Pantera’s Vinnie Paul Reveals Origin of Band’s Name and More in 2014 Interview

Pantera officially launched their 2023 North American tour and have taken over SiriusXM with the career-spanning Pantera Radio through August 3 – so now is the perfect time to remember the band’s co-founder Vinnie Paul.

Rock out to Pantera Radio on the SiriusXM App now

It’s hard to believe it’s already been over five years since he passed away. Arguably one of the greatest heavy-metal drummers of all time, Paul influenced generations of artists with his signature, hard-hitting drum fills on enduring Pantera albums, like Cowboys from Hell (1990), Vulgar Display of Power (1992), and many more. Additionally, the Texas-born drummer co-founded Damageplan with his younger brother, ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott, and performed in Hellyeah.

In 2014, Paul appeared on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal channel to look back at his career, share how he came up with the name Pantera, reveal the “song that started it all” for him, remember his mom’s support of the band, and more.

“The name Pantera was actually suggested to me by a friend in high school,” Paul recalled. He said at first his he and his bandmates considered “corny” names like “Eternity” and “Gemini.” Paul didn’t even know what “pantera” meant when his friend indicated it’s a “badass race car.” He then presented it to his bandmates and the rest is history.

Of course, they later found out that the name translates to “panther” in Spanish and, as Paul said, “it just built from there.”

Check out more SiriusXM interview clips from the archives with Pantera’s Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown below.

Phil Anselmo Looks Back at His Pantera Tryout

Rex Brown Honors Judas Priest and More