PANTERA — Cowboys From Hell (review)

PANTERA — Cowboys From Hell album cover Album · 1990 · Groove Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Warthur
I don't think by the end of the 1980s anyone would have seriously expected Pantera to spearhead a whole new metal subgenre, but that's exactly what they did with Cowboys From Hell - take a thrash base, add a snaky kind of groove to the riffs thanks to the capabilities of Dimebag Darrell (RIP), and have Phil Anselmo showcase his knack for balancing shouty aggression with more colourful vocal gymnastics.

In retrospect, of course, the signs that Pantera were evolving into a new form were already there; their preceding album, Power Metal, had seen them veering away from the glam metal they'd previously dealt in and dealing in a more traditional heavy metal sound, but who could have guessed this major change? I actually kind of think that Pantera's apprenticeship in glam metal prepared them better for pioneering this new style than is often acknowledged; there's a certain catchiness to a lot of the stuff on here which suggests that even though Pantera had found a new edge derived from their thrash metal influences, they still had enough pop sensibilities to keep things accessible, which may well be the secret of the album's massive mainstream success.

The tragedy of Dimebag's murder does not take away anything from the excellent lead guitar masterclass he offers up here. The embarrassment of Phil Anselmo's troubling and repugnant white power posturing (spilling over into a Dimebag tribute show, for crying out loud!) may exonerate Dimebag and Vinnie's decision to part ways with Phil when they did, but it doesn't make Phil's vocals any less perfect for the material here. I don't think this will ever be a favourite album of mine - but then again, groove metal isn't a genre I usually enjoy, and I can still appreciate this as a groundbreaking historical landmark of the style even if I've gone off Pantera a bit personally.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept Mathcore
FRONTIERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Future Ghost - Wolves (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Future Ghost - Nemesis Game (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 3 days ago
Sunmancer - Realms of Dilemma (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 8 days ago
Sunmancer - Lower Cavalier (Official Visualizer)
SUNMANCER
Bosh66· 8 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed