Cowboys from Hell is the fifth studio album and major label debut by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on July 24, 1990, by Atco Records. It marked the first of many collaborations with producer Terry Date. This was also the album where Pantera fully abandoned the glam metal style of their previous albums in favor of a heavier sound. It has been recognized as one of the first ever groove metal albums.
Cowboys from Hell
The original, unaltered photo used in the Cowboys from Hell album cover
The album was praised by Ozzy Osbourne. In 2017, he listed Cowboys from Hell as one of his ten favorite metal albums.
Pantera is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas, formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers, and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consisted of the Abbott brothers along with Brown and Anselmo, who joined in 1982 and 1986 respectively. The band is credited for developing and popularizing the subgenre of groove metal in the 1990s. Regarded as one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, Pantera has sold around 20 million records worldwide and has received four Grammy nominations.
The band's best-known lineup, circa 2000. From left: Phil Anselmo, Vinnie Paul, Dimebag Darrell, and Rex Brown.
Phil Anselmo's (pictured in 2013) raspy vocals gave a heavier sound to Pantera's music.
Dimebag Darrell performing with Pantera, 1992
A fan outside the Alrosa Villa pays tribute to Dimebag Darrell, the main target of Nathan Gale's massacre