PANTERA Cowboys From Hell CD (1991)

Before groove metal had a name, Pantera were busy inventing it in a Dallas rehearsal space with Phil Anselmo screaming his throat raw and Dimebag Darrell bending notes that had no business sounding that good. Cowboys From Hell dropped in 1990 and buried the band's glam past so hard it's still six feet under.

This is the record that dragged heavy metal into the nineties by the collar. The title track alone is a blueprint for everything that came after, from the downtuned chug of Psycho Holiday to the slow-burn menace of The Sleep. Reinhardt's drumming is a lesson in controlled aggression and Rex Brown's bass sits so low in the mix it practically lives in the floor. For fans of dark aesthetic heaviness and groove-driven metal, this is required listening, not optional.

Format: CD, full length album. Original release date: 18 February 1991. Country of origin: USA. Genre: groove metal, heavy metal.

Fans of: Sepultura, Lamb of God, Machine Head, Exhorder.