wasn’t gradual — it was more of a jolt. For Brown, there’s a specific moment when it all clicked.
“So about ’84, by the time Ride The Lightning came out is when it all changed — this heavy riffing, that’s when it all changed. Because we were so young, we kept that natural progression. You’ve got a band that’s tight; we can all play together really good.”
The transformation wasn’t just musical. Personnel played a part, too. Brown described the arrival of a new frontman — someone who didn’t come from their hometown circle but quickly became a defining force.
“We had a different singer the first three records and then found this crazy dude down in New Orleans named Philip Anselmo. He wasn’t that crazy; I’m just saying. He was different because he wasn’t from the same neighborhood. Everybody in this band, we basically all lived not five miles apart from each other in Texas.”
The transition from hairspray and pop hooks to chugging riffs and raw power for Pantera wasn’t a strategic overhaul but the product of a combination of youthful exuberance, taut musicianship, and an influx of heavier influences. Although their arrival on the metal main stage is marked by Cowboys From Hell, the true narrative dates back to a band attempting to craft compelling songs—and discovering themselves along the way.
