How Did Pantera Find Philip Anselmo to Join Their Band?

How did Pantera find Philip Anselmo to join their band as a singer?

Although he wasn't the band's first — far from it — he helped take Pantera to heights that could not have been achievable under the band's old style and previous frontmen.

Who Sang in Pantera Before Philip Anselmo?

A total of five singers were in Pantera prior to Philip Anselmo.

The band's first-ever singer was Donnie Hart, who joined in 1981 and exited the group the following year, returning again briefly in 1986. Hart did not record with Pantera.

Most famously, Terrence Lee Glaze, better known as Terry Glaze, first played rhythm guitar in Pantera in 1981. He switched to lead vocals in 1982.

As Pantera's style drifted further away from glam metal, they needed to go in a different direction vocally as well.

In 1986, a number of singers entered the lineup for brief periods — Matt L'Amour, Rick Mythiasin (who later became the longtime singer for prog/power metal band Steel Prophet), David Peacock and even the short-lived return of Hart.

None of them worked out.

How Many Pantera Albums Did Terry Glaze Sing On?

Glaze sang on Pantera's first three albums (all self-released): Metal Magic (1983), Projects in the Jungle (1984) and I Am the Night (1985).

Fans often refer to this era as "Glamtera" due to the hair metal-esque style and the band's imagery, which was very much in line with the trend.

Pantera Live in 1984

READ MORE: Who's On the Cover of Pantera's 'Vulgar Display of Power'? Urban Legend + Reality

What Bands Was Philip Anselmo in Before Pantera?

Anselmo's early bands did not experience much success, but, like so many other acts at the time, played locally and honed their chops.

In 1981, he co-founded Samhain (not the same group Glenn Danzig formed after the Misfits broke up), handling guitar and vocals.

Four years later, in 1985, Anselmo linked up with Rapid Phaze, who changed their name to Razor White.

How Did Philip Anselmo Wind Up Joining Pantera?

Pantera were publicly searching for a new singer and that news had made its way to Anselmo the next state over. At just 18-years-old, he auditioned for the role and got the job!

What Was the First Pantera Album Philip Anselmo Sang On?

Anselmo's first album with Pantera was 1988's Power Metal.

The band shed their hair metal style and pursued something heavier, more in line with traditional metal and bursts of aggression that fell in line with the burgeoning thrash scene.

Power Metal does not resemble the groove-oriented band Pantera ascended as in the 1990s, and Anselmo's voice was rooted in more traditional, high-pitch singing, which later gave way to his signature gravely bark.