Power Metal is the fourth studio album by Pantera, released on June 24, 1988, through Metal Magic Records. It is the first Pantera album to feature Phil Anselmo on lead vocals, as part of the most well-known lineup which would last until the band’s breakup in 2003. The album has been described as a “bridge” between the band’s old glam metal style and the heavier thrash-influenced sound of Cowboys from Hell. In October 1985, Pantera released I Am the Night, the last album with Terry Glaze on vocals. However, in June 1986, tensions arose between Glaze and the band members. He was given a two-week notice, which they hoped would resolve the tension, but abruptly parted ways after that. The band was set to play in Los Angeles on July 24–25, 1986, so they held auditions for a replacement singer. Numerous singers auditioned, most notable Matt L’Amour, Rick Mythiasin, and David Peacock, who all had short tenures with the band until October 1986. At that time, Pantera had started most of the time writing and working on the songs with all of the three short-lived singers as well as Glaze, but only drum, guitar and bass tracks were filled in entirely. Still desperate for a singer that would fit the group’s intended heavier style, New Orleans native Phil Anselmo, who the band had met on the road, stepped in to record the album, marking his first appearance with the band. The earliest known tour date with Anselmo on vocals was on November 25, 1986 in Fort Worth, Texas. This would be the band’s best-known lineup until their dissolution in November 2003.
Tracklist:
- Rock the World
- Power Metal
- We’ll Meet Again
- Over and Out
- Proud to Be Loud (Marc Ferrari)
- Down Below (Dimebag Darrell, Terry Glaze, Vinnie Paul, Rex Rocker)
- Death Trap
- Hard Ride
- Burnnn!
- PST*88 (Darrell, Paul, Rocker)
Pantera
Phil Anselmo: lead vocals (except track 10), backing vocals, production (except track 5)
Dimebag Darrell: guitar, lead vocals (track 10), background vocals, remixing, production (except track 5)
Rex Rocker: bass, tubular bells, background vocals, production (except track 5)
Vinnie Paul: drums, backing vocals, engineering, remixing, production (except track 5)
Additional personnel
Marc Ferrari: guitar (tracks 3 and 5), backing vocals, production (track 5)
The Eld’n: keyboards, engineering, remixing, production (except track 5)
Technical personnel
Tom Coyne: mastering
Recorded and mixed at Pantego Sound, Pantego, Texas
