Pantera

Pantera formed in Arlington in 1981 around brothers Vinnie Paul and Darrell Abbott, later known as Dimebag Darrell, with bassist Rex Brown and early vocalist Terry Glaze among the formative members. The group's first independent albums were glam- and traditional-heavy-metal influenced. That period is essential context because the later Pantera sound was a deliberate evolution, not the band's starting point.

After Phil Anselmo became vocalist, the band pushed toward a heavier approach. Cowboys from Hell in 1990 became the major-label breakthrough, followed by Vulgar Display of Power and the chart-topping Far Beyond Driven. The combination of Vinnie Paul's drumming, Dimebag Darrell's guitar, Brown's bass and Anselmo's vocals became closely associated with groove metal. Pantera later fractured; the Abbott brothers formed Damageplan, and Dimebag Darrell was murdered onstage during a Damageplan performance in 2004. Vinnie Paul died in 2018. Surviving Pantera members later toured with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante in the guitar and drum roles.

Pantera's influence rests partly on the contrast between its early records and the much heavier 1990s catalog. Preserving the glam-metal phase makes the later reinvention more historically meaningful rather than less.

The band's North Texas identity is foundational: Arlington and the Dallas-Fort Worth scene supplied the original personnel and working environment long before national metal success.