10 Best Hard Rock Albums Of The 90s

Throughout the 80's, the Abbott brothers Vinnie and Darrell had been making a name for themselves in the Texas circuit as a young and hungry glam band called Pantera. As the glam-centric sound fell way out of style, the brothers hooked up with singer Phil Anselmo and produced one of metal's heaviest records.

Cowboys From Hell is a hypnotic record full of Anselmo's anguished screams across scorchers like "Cemetery Gates" and "Psycho Holiday." Alongside Anselmo's growl, the riffs that erupt from Darrell's amplifiers made him metal's next great guitar hero almost overnight.

Even though the record was incredibly dark, the way the rhythms would swing gave each track a pulse that made you want to move every time you heard it. The riffs on the songs were much more sophisticated than the band's metal colleagues while still being simple enough to headbang to. The record could scare you to death while also being a stomping good time for any metal enthusiast.

With their glam past behind them, Pantera attacked the metal scene like seasoned veterans ready to conquer any other band who stood in their path. As the band went on, they proved that Cowboys From Hell was only the beginning.