What is "pantera"

Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. The group was formed in 1981 by the Abbott brothers – drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell – along with vocalist Terry Glaze. Bassist Rex Brown joined the band the following year, replacing the original unofficial bass guitarist Tommy D. Bradford. Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera released four albums during the 1980s. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera replaced Glaze with Phil Anselmo in late 1986 and released Power Metal in 1988. With its fifth album, 1990's Cowboys from Hell, Pantera introduced a groove metal sound. Pantera's sixth album, 1992's Vulgar Display of Power, exhibited an even heavier sound. Far Beyond Driven (1994) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Tensions began to surface among the band members when Anselmo became addicted to heroin in 1995; he almost died from an overdose in 1996. These tensions resulted in the recording sessions for The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) to be held separately. The ongoing tension lasted for another seven years, in which only one studio album, Reinventing the Steel (2000), was recorded. Pantera went on hiatus in 2001, but was disbanded by the Abbott brothers in 2003 amid communication problems and their conclusion that Anselmo would not return to the band.

The Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan, while Anselmo continued work on several side projects, including Down in which Rex Brown joined as well. On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage by a mentally unstable fan during a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio, permanently ending hopes for a reunion.

Pantera were an American heavy metal band.

Pantera may also refer to:

• Pantera (wrestler) or Francisco Javier Pozas, Mexican professional wrestler
• SS Pantera, an Italian cargo ship
• El Pantera, a Mexican television series
• De Tomaso Pantera, an automobile
• Lockheed Martin Pantera, a targeting pod for tactical bombers
• Pantera foundation, a reception center for big cats in the Netherlands
• Pantera Press, an Australian book publisher
• Pantera, a brand of Zeos computer
• Pantera, an album by Rahul Dev Burman and Jose Flores
• Son of Pantera, a term used to refer to Jesus in the Talmud
• Pantera, a name for a patrol car used in law enforcement in Italy

Francisco Javier Pozas (born February 3, 1964) is a Mexican professional wrestler, or luchador, who is best known under the ring name El Pantera, but has also worked as Pantera II, El Manaya, América, Tritón and TANAKA over the years. Pozas made his wrestling debut in 1985, working as an enmascarado (masked wrestler) with a panther-inspired mask to go with his ring character of "El Pantera". Over the years Pozas has worked in Mexico, Japan and the United States; In Mexico he has worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG), in Japan he's worked for Universal Lucha Libre (ULL) and All-Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and in the United States he's most known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 1999 and Chikara where he has worked shows since 2007. In 2006 Pantera lost his mask as a result of a match. He, however, continued wearing the mask when working for Chikara and in 2011 also began wearing it again in Mexico.