Pre-Cowboys Pantera?

Pantera was never on my radar screen until Cowboys From Hell came out. I really was never impressed with anything beyond that album, but last night someone told me that their older stuff (think Diamond Darrell ) was really good.

I've seen the pictures from their glam look, but never heard the music. Are these albums worth tracking down (or is that even possible)?

look at tough guy phil anselmo

He looks like he wants to kiss me.

Those first four Panteras have been out of print for years (they were self released by the band back in the day) but have been bootlegged like crazy, they turn up on eBay pretty regularly. They can also be found on many download sites, you just gotta know where to look.

My fave of the four is POWER METAL (1988, first one w/Phil on vocals), it's got its cheesy moments but it's closest to the COWBOYS sound.

The other three - METAL MAGIC (83), PROJECTS IN THE JUNGLE (84) and I AM THE NIGHT (85) are more in the vein of '80s Kiss, early Def Leppard, Roth-era VH, with a hint of Judas Priest. PROJECTS and I AM THE NIGHT are pretty good if you like that sorta thing (I do), but METAL MAGIC is pretty well unlistenable to me, mainly because it's such a terrible sounding recording. I realize they were all teenage kids when they made that record, but it sounds more like a cheap demo tape than a legit album.

Hope that helps!

There seems to be a big black hole, those 8 years up until "Cowboys from Hell" ...check out their album "Power-Metal", the last album before "Cowboys from Hell", released in 1988. it's the first with Phil Anselmo on vocals, and he sings quite different. It's quite an enjoyable mix of the mainstream 80s metal of their early albus, and the pure heaviness and aggressive metal that is "Cowboys from hell". Their earlier albums Is a total 80s throwback, sounding like a mix of 80s era Judas Priest, Motley Crue, and some good ol' cheesiness thrown in for good measure (their first album, Metal Magic, featured song titles like,
"Ride My Rocket" and "Rock Out!" ...yes, it's PANTERA!).

I'd say, "Power Metal" is a really good album, actually, and their earlier...well...if you feel like some nostalgic 80s cheesiness, Pantera style...crank up "Latest Lover" and ROCK OUT!

Yeah, the first singer was a Jor Elliott clone. I am sure these are Eyesores favorite Pantera releases.

SAXON1500 wrote:

Yeah, the first singer was a Jor Elliott clone. I am sure these are Eyesores favorite Pantera releases.

I've heard a few of the older Pantera songs but was not super impressed with them. I love Cowboys, Vulgar Display, and to a lesser extent, Far Beyond Driven after that I agree with Tall Tyrion.

What is Uncle Saxon doing next to Dimebag in that pic?

They have never been released on CD, so you'll have to hunt down LP's, or bootlegs.

Phil and Rex

Pre-cowboys Pantera is alright, not really my thing. You probably would want to listen to some before you try find the lps or bootleg cds.

kmorg wrote:

They have never been released on CD, so you'll have to hunt down LP's, or bootlegs.

I'm not 100 percent sure but I believe there was an official CD release of POWER METAL on the Pantera guys' "Metal Magic" label, but the others were strictly vinyl and cassettes.

Power Metal is my favorite and to my ears the best of the four early albums.

SAXON1500 wrote:

Yeah, the first singer was a Jor Elliott clone. I am sure these are Eyesores favorite Pantera releases.

Required Fields wrote:

SAXON1500 wrote:

Yeah, the first singer was a Jor Elliott clone. I am sure these are Eyesores favorite Pantera releases.

Haha. He's pretty much right. I frickin' love the first four albums! Too bad all the bootlegs are crappy quality, except for Power Metal. A good while ago I posted two songs from each album here. I can do it again, Tyrion, if you want, but you have to promise to download them. It seems like whenever someone asks for someone to upload something on a forum they never download it.

Either way, it's hard for me to say I like one era more than another because they're very different. But yeah, the first four are outstanding 80's rock/metal albums. And no, they never sold out. They naturally progressed and got heavier album to album. I always have to say this. Haha.

Fat Freddy wrote:

kmorg wrote:

They have never been released on CD, so you'll have to hunt down LP's, or bootlegs.

I'm not 100 percent sure but I believe there was an official CD release of POWER METAL on the Pantera guys' "Metal Magic" label, but the others were strictly vinyl and cassettes.

Yeah, Power Metal got a CD release as far as I know. The rest were vinyl and cassette. I have them on vinyl.

"Power Metal" is a great heavy metal album.

Eyesore wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

kmorg wrote:

They have never been released on CD, so you'll have to hunt down LP's, or bootlegs.

I'm not 100 percent sure but I believe there was an official CD release of POWER METAL on the Pantera guys' "Metal Magic" label, but the others were strictly vinyl and cassettes.

Yeah, Power Metal got a CD release as far as I know. The rest were vinyl and cassette. I have them on vinyl.

All of them have been bootlegged onto CD at one time or another since Pantera got huge though. Makes you wonder why Vinnie doesn't just package them all together in a little box set ("Pantera -- The Early Years" or somethin' like that) and make some of that cash for himself. There's obviously demand for'em.

Metal Magic is like a Kiss clone album.
Power Metal is a lot like the band Danger Danger

I never cared for these guys at all though. Still don't like them.

Eyesore wrote:

They naturally progressed and got heavier album to album.

True.

But I like Power Metal the best out of all their albums. I always thought they were trying too hard to be "metal" on Cowboys and Vulgar. I wasn't really surprised when I found out they had a few "lighter" releases earlier in their career.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

kmorg wrote:

They have never been released on CD, so you'll have to hunt down LP's, or bootlegs.

I'm not 100 percent sure but I believe there was an official CD release of POWER METAL on the Pantera guys' "Metal Magic" label, but the others were strictly vinyl and cassettes.

Yeah, Power Metal got a CD release as far as I know. The rest were vinyl and cassette. I have them on vinyl.

All of them have been bootlegged onto CD at one time or another since Pantera got huge though. Makes you wonder why Vinnie doesn't just package them all together in a little box set ("Pantera -- The Early Years" or somethin' like that) and make some of that cash for himself. There's obviously demand for'em.

Yeah, I have Metal Magic and Go For The Throat by Shok Paris on one CD, and I Am The Night and Projects In The Jungle on another; both released by Reborn Classics. I have a bootleg of Power Metal on The Last Bootleg Records, which includes for remixes from Vulgar Display of Power.

But I've wondered this myself why Vinnie doesn't reissue them. I personally think he has no idea of the demand. If you read most internet talk, people talk trash about those early releases, calling the band sell outs and whatnot, saying they ripped of Exhorder, etc. Anyone with half a brain can listen to the first four albums and hear a band that steadily and naturally gets heavier album to album. Even Cowboys From Hell isn't devoid of the 80s metal like people claim ("Shattered," "Message In Blood," etc.). But people still call them sell outs. They, of course, base this mainly on the look.

Anyway, I would love Vinnie to remaster and reissue these. They deserve it. They're really good albums.

Lurideath wrote:

Power Metal is a lot like the band Danger Danger

This is a joke post, right?

Eyesore wrote:

Lurideath wrote:

Power Metal is a lot like the band Danger Danger

This is a joke post, right?

I have to agree w/ Eyesore (though not as harshly). "Power Metal" is much heavier/more metal and to me than any hard rock band and sounds like JUDAS PRIEST/OZZY with touches of speed metal here and there, such as the title track.

No way! Judas Priest???? hahaha! I have never heard any Ozzy in this album either.

"Rock the World" and "Down Below" sound PRIEST-ish to me.

"We'll Meet Again" reminds me a bit of something OZZY might've done in the mid-80s.