Which 1990 Pantera album is widely credited with defining the band’s groove-metal sound?

Pantera’s 1990 album Cowboys from Hell is widely credited with defining the band’s groove-metal sound.

Released on July 24, 1990, Cowboys from Hell was Pantera’s major-label debut and the first album to present the group’s mature heavy style. It combined sharply articulated guitar riffs, forceful drumming, and Phil Anselmo’s aggressive vocals with rhythms that were often slower and more syncopated than traditional thrash metal.

The album included “Cowboys from Hell,” “Psycho Holiday,” and “Cemetery Gates.” Its success established Pantera as a major force in early-1990s American metal and set the foundation for the band’s later releases.

Pantera had already released four independent glam-metal albums before this record, so Cowboys from Hell is not their first album overall. It is instead the landmark release associated with their transition into the sound most listeners identify with Pantera.