10 Legendary Hard Rock Bands That Have Terrible Debut Albums
2. Metal Magic - Pantera
Across their entire career, you can never describe anything Pantera has done as being particularly subtle. From Cowboys From Hell onward, these guys have scared the hell out of some younger siblings in their day, having some of the most savage riffs coming from Dimebag Darrell and Phil Anselmo's gutteral growl. If all of Pantera's albums were treated fairly though, Metal Magic would be one of the most laughable debuts from any band the world over.
Before even coming close to Cowboys From Hell, the Abbott Brothers originally formed Pantera as a glam outfit, being much more inclined to copy off of Motley Crue than someone like Slayer. No matter what song you're on, this feels like the polar opposite of what a Pantera record should be, as original vocalist Terry Glaze tries on his best David Lee Roth impression and fails miserably.
Aside from some truly amazing guitar riffs from Dimebag (originally Diamond) Darrell, most of this album is right to have been buried with the other 2 albums from the group's early days, as they traded in their spandex for some of the meatiest grooves that the metal world had ever seen. When it comes to this album though, the mascot should tell you everything: a weird, doofy metal extravaganza from back to front.