Cowboys from Hell

Cowboys from Hell
Studio album by Pantera
Released	July 24, 1990 (1990-07-24)
Recorded	1989-1990 at Pantego Sound Studio in Pantego, Texas
Genre	Groove metal, thrash metal,[1] heavy metal[2]
Length	57:39
Label	Atco
Producer	Terry Date
Pantera chronology
Power Metal (1988) Cowboys from Hell (1990) Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Singles from Cowboys from Hell
"Cowboys from Hell" Released: 1990 "Cemetery Gates" Released: 1990 "Psycho Holiday" Released: 1990

Cowboys from Hell is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on July 24, 1990 through Atco Records.^[3] It was the band's first commercially successful album, exposing their groove metal style to mainstream audiences. Cowboys from Hell is seen as Pantera's "official" debut by most fans, as well as the band itself as they left behind their glam metal past and began to focus on groove metal. After its release, a logo for the band was made featuring the letters 'CFH' (the abbreviation of the album title) in a circular design.

Writing and recording

After being turned down "28 times by every major label on the face of the Earth", Atco Records representative Mark Ross was asked by his boss, Derek Shulman (who was interested in signing them), to see the band perform after Hurricane Hugo stranded him in Texas. Ross was so impressed by the band's performance that he called his boss that night, suggesting that Pantera be signed to the label.

Ross on the performance:

"By the end of the first song, my jaw was on the floor. The sonic power of it all — the attitude and the musicianship — blew me away. Basically, you had to be an idiot to not think they're amazing. I mean, how could you see these guys and not think, Holy shit!?"^[4]

Atco Records accepted, and at the close of 1989, the band began writing and recording its major label debut at Pantego Sound Studio. The band adopted a new sound and attitude, and the writing of what would become Cowboys from Hell saw the band exploring darker subject matters, while the guitar would be notably heavier, despite occasionally reverting to the hair metal formula. The band recorded Cowboys from Hell: The Demos, a self-produced demo album which featured 11 tracks, 10 of which would make the album cut. The last two tracks to be written were "Clash With Reality" and "Primal Concrete Sledge", while a song entitled "The Will to Survive" would be discarded early in the recording sessions.

Recording took place in Pantego, Texas at the Pantego Sound Studio and the band were feeling confident about their material and themselves, finally feeling that they were making the kind of album they believed in. One key track to emerge during the writing was "Cemetery Gates", a seven-minute power ballad that would be the first song to show both their diversity and Anselmo’s vocal range. Although they had already recorded four albums prior to Cowboys from Hell, Pantera felt that this was their true debut, working with a professional producer and a major label for the first time and creating music that was not simply stealing from other similar bands in an attempt to attract attention.^[5]

Cover art

The cover art depicts the band in a quaint western saloon. Dimebag Darrell is pictured in the center playing guitar, while Vinnie Paul is to his right counting money, Rex Brown is leaning against the countertop and Phil Anselmo is shown jumping in the air to Brown's left. Anselmo states that he jumped off a bar stool to get high up in the air. He also said that it took him about ten takes until the cameramen got the shot into the desired style.^[6]

Release, reception and legacy

Commercial performance

The album was released on July 24, 1990 and was available on tape, CD, vinyl and a Limited Edition version (same album but in a long box). The album would become the band's breakthrough record as it became their first album to chart in 1992, reaching #27 on the Billboard Music Charts Top Heatseekers. In March 1995 the album entered the Swedish Charts for one week managing to peak at #46. The album has since gone on to attain both Gold (500,000 units) and Platinum (1,000,000 units) certifications in the U.S. as well as Gold status in the U.K. for sales of 100,000.^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[8]
AllMusic	[1]
BBC Music	favorable[9]
The Daily Vault	C+[10]
Exclaim!	favorable[11]
Record Collector	[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[13]

The album has been praised by most critics as it would prove to be one of the most influential albums in the metal scene in the 1990s and of all time, and would inspire a generation of musicians, particularly guitarists. IGN named Cowboys from Hell the 19th most influential heavy metal album of all-time.^[14]

They said about the album:

"Along with Vulgar Display of Power, Pantera's fifth album is not only considered one of the band's best, but is also one of the defining albums of early '90s metal. The band's chemistry really begins to gel with collective symmetry here, as a pre-Dimebag Darrell (he was known as Diamond Darrell back then) rips the strings of his axe like a rabid weasel, frontman Phil Anselmo following in kind with chaotic vocal utterances, and the rhythm section of Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown keeping the rhythms in check and the whole mess glued together with low end prowess."

AllMusic says about the album:

"Pantera's breakthrough album, Cowboys from Hell, is largely driven by the band's powerful rhythm section and guitarist Diamond Darrell(s) unbelievably forceful riffing, which skittered around the downbeats to produce unexpected rhythmic phrases and accents, as well as his inventive soloing."

Reissue

On September 14, 2010^[15] a 20th anniversary edition was released with a remastered mix from the original analog recordings. The expanded edition features a bonus CD of previously unreleased live recordings and the Alive and Hostile E.P. The deluxe edition features an additional third CD^[16][17] with the previously unreleased demo track "The Will to Survive" (parts of the song were later used in the song "This Love" from Vulgar Display of Power) along with demo versions of ten songs from the original album.^[18]

The third disc of the deluxe set, Cowboys from Hell: The Demos, was released as a separate limited edition vinyl LP at the same time.^[16] It was exclusively available at Metal Club record stores.^[15][17] The 2010 reissue of the album managed to reach #117 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on Catalog Albums, selling 4,200.^[19][20]

Accolades

The album was ranked #11 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time.^[21] It was ranked the #85 best heavy metal album of all time by Metal-Rules.com.^[22] IGN named Cowboys from Hell the 19th most influential heavy metal album of all-time. .

Tour

Pantera toured alongside thrash acts Exodus and Suicidal Tendencies. In 1991, Rob Halford performed with the band onstage, which led Pantera to open for Judas Priest on its first show in Europe. The band eventually landed a billing for "Monsters in Moscow" with AC/DC and Metallica in September 1991, where they played to a crowd of over 500,000 in celebration of the new freedom of performing Western music in the former Soviet Union shortly before its collapse three months later.

Covers

• The song "Domination" has been covered by the Finnish band Apocalyptica, and is featured on their second album, Inquisition Symphony.

• Spanish thrash metal band Angelus Apatrida also covered "Domination" on their album Evil Unleashed.

• Texas band Pissing Razors covered "Domination" for a compilation CD.

• Bullet for My Valentine covered "Domination" on the "Tears Don't Fall" single.

• UK thrash band Evile covered "Cemetery Gates" for Metal Hammer's Dimebag tribute CD.

• Between the Buried and Me covered "Cemetery Gates" for their covers album The Anatomy Of.

• Michael Angelo Batio covered "Cemetery Gates" and "Cowboys From Hell" together in his album Hands Without Shadows 2: Voices.

• Dream Theater have covered "Cemetery Gates" live, they also played the live cover during 2005's Gigantour, a festival put together by Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, he played as a guest on lead guitar along with other guests Burton C. Bell (vocalist of Fear Factory and City of Fire) and Russell Allen (vocalist of Symphony X).

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Pantera. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cowboys from Hell"	4:07
2.	"Primal Concrete Sledge"	2:13
3.	"Psycho Holiday"	5:19
4.	"Heresy"	4:46
5.	"Cemetery Gates"	7:02
6.	"Domination"	5:04
7.	"Shattered"	3:21
8.	"Clash with Reality"	5:16
9.	"Medicine Man"	5:14
10.	"Message in Blood"	5:10
11.	"The Sleep"	5:47
12.	"The Art of Shredding"	4:20
Total length:		57:39

Disc 2: Expanded Edition bonus CD

Live: Foundations Forum (1990)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Domination" (Live at Foundations Forum, 1990)	4:55
2.	"Psycho Holiday" (Live at Foundations Forum, 1990)	5:25
3.	"The Art of Shredding" (Live at Foundations Forum, 1990)	5:47
4.	"Cowboys from Hell" (Live at Foundations Forum, 1990)	5:01
5.	"Cemetery Gates" (Live at Foundations Forum, 1990)	7:05
6.	"Primal Concrete Sledge" (Live at Foundations Forum, 1990)	3:51
7.	"Heresy" (Live at Foundations Forum, 1990)	5:12

Alive and Hostile EP
No.	Title	Length
8.	"Domination" (Live at Monsters In Moscow, 1991)	7:05
9.	"Primal Concrete Sledge" (Live at Monsters In Moscow, 1991)	3:17
10.	"Cowboys from Hell" (Live at Monsters In Moscow, 1991)	4:16
11.	"Heresy" (Live at Monsters In Moscow, 1991)	4:59
12.	"Psycho Holiday" (Live at Monsters In Moscow, 1991)	5:50
Total length:		62:37

Disc 3: Cowboys from Hell: The Demos

Only available on the 'Deluxe' and 'Ultimate' editions of the album^[15][17]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Will to Survive"	4:14
2.	"Shattered" (demo)	4:47
3.	"Cowboys from Hell" (demo)	7:03
4.	"Heresy" (demo)	4:42
5.	"Cemetery Gates" (demo)	5:19
6.	"Psycho Holiday" (demo)	5:09
7.	"Medicine Man" (demo)	4:52
8.	"Message in Blood" (demo)	4:57
9.	"Domination" (demo)	4:45
10.	"The Sleep" (demo)	6:15
11.	"The Art of Shredding" (demo)	4:11
Total length:		56:14

Cowboys from Hell: The Demos

The album contains all the necessary demos for the final recording of their major label debut, Cowboys from Hell. The track listing in the demo differs from the album version. The intro track on the demo does not appear on the final album version, though it has been used as an intro song for many Pantera shows worldwide. The album version also contains the songs "Primal Concrete Sledge" and "Clash with Reality", which do not appear on this demo. Another important note is that the demo has been classed as self produced in the section marked label.

The demos were released on the band's 20th anniversary edition of their major label debut. The demos of the deluxe version, however, feature the same tracklist as the original demos, although the "Intro" has been replaced by a previously unreleased track, "The Will To Survive", that was written during the same sessions but resembles a sound closer to their previous album effort Power Metal (1988) than the groove metal sound evident on the other demos. The demos were re-released on Black Friday 2010 and were limited to 3,000 180-gram pressings, with the vinyl including the custom cover and demos of the original tracks, as well as the previously unreleased demo cut, “The Will To Survive”.^[23]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Pantera. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Intro"	1:33
2.	"Shattered"	3:28
3.	"Cowboys from Hell"	4:18
4.	"Heresy"	4:51
5.	"Cemetery Gates"	5:35
6.	"Psycho Holiday"	5:24
7.	"Medicine Man"	5:08
8.	"Message In Blood"	5:06
9.	"Domination"	5:00
10.	"The Sleep"	6:01
11.	"Art of Shredding"	4:24
Total length:		50:48

NOTE: Demos of the album's tracks were also released in 2010, in the 20th anniversary edition of Cowboys from Hell, but with a different tracklisting.

Personnel

Pantera

• Phil Anselmo – lead vocals
• Diamond Darrell – guitar, backing vocals
• Rex Brown – bass guitar
• Vinnie Paul – drums

Technical personnel

• Terry Date – producer, engineer, mixing
• Pantera – producer, engineer, mixing, musician
• Matt Lane – assistant engineer
• Matt Gililland - assistant engineer
• Howie Weinberg – audio mastering

Charts and certifications

Charts (Album)

Year	Chart	Peak position
1992	Top Heatseekers	27
1995	Swedish Albums Chart[24]	46
2010	Billboard 200[25]	117
	Catalog Albums Chart[25]	8

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
U.S.[26]	Gold	September 14, 1993	500,000
U.S.[26]	Platinum	July 16, 1997	1,000,000
U.K.[27]	Silver	September 1, 2006	60,000
U.K.[27]	Gold	September 1, 2006	100,000

Trivia

• Philip Anselmo has the "CFH" logo tattooed on the side of his head with a ring of barbed wire surrounding it. The late Dimebag Darrell also had the "CFH" logo tattooed on his shoulder.

• The song "Cowboys from Hell" is featured on the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero and a live version of the song is featured in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits.

References

v t e Pantera Dimebag Darrell Vinnie Paul Rex Brown Phil Anselmo Terry Glaze Tommy Bradfo Donnie Hart Studio albums Metal Magic Projects in the Jungle I Am the Night Power Metal Cowboys from Hell Vulgar Display of Power Far Beyond Driven The Great Southern Trendkill Reinventing the Steel Live albums Official Live: 101 Proof Extended plays Walk Alive and Hostile E.P. Hostile Moments Compilations Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits! Box sets Driven Downunder Tour '94 – Souvenir Collection Singles "Cowboys from Hell" "Cemetery Gates" "Psycho Holiday" "Mouth for War" "This Love" "Hollow" "Walk" "I'm Broken" "Planet Caravan" "5 Minutes Alone" "Becoming" "Drag the Waters" "Suicide Note Pt. I" "Floods" "Cat Scratch Fever" "Revolution Is My Name" "I'll Cast a Shadow" "Piss" Video albums Cowboys from Hell: The Videos For Those About to Rock Vulgar Video 3 Watch It Go 3 Vulgar Videos from Hell Related bands Arson Anthem Damageplan Down Gasoline Hellyeah Necrophagia Rebel Meets Rebel Southern Isolation Superjoint Ritual Viking Crown Eibon Related articles Discography Terry Date John "Kat" Brooks Getcha Pull: A Tribute to Dimebag Darrell