MAKING OF THE ALBUM: Pantera – Cowboys from Hell

Very few metal bands have undergone as much of an image change as Pantera would do during the late 1980s. Formed in Texas in 1981 by siblings Vinnie Paul and Darrell Abbott, who at the time were still in their teens, the original line-up included bassist Rex Brown and frontman T Lee (Terry Glaze). After three albums of mediocre hair metal, the band became heavily influenced by the emerging thrash scene and Glaze was dismissed from the group. With new vocalist Phil Anselmo, Pantera recorded Power Metal in 1988 which, whilst moving into darker territory, was still shackled by the style of their previous albums. Having released four albums on their own label, Metal Magic, the band realised that if they were to reach a wider audience then they would need to attract the attention of a more established label. After being rejected by countless companies, one of Pantera‘s shows in September 1989 was witnessed by a rep from Atco Records, they finally found the support they had craved.

Adopting a new sound and attitude, the writing of what would become Cowboys from Hell saw the band exploring darker subject matters, whilst the guitar would be notably heavier, despite occasionally reverting to the hair metal formula. The last two tracks to be written were Clash With Reality and Primal Concrete Sledge, whilst a song entitled The Will to Survive would be discarded early in the recording sessions. One key figure in the developing of Pantera‘s new sound was Terry Date, who had previously worked with Dream Theater, Soundgarden and Mother Love Bone. His input would give the band the edge they had been striving for and allowed tracks such as Psycho Holiday and Domination to erase all memory of their earlier efforts.

Recording took place in Irving, Texas at the Dallas Sound Lab and the band were feeling confident about their material and themselves, finally feeling that they were making the kind of album they believed in. One key track to emerge during the writing was Cemetery Gates, a seven-minute power ballad that would be the first song to show both their diversity and Anselmo’s vocal range. Although they had already recorded four albums prior to Cowboys from Hell, Pantera felt that this was their true debut, working with a professional producer and a major label for the first time and creating music that was not simply stealing from other similar bands in an attempt to attract attention. In fact, the album would later prove to be influential in the metal scene and would inspire a generation of musicians, particularly guitarists.

Atco released Cowboys from Hell on July 24th 1990, during a summer that was dominated by albums from the likes of Poison, Vixen, Ratt and Warrant. Even as it began to receive praise from heavy metal critics in both United States and Britain, the band began an intense tour that would see them perform alongside the likes of Suicidal Tendencies and Exodus. Cowboys from Hell would be certified Gold in 1993 and would eventually go Platinum four years later, by which point they had released three more albums. Three singles would be released from the album but would only gain minor airplay. Pantera would return two years later with A Vulgar Display of Power, an album that would not only see the band developing a rawer and heavier sound, but would also boast their most recognised songs; Walk and This Love.