Drummer Vinnie Paul, co-founder of metal band Pantera, has died. Currently a member of Hellyeah, Paul was 54.
His representative confirmed the legendary drummer’s death to Billboard, but added that no further details are available at this time.
"Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away," reads a statement on the Pantera Facebook page. "Paul is best known for his work as the drummer in the bands Pantera and Hellyeah. No further details are available at this time. The family requests you please respect their privacy during this time."
Along with his brother, Dimebag Darrell, Paul (born Vincent Paul Abbott) formed Pantera in 1981. The group found mainstream success with second lead singer Phil Anselmo. Throughout its career, Pantera earned four Grammy nominations and charted nine albums on the Billboard 200, including its 1994 album Far Beyond Driven, which debuted at No. 1 on the chart.
Following Pantera’s demise, the Abbott brothers formed Damageplan in 2003. The band was performing on Dec. 8, 2004, when Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage during a concert in Columbus, Ohio.
Since 2006, Paul was the drummer for Hellyeah, a heavy metal supergroup that also includes Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell.
Born in Texas, Paul credited his Lone Star roots for his powerful groove. “The Texas thing is part of it, growing up on a healthy dose of ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I also was a metal-head from day one. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Van Halen, all my favorite bands had really great grooves to their music,” he told OnlineDrummer.com a few years ago.
Vinnie Paul, drummer and founding member of the heavy metal band Pantera, died at the age of 54 Friday night, the band announced on Facebook. No immediate cause of death was provided.
Related Pantera: A Wild Photo History With Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown Pictures to feature in 'A Vulgar Display of Pantera' book by photographer Joe Giron
"Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away," Pantera wrote. "Paul is best known for his work as the drummer in the bands Pantera and Hellyeah. No further details are available at this time. The family requests you please respect their privacy during this time."
"Can’t believe it. R.I.P to our brother Vinnie Paul," Anthrax tweeted, while Paul Stanley of KISS – whose former member Peter Criss was one of Paul's biggest influences – wrote, "So sad to hear of the death of Vinnie Paul. Loved when Pantera did shows with us and in later years Vinnie was always front and center at all KISS shows. RIP and condolences to his family."
The Texas-born Paul formed Pantera alongside his brother, guitar virtuoso "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and bassist Rex Brown in 1981. The band spent roughly their first decade as ardent disciples of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, blending in elements of thrash and hair-metal as the decade wore on. After recording three albums in the early Eighties with vocalists Donnie Hart and Terry Glaze, the band recruited singer Phil Anselmo in 1987 to form Pantera's classic lineup of Anselmo, Abbott, Paul and Brown.
With 1990's Cowboys From Hell, their major-label debut, the band took a quantum leap, quickly becoming leaders of a new school of metal. The group turned their focus to grinding, hypnotic deep-pocket rhythms, powered by Paul's stunningly nimble double-kick work. Their next album, Vulgar Display of Power (Number 10 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Metal Albums list), was a near-perfect example of what would come to be known as groove metal and a blueprint for how heavy music sounded throughout the Nineties and beyond.
Related Pantera Look Back at 20 Years of 'Far Beyond Driven' "We came up with the title 'Far Beyond Driven' far before we came up with any of the songs," drummer Vinnie Paul says. "That was the mindset going into it."
Somewhat miraculously, their still-more-extreme follow-up, 1994's Far Beyond Driven, debuted at Number One and was Number 39 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Metal Albums list, with The Great Southern Trendkill arriving two years later. Three years after 2000's Reinventing the Steel, Pantera disbanded following a rift between the Abbott brothers and Anselmo.
Following Pantera, the Abbott Brothers formed Damageplan and released 2004's New Found Power, but that band's tenure was tragically cut short when Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a deranged fan in December 2004.
"Another metal hero taken too soon," wrote Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. "Say hello to Daryl for me. Rest In Peace, my dear friend."
Two years after the death of his brother, Paul returned to music with the metal supergroup Hellyeah, which featured Mudvayne singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Jerry Montano; Paul's Damageplan bandmate Bob Zilla ultimately replaced Montano on bass. The supergroup released five albums together over the past decade, most recently 2016's Unden!able.
But it will be Paul's influence and legacy with Pantera that will leave the most indelible mark. In subsequent years, Pantera's soulful yet punishing grooves and their albums' sleek, borderline-industrial sound – the result of a longstanding collaboration with producer Terry Date – would be echoed in the work of some of the biggest metal bands of the 2000s, including Lamb of God, Slipknot and Five Finger Death Punch. "The second I put it in, my entire life changed," FFDP singer Ivan Moody said in 2013 of the first time he heard Cowboys From Hell. "My soul lit up. My eyes turned red. That was it for me. They'd become the greatest band on earth to me."
This story is developing
TRIBUNNEWS.COM - Pemain drum legendaris Vinnie Paul yang juga co-founder band metal Pantera meninggal pada usia 54 tahun.
Musisi bernama lengkap Vincent Paul Abbott itu kini tergabung dalam grup Helyeah.
Akun resmi Facebook Pantera mengunduh foto Vinnie Paul dengan keterangan berisi kabar duka kepergian sang pemain drum.
Pihak Pantera tak menyebutkan secara detail penyebab kematian.
Bahkan Pantera mengungkapkan permintaan keluarga agar semua pihak menghormati privasi keluarga.
Unggahan Pantera Sabtu (23/6/2018) 10.49 WIB itu dalam dua jam sudah menyebar luas. Sebanyak 129 ribu akun Facebook membagikan ulang unggahan Pantera .
Ada sekitar 14 ribu komentar berisi ucapan duka serta kenangan bersama Vinnie Paul .
Situs hiburan Billboard menulis Vinnie Paul membentuk Pantera pada 1981 bersama seorang gitaris yang juga saudaranya 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott.
Kelompok ini sukses sebagai band ternama saat itu saat diperkuat vokalis kedua Phil Anselmo.
Sepanjang perjalanan sejarah Pantera memperoleh empat nominasi Grammy dan mencatatkan sembilan album di tangga lagu 200 Billboard. Prestasi Pantera termasuk pula album tahun 1994 Far Beyond Driven, yang langsung menempati posisi nomor 1 di tangga lagu.
Vinnie Paul of Pantera
Vinnie Paul, founding member and drummer of Pantera, has died at the age of 54. A cause of death is not immediately known.
In 1981, Paul founded Pantera with his brother Dimebag Darrell, vocalist Donnie Hart, guitarist Terry Glaze (who took over lead vocals in 1982), and bassist Tommy D. Bradford (who was replaced within a year by Rex Brown). Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera eventually sought a darker, heavier style, which led to the addition of vocalist Phil Anselmo in 1986.
Going forward, the band’s popularity began to soar, leading to a series of platinum albums, including 1990’s Cowboys from Hell, 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power, and 1994’s Far Beyond Driven, the latter of which went No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Their two subsequent follow-ups, 1996’s The Greatest Southern Trendkill and 2000’s Reinventing the Steel, both cracked the top five.
Following Pantera’s dissolution in 2003, Paul and Darrell formed Damageplan, releasing one album, New Found Power, which featured guest appearances by Zakk Wylde, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor. Tragically, Darrell was shot dead during a Damageplan concert in 2004.
Two years later, Paul teamed up with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell as Hellyeah. The group released five studio albums and was reportedly working on a sixth last November.
This is a developing story…
