Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera released three albums in the mid-1980s with lead vocalist Terry Glaze (Metal Magic, Projects in the Jungle, and I Am the Night), with little success. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera recruited Anselmo in 1986 and released Power Metal in 1988. They secured a record deal with major label Atco the following year. Their fifth album (which the band has since declared to be their official debut album), 1990's Cowboys from Hell, popularized the groove metal genre, while its 1992 follow-up Vulgar Display of Power achieved an even heavier sound and increased their popularity. The subsequent album Far Beyond Driven (1994) then debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
Tensions began to surface among the band members when Anselmo became addicted to heroin in 1995; he almost died from an overdose in 1996. These tensions resulted in the recording sessions for The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) being held separately. The ongoing tension lasted for another seven years, during which only one studio album, Reinventing the Steel (2000), was recorded. Pantera went on hiatus in 2001 but lingering disputes led to the band breaking up in 2003. The Abbott brothers went on to form Damageplan while Anselmo continued to work on several side projects, including Down, which Brown joined as well.
On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage by a mentally unstable fan during a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio. Vinnie Paul went on to form Hellyeah after his brother's death, and died of heart failure in 2018, leaving Brown and Anselmo as the only surviving members of the band's best-known lineup. In July 2022, it was announced that Brown and Anselmo were reuniting in 2023 for Pantera's first tour in 22 years, with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante filling in for the Abbott brothers on guitar and drums, respectively. The new lineup played its first show in 21 years at the Hell and Heaven festival in Mexico on December 2, 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantera
Studio albums
Metal Magic (1983)
Projects in the Jungle (1984)
I Am the Night (1985)
Power Metal (1988)
Cowboys from Hell (1990)
Vulgar Display of Power (1992)
Far Beyond Driven (1994)
The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)
Reinventing the Steel (2000)
Only a Heartbeat Away
Pantera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were young and innocent, we had plenty of time
The years have gone and passed us by, don't run and hide
Think of all the things we had, and what you're feeling inside
Feeling inside
Take me, take all of my love
Take me, I can give you so much
Only a heartbeat, only a heartbeat away
So close, but so far away,
You say you love me, but you can't stay
Hear me now, we're wasting time
Take a chance, loves on the line
Love's on the line
Take me, take all of my love
Take me, I can give you so much
Only a heartbeat, only a heartbeat away
Only a heartbeat, only a heartbeat away
The lyrics of "Only a Heartbeat Away" by Pantera describes a love that was strong and pure when they were young, but as years went by, they drifted apart. The singer reminisces about the first kiss they shared when they were still innocent and had a lot of time. But as time passed, the love between them faded, and they can no longer run from the truth. The singer pleads with his lover to take his love and accept that he can give so much more. The distance between them feels like they are so close, but yet so far away, and although his lover says that she loves him, she can't stay. The singer believes that they are wasting time by not taking chances with love and that love is on the line.
The song captures the feeling of lost love, and it's a plea for a second chance to reignite the once strong bond between them. The idea of 'take me' signifies wanting to give love another chance and not wanting to let go of the chance to love again. The lyrics show the desperation of the singer to convince his lover to take a chance on love.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember the first time your lips met mine
I recall the moment when we shared our first kiss
We were young and innocent, we had plenty of time
We were both young and inexperienced at the time, so we felt we had all the time to explore our love for each other
The years have gone and passed us by, don't run and hide
Time flew by so quickly, and we didn't realize that we're not getting any younger, so we shouldn't avoid or ignore each other
Think of all the things we had, and what you're feeling inside
Recall all the good times we had together and reflect on how you truly feel about us
Take me, take all of my love
Embrace me and accept all the love that I have to give
Take me, I can give you so much
Let me be with you, and I promise to offer you everything I can
Only a heartbeat, only a heartbeat away
We're so close to each other, and love is just a beat of our hearts away from us
So close, but so far away
We're physically close, but emotionally we're distant from each other
You say you love me, but you can't stay
You claim to love me, but you're not willing to commit to me or our relationship
Hear me now, we're wasting time
I need you to understand that we're running out of time to be together, and we shouldn't waste any more of it
Take a chance, loves on the line
Take a risk on our love for each other since our relationship is in a critical state
Contributed by Ian J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@thekidfromanotherplanet4415
Love those riffs ! and that solo :)
@thebigflyingninja5242
Awesome Guitar Riffs and Solos on all these early 80s PanterA Records love the Vibe
@comanche1234
This takes me back to the 80s, even though i was born in 1990
@LB00146
Same here! Also I was born in 1990 aswell haha
@eamonahern7495
I was reading a bit of the Pantera Wikipedia page. They formed as far back as 1981 according to it. Apparently Phil Anselmo joined them as early as 1986. I thought he didn't join until before the Power Metal album in 1988. Terry Glaze was singer from '82 to '86 but also played rhythm guitar and keyboard. I knew Terry was with them until around '88. I heard he was credited with playing Rhythm guitar on We'll Meet Again on the Power Metal album before he left the band. There are also a couple of session lead vocalists listed on the page having worked with the band before Phil came.
@aarontrainor9918
I think that was Marc Ferrari doing it if Dime didn't do it
@eamonahern7495
@Aaron Trainor interesting
@christopherpooler5398
Terry was gone by 1986-87
@eddiepullens6084
Phil joined in 1986 , p. metal was 1988 they was cowboys from hell way back then.
@realslovenianman
@Aaron Trainor Damn that's cool. Know him from Keel.