LET THE PANTERA DEBATE RAGE ON: HILARIOUS FOOTAGE OF THE GLAM ERA

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 12:30pm by Axl Rosenberg

Like our friend Eyal Levi, I am still amazed that the words “Happy Birthday Dimebag” set off a debate of Ziltoidian proportions. I just don’t see how the impact of Pantera on modern metal is open to discussion; even if you hate them, to say that they weren’t hugely popular and influential even before Dime’s death just strikes me as… wrong. Just wrong.

And, come to think of it, I don’t really understand hating Pantera, either. Even if you think they’re just dumb rednecks. ‘Cause if we’re not gonna listen to the music of every musician we perceive as an idiot anymore, we’re gonna need to throw out, at minimum, 80% of our respective music libraries. And not just the metal shit, either.

Of course, this video probably won’t convince anyone that Pantera were awesome, and will, I imagine, lead to cries of “See they sold out,” “they were just chasing trends,” etc. And even if that’s true, it doesn’t really make Cowboys from Hell or Vulgar Display of Power or whatever your favorite Pantera album is any less awesome. Kinda like Machine Head.

MS Maniac Fabio Sanchez gets a gold star for sending us this video. Thanks dude!

-AR


54 COMMENTS on “LET THE PANTERA DEBATE RAGE ON: HILARIOUS FOOTAGE OF THE GLAM ERA”

  1. glamtera was soooooo bad. glad that was just a phase. pantera rules, bigtime.

  2. msv81 says:

    Agreed 100%, Axl. Truer words cannot be spoken. I’ll be the first to admit that I can be pretty rough on bands I don’t like, but it has nothing to do with thinking I’m somehow more “true” than anyone else, nor is my criticism based on a band being “br00tal” or not (whatever the fuck!). The elitism in the metal community today sickens me; I’ve said it before on this site, there’s a reason why metal thrives so much more in Europe. People over there generally don’t get caught up with all of the sub-genres and sub-sub-genres of metal, they simply listen to what they like. Judging a band solely based on whether or not a member or members are rednecks, idiots, or any other superficial reason is dumb. Likewise, basing your opinion on a band just because they’re popular or from a specific sub-genre is mindless. People here in the states need to step off their high horses and come back down to earth (wishful thinking).

  3. gnarlk says:

    perhaps some of us just never liked pantera because we either grew out of that style or never saw the appeal in the first place. i couldn’t care about their popularity or their “white trash-ness”, i just never liked them..

  4. bearbomb says:

    Axl, it’s been a long time since you’ve written something and been 100% right about everything. Kudos.

    I’ve said this before on this sight; was never a huge fan of Pantera until they rocked my balls off live and I decided to take a closer listen. Like many I’ve been a huge fan ever since. My question to their haters is this: Is there anyone out there who hates Pantera AFTER seeing them live? Didn’t think so!

    Man Dime got fat!

  5. Hammer_Smashed_Hurtt says:

    100% correct, if we listened to music based solely on Demographic, Aesthetic, or otherwise “elitist” reasons, a large quantity of IPOD libraries, vinyl collections, and otherwise would be scrapped. Ill be the first to admit when i listen to a new band i sometimes end up comparing them to band i already listen to. However you gotta try and listen with open ears man.

    If you dont like something..fine. But dont be ignorant about it.

  6. Shep says:

    Pantera = Metal. PERIOD

  7. Bill says:

    hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! soooooooooo gay!! thank god pantera learned to fucking rule.

    • Biff Tannen says:

      Nope, they never learned to rule. They only learned how to ride the trends to fame and fortune amoung white trash NAS-holes.

      • I put the gap in Biff Tannen's asshole. says:

        You must be a deseprate young man. This appears to be the only story you’ve commented on this entire day. As near as I can tell the only thing you can communicate is in the form of dumping all over Pantera. What’d they ever do to you?

  8. John says:

    They didn’t sell out they grew up. Band was awesome.

  9. Biff Tannen says:

    Hey, do you guys know what Dimegag’s last words were???
    “Can I get some shots up here?”

  10. pokesmot says:

    LMFAO funny ass video Pantera fucking ruled plain and simple.
    Anyone who listened to metal in the days when Pantera came about know this.
    People who hate Pantera are mostly the younger generation of metal heads
    who just don’t get it and don’t understand what they did for metal in those days

  11. ..Everyone is young once? I don’t know what to say other than they made a bunch of great albums after their glam phase and I enjoy their music a lot.

  12. Hector says:

    Wow, I’d like to know how many other people hate and or dislike PANTERA after seeing them live. Just curious. Some ppl will always be anti mainstream.

  13. SouthFL Infidel says:

    It’s a phenomenon that I notice throughout my life that I call the “Hunts ketchup” theory. Everybody I know uses one kind of ketchup, HEINZ. They/we pretty much don’t even acknowledge the existence of any other ketchup with the exception of Hunts…only because we know it as the antithesis of what our ketchup should be. But every now and then you go to somebody’s house for a cookout and there it is, a bottle of Hunts staring right back at you. The first thing you say, usually out loud, is “How in the FUCK does anybody actually BUY this shit when there’s Heinz right next to it on the fucking shelf?” But that’s how it is man, some people just have different tastes for reasons that you’ll never understand.

    I don’t know how in the FUCK people who like metal can supposedly hate Pantera. Just like Heinz is to ketchup, they’re what metal should be…they’re the STANDARD (imo). Yet one in like every twenty people will say they sucked balls. I’m not saying their detractors are right or wrong or that they secretly are lying and just trying to be a non-conformist, I’m just saying I’ll never understand it. I don’t know how people can not like the Tom Petty song “Free Fallin’”, I don’t know how people can eat Miracle Whip instead of mayonaise, and I don’t know how metal-heads can hate on Pantera. But I wouldn’t be suprised if they all have a fucking bottle of Hunts in their fridge.

    • stu1 says:

      Miracle Whip is actually a different product than mayo.

    • jason says:

      That’s pretty funny dude. I only like ketchup (or is it catsup) that says “fancy” on the packaging…as opposed to that old bullshit run-of-the-mill ketchup.

    • SouthFL Infidel says:

      stu1-Yeah, I know it’s a different product, but at least here in the south probably one out of every handful of people put it on their sandwiches instead of mayonaise. Of course we do a lot of stuff down here that would make you scratch your head.

      jason- I think I may have had this “Fancy” ketchup once or twice, but since I ate it without vomiting my ass out through my mouth, I can only conclude that it is in fact Heinz, just given a “fancier” name to market it to the high-dollar burger afficionados.

      • jason says:

        Indeed. Although I’m not sure about the “high-dollar burger afficionado” thing. I believe “Fancy” ketchup is available exclusively at Whataburger :)

        • SouthFL Infidel says:

          Yeah, i was just fucking around with that. The only time I’ve ever noticed having Fancy kethup is when it comes in packets at fast-food places, so I was FORCED to eat it, so I had to begrudingly admit I’d eaten another brand and was trying to cover for it.

          • deathray76 says:

            Fuck ketchup. Fuck catsup, also.

          • jason says:

            I get it. You were covering for your ketchup un-trooness, just like most of the whiners on this site have a few Pantera discs tucked away in their sock drawer in order to avoid being ridiculed by their other trooer-than-troo buddies. This “hunts” theory of yours has endless potential my friend…cheers.

    • vegan says:

      where i come from we call that the coca cola theory. even tho i like coca cola.everyone else looks at me like are you sum fuckin idiot,pepsi is the shit. but i do like pantera

  14. SouthFL Infidel says:

    One other thing I’ve noticed…what’s with the people knocking Dime’s chops? I’m not a guitarist…I can’t play a note and don’t have the patience or dedication for it no matter how much I love to hear it. So I’m in no position to say somebody sucks at guitar. I can say I don’t care for the way they play it, but to say they’re skills aren’t good? Especially somebody with the accolades that Dime has? No way.

    My point is, I’m issuing a challenge…anybody here who has said Dime was overrated or mediocre or shitty or whatever, do this for me: sit down in front of a camera, grab a guitar, NAIL the solo to “Floods”, post a link to the video. That will be your “Talk-Shit-About-Dime’s-Ability”-Free card.

  15. dudeiknowmetal says:

    HAHA! Rex is hilarious!! “C’mon guys!!” lolz

  16. Steve says:

    Pantera: trend hoppers = maybe so.

    Dime a great guitarist = YES. ( I Like Phil as well on power metal/cowboys )

    btw: I have all the early stuff :)

  17. dudeiknowmetal says:

    We all have a really dorky pictures or videos lurking in our pasts.

    • South FL Infidel says:

      Dude, you said it. In my fourth grade picture (circa 1990) I was sporting some fucking psychadelic MC Hammer pants and a bright yellow Bugle Boy t-shirt. If for some reason I ever made it famous and that picture made it on to the web, who gives a shit, I’m famous now and Hammer still is too.

  18. Harut says:

    Pantera was good. Its quite plain… there’s no point in even discussing it. They’re like the Ice Cream of metal

  19. dot says:

    in the aug. ‘94 issue of modern drummer magazine, vinnie paul stated that the reason why they dressed up like that was because it was the thing back then and that they were “really young and naive back then” (dimebag was 15 while he was 17, according to the interview).

    every teenager rides on trends, whether he/she knows it or not.

    btw the only thing vinnie paul won’t outgrow is his horrible taste in drum wraps. snake skin? dragon graphics?

    • Slaughterhouse says:

      Lol….I totally agree! Bricks??? haha

      Pantera is my favorite band ever! Dime is my favorite guitarist! He has more feeling in one note than most shredders can produce in a thousand……nuff said!!!!!!!

  20. Chimp-0-Neg says:

    you people saying that you DONT like it hot n heavy?!

  21. wata says:

    Like weed as a gateway drug to meth, Pantera was a gateway to the genre. Once you got into it, you had to get more by exploring other bands. Pantera took a lot of bands on the road as openers who went on to put out great music. People should at least be thankful for that.

  22. Gossamer Axe says:

    If you make a trip to Metal Sludge, you’ll find that a lot of bands were “glam” before they went on to do whatever they did to be successful.

    Those that bag on the “Glam Scene” weren’t alive when the early 80s were happening. Your kids are going to say the same thing about the “Black Metal Scene” (or whateverthefuck you listen to currently) when you’re old and grey and Black Metal is played for nostalgic reasons and will be considered “old and tired”.

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