Success, harassment, drugs, tragic deaths: the history of the metal group Pantera is worthy of a musicography. Here are 5 things you should know about Tuesday night's Cowboys from Hell concert at the Videotron Center.
Patience pays off
As a pioneer of groove metal, a genre derived from thrash metal with slower tempos, Pantera had to wait to achieve fame. After four albums that went unmentioned in the 1980s, the quartet of Phil Anselmo, Dimebag Darrell, Rex Brown and Vinnie Paul hit the jackpot when they retired their music and launched Cowboys From Hell in 1990. The consecration took place two years later. Supported by the successes Walk, Mouth For War and This Love, Vulgar Display of Power became a metal classic.
Tensions
Success follows chicanery. Phil Anselmo suffers from back pain due to his physical performance on stage, sinks into heroin hell and distances himself from his colleagues. From 1995 until the group's official breakup in 2003, Pantera added only two albums to its discography, which were well received by critics, but tensions between the musicians overwhelmed the group.
Murder and disease
The rest won't be any rosier. While guitarist Dimebag Darrell was on stage with his new band Damageplan in 2004, he was murdered by a deranged fan. He was only 38 years old. In 2018, another Pantera pillar, drummer Vinnie Paul (and brother of Dimebag), died at the age of 54 due to illness.
Controversial meeting
In 2022, Anselmo and Brown are re-launching Pantera. The project sparked controversy as fans questioned the legitimacy of the approach in the absence of Dimebag and Vinnie Paul. However, many metal artists are supporting the new version of Pantera, now completed by ex-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante.
Return to Quebec
It didn't take long for Pantera 2.0 to get back in touch with the Quebecers. On August 11, the American group Metallica opened at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. On Tuesday evening at the Videotron Center it will be time for a reunion with Quebec. When they take the stage after performances by Snafu and Lamb of God, it will be 29 years since their last concert in Quebec at the Colisée in 1995.