r/Pantera

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Because to me they looked almost ahead of time and nearly "Nu-Metal". I guess Phil influenced later metal and nu metal bands a lot with his style.

" Why did Pantera and Phil Anselmo look so contemporary and Street/ nu metal style and later Vinnie and Dimebag started to look more classic rock again, especially Vinnie?"

The visual divergence within Pantera came down to distinct musical roots and opposing aesthetic instincts within the band.

​Dimebag Darrell passed away in December 2004, so the shift you are thinking of occurred throughout the late 1990s into the 2000s and 2010s (with Vinnie Paul in bands like Hellyeah).

​Phil Anselmo’s Hardcore & Street Influence

​Underground Hardcore & Sludge: Anselmo grew up heavily influenced by New Orleans sludge, thrash, and hardcore punk (Agnostic Front, Black Flag, Eyehategod). He favored a raw, stripped-down, aggressive aesthetic: shaved heads, combat boots, cutoff shorts, and plain tees.

​Shaping the '90s "Nu-Metal" Look: Anselmo didn't copy nu-metal; Pantera's 1990s aesthetic (along with Biohazard and Sepultura) directly paved the way for it. The aggressive, urban, stripped-back presentation was adopted widely by late-90s metal and nu-metal bands.

​The Abbott Brothers’ Classic Rock & Texas Heritage

​Roots in '70s & '80s Rock: Dimebag and Vinnie Paul grew up idolizing KISS, ZZ Top, Eddie Van Halen, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. In Pantera’s early 1980s days, they were a full-blown glam/hard rock act with teased hair and spandex.

​Embracing the Southern "Outlaw" Persona: As the 1990s transitioned into the 2000s—particularly with side projects like Rebel Meets Rebel and later Vinnie Paul's work in Hellyeah—the brothers leaned heavily into their Southern/classic rock identity. This meant cowboy hats, cutoff flannel/denim vests, leather, long dyed beards, and outlaw-country flair.

​While Phil stripped Pantera's look down to street-level hardcore aggression, Dimebag and Vinnie naturally returned to the Southern outlaw and arena-rock hero aesthetics that first inspired them to pick up instruments.

Dimebag Darrell is the closest guitar player we've had to Eddie in probably a while and probAbly will be for a lot longer.

At around the 15 or 16 minute mark, Phil is saying how he's sick of racial divide and everyone is welcome at Pantera shows. That was I believe in 1992? Really hard to believe he was racist or "white power". Of course that 2016 indicent is stil sad but can be attributed to alcohol as well.

I was listening to the Spotify version, and it sounds like Phil mentions someone's name. If anyone knows who it is, could you please explain?