Editing Cowboys from Hell


{{About|the album|the title track of the album|Cowboys from Hell (song)|the home-video|Cowboys from Hell: The Videos}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Cowboys from Hell
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Pantera]]
| cover      = CowboysFromHell.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = {{Start date|1990|7|24}}
| recorded   = Late 1989<ref name="kylethomas">{{cite news|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/did_pantera_rip_off_exhorder_bands_fromtan_kyle_thomas_weighs_in.html|title=Did Pantera Rip Off Exhorder? Band's Fromtan Kyle Thomas Weighs In|publisher=[[Ultimate Guitar]]|access-date=November 26, 2022|date=November 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="theskinny">{{cite web|url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/interviews/the-art-of-shredding-panteras-phil-anselmo-remembers-cowboys-from-hell|title=The Art of Shredding: Pantera's Phil Anselmo Remembers Cowboys From Hell|work=theskinny.co.uk|access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref><ref name="bravewords">{{cite web|url=http://bravewords.com/features/phil-anselmo-takes-us-back-to-cowboys-from-hell-i-know-in-my-heart-that-i-will-never-never-never-play-in-a-band-with-someone-so-talented-as-dimebag|title=Phil Anselmo Takes Us Back To (Cowboys From) Hell - "I Know In My Heart That I Will Never, Never, Never Play In A Band With Someone So Talented (As Dimebag)|work=bravewords.com|date=December 22, 2010 |access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref> – April 1990<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-cowboys-from-hell-by-pantera|title=The Story Behind: Cowboys From Hell by Pantera|first=Jon|last=Wiederhorn|date=December 3, 2019|work=[[Metal Hammer]]|access-date=September 29, 2023}}</ref>
| studio     = Pantego Sound ([[Pantego, Texas]])
| genre      = 
*[[Groove metal]]
*[[thrash metal]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Daniels|first=Neil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttGGDwAAQBAJ&q=pantera+Cowboys+from+Hell+%22thrash+metal%22&pg=PT99|title=Reinventing Metal: The True Story of Pantera and the Tragically Short Life of Dimebag Darrell|publication-date=2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4803-6273-4}}{{page needed|date=February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pantera - Cowboys From Hell Review • metal.de|url=https://www.metal.de/reviews/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-44014/|access-date=2020-06-16|website=metal.de|language=de}}</ref>
| length     = 57:43
| label      = [[Atco Records|Atco]]
| producer   = [[Terry Date]]
| prev_title = [[Power Metal (album)|Power Metal]]
| prev_year  = 1988
| next_title = [[Vulgar Display of Power]]
| next_year  = 1992
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Cowboys from Hell
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Cowboys from Hell (song)|Cowboys from Hell]]
 | single1date = 1990
 | single2     = [[Psycho Holiday]]
 | single2date = 1990
}}
}}

'''''Cowboys from Hell''''' is the fifth studio album and major label debut by American [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Pantera]], released on July 24, 1990, by [[Atco Records]]. It marked the first of many collaborations with producer [[Terry Date]]. This was also the album where Pantera fully abandoned the [[glam metal]] style of their previous albums in favor of a heavier sound. It has been recognized as one of the first ever [[groove metal]] albums.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 27, 2019 |title=Every Prong Album Ranked From Worst To Best By Tommy Victor |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/every-prong-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best-by-tommy-victor/ |access-date=December 2, 2022 |website=Kerrang!}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://metal-digest.com/2022/03/12/prong-beg-to-differ/|title=Prong – 'Beg to Differ' – Metal Digest – The Normless Magazine|publisher=metal-digest.com|access-date=December 2, 2022}}</ref>

==Writing and recording==
Writing sessions for ''Cowboys from Hell'' took place throughout 1988 and 1989. Seeking a record label to release their album, the group received firm contract offers from both [[Epic Records|Epic]] and Roadracer, who had expressed some interest in signing them. However, they were ultimately recommended to music producers with a "more commercial type" of approach, as explained by drummer [[Vinnie Paul]].<ref>{{cite magazine|date=August 1990|title=Hell Bent For Texas|magazine=[[Metal Forces]]|issue=53|page=20{{ndash}}22|publisher=Rockzone Publications Ltd.|location=Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England}}</ref> After being turned down "28 times by every major label on the face of the Earth", Atco Records representative Mark Ross was asked by his boss, [[Derek Shulman]] (who was interested in signing Pantera), to see the band perform after [[Hurricane Hugo]] stranded him in Texas. Ross was so impressed by the band's performance that he called his boss that night, suggesting that Pantera be signed to the label.<ref name=":0" />

Ross on the performance:
<blockquote>
"By the end of the first song, my jaw was on the floor. The sonic power of it all — the attitude and the musicianship — blew me away. Basically, you had to be an idiot to not think they're amazing. I mean, how could you see these guys and not think, 'Holy shit!'?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-the-demos-to-be-released-on-limited-edition-vinyl/|title=Pantera: 'Cowboys From Hell: The Demos' To Be Released On Limited-Edition Vinyl|website=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|date=November 11, 2010|access-date=November 27, 2018}}</ref></blockquote>

Atco Records accepted but the band had to wait a six month period before they commenced recording at Pantego Sound Studio in [[Pantego, Texas]]. Accounts vary as to how long the recording sessions of ''Cowboys from Hell'' lasted; bassist [[Rex Brown]] stated in a 2010 interview with ''[[Metal Hammer]]'' that the recording sessions took place from February to April 1990,<ref name=":0" /> however vocalist [[Phil Anselmo]] has also claimed that the album was recorded in 1989.<ref name="theskinny" /><ref name="bravewords" /> Pantera's initial choice as the producer for ''Cowboys from Hell'' was [[Max Norman]] based on his work with [[Ozzy Osbourne]]. Norman, who flew to Houston to watch the band perform, initially agreed to work on the album, but right before the recording sessions started, he was offered to produce [[Lynch Mob (band)|Lynch Mob]]'s debut album ''[[Wicked Sensation]]'' instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-facts/|title=Pantera's 'Cowboys From Hell': 9 Facts Only Superfans Would Know|work=[[Loudwire]]|access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref> Pantera then proposed [[Terry Date]] to produce the album on the strength of his work with [[Soundgarden]], [[Metal Church]] and [[Overkill (band)|Overkill]], the latter of whose latest album at the time ''[[The Years of Decay]]'' had influenced [[Dimebag Darrell]]'s guitar tone, as well as the band's transition away from [[glam metal|glam]]/[[heavy metal music|traditional heavy metal]] to [[thrash metal|thrash]]/[[groove metal]].<ref name="Revolver 2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/pantera-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-cowboys-hell|title=Pantera: 10 Things You Didn't Know About 'Cowboys From Hell'|publisher=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|date=December 28, 2020|access-date=March 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/updated-tributes-from-metal-musicians-pour-in-for-dimebag-darrell/|title=Updated: Tributes From Metal Musicians Pour In For Dimebag Darrell|date=December 9, 2004 |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ex-overkill-guitarist-bobby-gustafsons-satans-taint-listen-to-desecration-song/|title=Ex-Overkill Guitarist Bobby Gustafson's Satans Taint: Listen To 'Desecration' Song|date=June 13, 2019 |publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=October 26, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indymetalvault.com/2019/10/14/thirty-years-of-decay-overkills-finest-moment-revisited/|title=Thirty Years Of Decay: Overkill's Finest Moment Revisited|work=indymetalvault.com|access-date=October 26, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhard.gr/somewhere-back-time/day-remember-1310-overkill|title=A Day To Remember ... 13/10 [Overkill]|work=[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rockhard Greece]]|access-date=October 26, 2019|archive-date=October 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025003311/http://www.rockhard.gr/somewhere-back-time/day-remember-1310-overkill|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Pantera adopted a new sound and attitude, and the writing of what would become ''Cowboys from Hell'' saw the band exploring darker subject matters, while the guitar would be notably heavier. Influences and inspirations to the making of the album, as well as its musical direction, were [[Black Sabbath]], [[Judas Priest]], [[ZZ Top]], [[Metallica]], [[Slayer]], [[Megadeth]], [[Anthrax (American band)|Anthrax]], [[Testament (band)|Testament]], Overkill, [[Faith No More]], [[King's X]], Soundgarden, [[Minor Threat]], [[Mercyful Fate]], [[Savatage]], [[Voivod (band)|Voivod]] and then-upcoming band [[Exhorder]].<ref name="kylethomas" /><ref name="Revolver 2020" /><ref name="Loudwire 2022">{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-album-anniversary/|title=32 Years Ago: Pantera Find Their Voice With 'Cowboys From Hell'|date=July 24, 2022 |publisher=Loudwire|access-date=December 2, 2022}}</ref><ref name="ultimateclassicrock">{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/pantera-cowboys-from-hell/|title=How Pantera's 'Cowboys From Hell' Became a Post-Thrash Moment|date=July 24, 2015 |publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|access-date=December 2, 2022}}</ref><ref name="VH1">{{cite web|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/5s1gm0/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-facts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819044734/https://www.vh1.com/news/5s1gm0/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-facts|url-status=live|archive-date=August 19, 2022|title='Cowboys From Hell': 25 Facts About the Pantera Classic|publisher=VH1|access-date=December 2, 2022}}</ref><ref name="ultimateguitar 2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/panteras_cowboys_from_hell_album_has_been_certified_double_platinum_in_the_us.html|title=Pantera's 'Cowboys From Hell' Album Has Been Certified Double Platinum in the U.S.|publisher=[[Ultimate Guitar]]|date=June 1, 2023|access-date=June 1, 2023}}</ref> The band recorded a self-produced demo album in 1989 which featured 11 tracks, 10 of which would make the album cut.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theprp.com/2010/08/31/news/pantera-elaborate-on-the-will-to-survive/|title=Pantera Elaborate On "The Will To Survive"|work=theprp.com|date=August 31, 2010 |access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref> "The last tracks to be written were  "Primal Concrete Sledge" and "Clash with Reality" whilst a song titled "The Will to Survive" was discarded early in the recording sessions."<ref name=lil>{{cite web|url=http://love-it-loud.com/making-of/pantera-cowboys-from-hell/|title=Making of the Album: Pantera – Cowboys from Hell|website=Love It Loud|date=November 11, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713234147/http://love-it-loud.com/making-of/pantera-cowboys-from-hell/|archive-date=July 13, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> During recording sessions, the band chose an unorthodox method: Paul recorded the drum tracks first, then Darrell recorded the guitar, and Brown recorded the bass with the guitars only. This resulted in a tighter sound; slight inaccuracies were fixed by manually editing the tapes.<ref name="guitarworldrex">{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/magazine/rex-brown-recalls-making-panteras-cowboys-hell-vulgar|title=Rex Brown Recalls the Making of Pantera's 'Cowboys from Hell,' 'Vulgar Display of Power' and More|author1=Jon Wiederhorn|date=July 24, 2015|website=guitarworld}}</ref>

The band were feeling confident about their material and themselves, finally feeling that they were making the kind of album they believed in. One key track to emerge during the writing was "[[Cemetery Gates (Pantera song)|Cemetery Gates]]", a seven-minute [[power ballad]] that would be the first song to show both their diversity and Anselmo's vocal range; the acoustic intro was written last by Brown.<ref name="guitarworldrex"/> Although they had already recorded four albums prior to ''Cowboys from Hell'', the members of Pantera have since acknowledged this as their official debut album, working with a professional producer and a major label for the first time and creating music that was not simply stealing from other similar bands in an attempt to attract attention.<ref name=lil/>

==Artwork==
[[File:Gambling, Telluride, Colorado LCCN2012649628.jpg|thumb|The original, unaltered photo used in the ''Cowboys from Hell'' album cover]]
The cover art depicts the band in a quaint [[Western saloon]]. In reality, it is a 1910 photo of the "Cosmopolitan Saloon" in [[Telluride, Colorado]], with the bandmembers pasted over it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/03_The-World-since-1900/01_The-Last-Days-of-the-Gilded-Age/01e_Small-town-America.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-12-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109084123/http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/03_The-World-since-1900/01_The-Last-Days-of-the-Gilded-Age/01e_Small-town-America.htm |archive-date=January 9, 2016 }}</ref> [[Dimebag Darrell|Diamond Darrell]] is pictured in the center playing guitar, while Vinnie Paul is standing to his right counting money, Rex Brown is leaning against the counter top and Phil Anselmo is shown jumping in the air to Brown's left. Anselmo states that he jumped off a bar stool to get high up in the air and that it took him about ten takes until the cameramen got the shot of the desired style.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.down-nola.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/446947/pid/400042|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215022319/http://down-nola.com/index.cfm/pk/view/cd/NAA/cdid/446947/pid/400042|url-status=dead|title=Pantera's Cowboys From Hell Turns 20: An Interview with Philip Anselmo|archivedate=December 15, 2010}}</ref>

==Release and reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[About.com]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="about.com">{{cite web|url=http://heavymetal.about.com/od/pantera/fr/Pantera-Cowboys-From-Hell-20th-Anniversary-Edition-Review.htm|title=Pantera – 'Cowboys From Hell' 20th Anniversary Edition|publisher=[[About.com]]|first=Chad|last=Bowar|access-date=August 14, 2012|archive-date=May 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513090700/http://heavymetal.about.com/od/pantera/fr/Pantera-Cowboys-From-Hell-20th-Anniversary-Edition-Review.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev2 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/cowboys-from-hell-mw0000308550|title=Cowboys from Hell – Pantera|website=[[AllMusic]]|first=Eduardo|last=Rivadavia|access-date=February 28, 2012}}</ref>
| rev3 = [[BBC Music]]
| rev3Score = (favorable)<ref name="BBCMusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/rnhf|title=Cowboys from Hell – Pantera Review|publisher=[[BBC Music]]|first=Greg|last=Moffitt|date=September 1, 2010|access-date=February 28, 2012}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Martin Popoff|Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal]]''
| rev4score = 9/10<ref>{{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties |publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]] |year=2007 |location=[[Burlington, Ontario]], [[Canada]] |isbn=978-1-894959-62-9 |page=334}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Exclaim!]]''
| rev5Score = (favorable)<ref name="exclaim">{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/Metal/Pantera-Cowboys_From_Hell_20th_Anniversary_Edition|title=Pantera – Cowboys From Hell 20th Anniversary Edition|work=[[Exclaim!]]|first=Keith|last=Carman|access-date=August 14, 2012}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev6Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="CDUniverse">{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1098349&style=music|title=Pantera – Cowboys from Hell CD Album|publisher=[[CD Universe]]|access-date=December 23, 2012}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite book| last = Brackett  | first = Nathan  |author2=Christian Hoard  | title = The Rolling Stone Album Guide  | publisher = Simon and Schuster  | year = 2004  | location = New York City, New York  | page = [https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n628 615]  | isbn = 0-7432-0169-8  | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac| url-access = registration  | quote = rolling stone pantera album guide.  }}</ref>
}}
The album was released on July 24, 1990, and was available on tape, CD, vinyl and a limited edition version (same album but in a long box). 

===Commercial performance===
Despite being the band's commercial breakthrough, ''Cowboys from Hell'' sold slowly and steadily for most of the 1990s, first charting on ''[[Billboard charts|Billboard]]'' in 1992, two years after its release. The album did not receive [[platinum certification]] in the United States until July 1997. It has since gone on to attain a double platinum (2,000,000 units) certification in the U.S. as well as [[Gold certification|gold]] status in the U.K. for sales of 100,000.<ref name="reference 1">{{Cite web|url=http://tsort.info/music/47erfv.htm|title = Album artist 508 - Pantera}}</ref>

As far as specific charting, ''Cowboys from Hell'' reached No. 27 on the [[Billboard charts|''Billboard'']] [[Top Heatseekers]] chart in 1992, and in March 1995, entered the [[Sverigetopplistan|Swedish Charts]] for one week at No. 46.

===Critical reception===
''Cowboys from Hell'' is widely considered one of Pantera's best albums, as well as one of the greatest metal albums of all time. It has been praised by most critics, as it would prove to be extremely influential in the development of [[groove metal]] in the 1990s. The album is also credited for reviving heavy metal music at a time when it was diminishing in relevance. ''Cowboys from Hell'' would inspire a generation of musicians, particularly guitarists. [[IGN]] named ''Cowboys from Hell'' the 19th-most-influential heavy metal album of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/20/top-25-metal-albums?page=3|title=Top 25 Metal Albums|date=January 19, 2007}}</ref>

They said of the album:

{{blockquote|Along with ''[[Vulgar Display of Power]]'', Pantera's fifth album is not only considered one of the band's best, but is also one of the defining albums of early '90s metal. The band's chemistry really begins to gel with collective symmetry here, as a pre-Dimebag Darrell (he was known as Diamond Darrell back then) rips the strings of his axe like a rabid weasel, frontman Phil Anselmo following in kind with chaotic vocal utterances, and the rhythm section of Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown keeping the rhythms in check and the whole mess glued together with low end prowess.}}

[[AllMusic]] said of the album:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gulla|first=Bob|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DL3I9qQWdeAC&q=allmusic+%22largely+driven+by+the+band%27s+powerful+rhythm+section%22&pg=PA4|title=Guitar Gods: The 25 Players who Made Rock History|date=2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35806-7}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Pantera's breakthrough album, ''Cowboys from Hell'', is largely driven by the band's powerful rhythm section and guitarist Diamond Darrell's unbelievably forceful [[riff]]ing, which skittered around the [[Downbeat and upbeat|downbeats]] to produce unexpected rhythmic phrases and accents, as well as his inventive soloing.}}

==Reissue==
On September 14, 2010, a 20th anniversary edition was released with a [[remaster]]ed [[audio mixing (recorded music)|mix]] from the original analog recordings.<ref name="Blabbermouth">{{cite news | work= Blabbermouth.net| url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=149266| title=Pantera: 'Cowboys From Hell: The Demos' To Be Released On Limited-Edition Vinyl – Nov. 11, 2010| access-date=January 17, 2011}}</ref> The expanded edition features a bonus CD of previously unreleased live recordings and the ''Alive and Hostile EP''. The deluxe edition features an additional third CD<ref name="Consequences">{{cite web | work= Consequences of Sound.net| url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/11/26/pantera-reissue-cowboys-from-hell-the-demos-for-black-friday/| title=Pantera reissue Cowboys from Hell: The Demos for Black Friday| access-date=January 17, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Metalbuzz">{{cite web|publisher=Metalbuzz.net |url=http://metalbuzz.net/site/2010/11/11/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-the-demos-to-be-released-on-limited-edition-vinyl/ |title=Pantera 'Cowboys From Hell: The Demos' To Be Released On Limited-Edition Vinyl |access-date=January 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723205439/http://metalbuzz.net/site/2010/11/11/pantera-cowboys-from-hell-the-demos-to-be-released-on-limited-edition-vinyl/ |archive-date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref> with the previously unreleased demo track "The Will to Survive" (parts of the song were later used in the song "[[This Love (Pantera song)|This Love]]"<ref name=":0"/> from ''[[Vulgar Display of Power]]'') along with demo versions of ten songs from the original album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2010/07/panteras_cowboys_from_hell_to.php|title=Pantera's Cowboys From Hell To Receive Deluxe, 20th Anniversary Edition Re-Issue|first=Pete|last=Freedman|date=July 20, 2010|access-date=July 12, 2022|archive-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725082641/http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2010/07/panteras_cowboys_from_hell_to.php|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

The third disc of the deluxe set, ''Cowboys from Hell: The Demos'', was released as a separate limited edition vinyl LP at the same time.<ref name="Consequences"/> It was exclusively available at Metal Club record stores.<ref name="Blabbermouth"/><ref name="Metalbuzz"/> The 2010 reissue of the album managed to reach No. 117 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and No. 8 on [[Catalog (album)|Catalog Albums]], selling 4,200.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=146507|title=Roadrunner Records Page Not Found}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/search/albums/cowboys+from+hell|title=Album Search for 'cowboys from hell'|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:OzzyChangingHands02-20-2010.jpg|thumb|The album was praised by [[Ozzy Osbourne]]. In 2017, he listed ''Cowboys from Hell'' as one of his ten favorite metal albums.<ref name=":1" />|212x212px]]
The album was ranked No. 11 on the October 2006 issue of ''[[Guitar World]]'' magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93854|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621091150/http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93854|url-status=dead|title=Broadcast News Discussion<!-- Bot generated title -->|archivedate=June 21, 2007}}</ref> It was ranked the 85th-best heavy metal album of all time by [[Metal-Rules.com]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metal-rules.com/polls/index.php?id=6|title=The Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums|access-date=April 3, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205093041/http://metal-rules.com/polls/index.php?id=6|archive-date=February 5, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[IGN]] named ''Cowboys from Hell'' the 19th-most-influential heavy metal album of all time. It is also credited as "defining" [[groove metal]].<ref name="AllMusic" /> The album has also been praised by [[Ozzy Osbourne]], who in 2017 listed it among his ten favorite metal albums.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/ozzy-osbournes-10-favorite-metal-albums-w485479/ |title=Ozzy Osbourne's 10 Favorite Metal Albums |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=26 June 2017 |access-date=27 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626172811/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/ozzy-osbournes-10-favorite-metal-albums-w485479 |archive-date=26 June 2017 }}</ref>

==Touring==
Pantera toured for nearly two years in support of ''Cowboys from Hell''. The band embarked on their first national tour in the summer of 1990, supporting [[Exodus (band)|Exodus]] and [[Suicidal Tendencies]].<ref name="metallipromo">{{cite web |url=http://metallipromo.com/pantera.html |title=Pantera Tour Dates |publisher=Metallipromo.com |access-date=January 11, 2017}}</ref> In 1991, [[Rob Halford]] performed with the band onstage, which led Pantera (along with [[Annihilator (band)|Annihilator]]) to open for [[Judas Priest]] on its first show in Europe. They also opened for bands like [[Skid Row (American band)|Skid Row]], [[Sepultura]], [[Fates Warning]], [[Prong (band)|Prong]], [[Mind Over Four]], [[Morbid Angel]], [[White Zombie (band)|White Zombie]] and [[Sanctuary (band)|Sanctuary]], and co-headlined a North American tour with [[Wrathchild America]].<ref name="metallipromo" /> The band eventually landed a billing for the [[Monsters of Rock#1991 European Tour|Monsters of Rock festival]] with [[AC/DC]], [[Mötley Crüe]], [[Metallica]] and [[The Black Crowes]] in September 1991, where they played to a crowd of over 500,000 in celebration of the new freedom of performing Western music in the former Soviet Union shortly before its collapse three months later.<ref name="metallipromo" />

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Pantera ([[Phil Anselmo]], [[Dimebag Darrell|Diamond Darrell]], [[Rex Brown|Rex]], [[Vinnie Paul]])
| title1 = [[Cowboys from Hell (song)|Cowboys from Hell]]
| length1 = 4:06
| title2 = Primal Concrete Sledge
| length2 = 2:13
| title3 = [[Psycho Holiday]]
| length3 = 5:19
| title4 = Heresy
| length4 = 4:47
| title5 = [[Cemetery Gates (Pantera song)|Cemetery Gates]]
| length5 = 7:02
| title6 = [[Domination (song)|Domination]]
| length6 = 5:04
| title7 = Shattered
| length7 = 3:22
| title8 = Clash with Reality
| length8 = 5:16
| title9 = Medicine Man
| length9 = 5:15
| title10 = Message in Blood
| length10 = 5:10
| title11 = The Sleep
| length11 = 5:47
| title12 = [[The Art of Shredding]]
| length12 = 4:18
| total_length = 57:43<!--All track times sourced from CD release "ATCO 7567-91372-2".-->
}}

===Disc 2: Expanded Edition bonus CD===
{{Track listing
| headline = ''Live: [[Foundations Forum]]'' (1990)
| title1 = Domination
| note1 = Live at Foundations Forum, 1990
| length1 = 4:55
| title2 = Psycho Holiday
| note2 = Live at Foundations Forum, 1990
| length2 = 5:25
| title3 = The Art of Shredding
| note3 = Live at Foundations Forum, 1990
| length3 = 5:47
| title4 = Cowboys from Hell
| note4 = Live at Foundations Forum, 1990
| length4 = 5:01
| title5 = Cemetery Gates
| note5 = Live at Foundations Forum, 1990
| length5 = 7:05
| title6 = Primal Concrete Sledge
| note6 = Live at Foundations Forum, 1990
| length6 = 3:51
| title7 = Heresy
| note7 = Live at Foundations Forum, 1990
| length7 = 5:12
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = ''Alive and Hostile'' EP
| title8 = Domination
| note8 = Live at Monsters in Moscow, 1991
| length8 = 7:05
| title9 = Primal Concrete Sledge
| note9 = Live at Monsters in Moscow, 1991
| length9 = 3:17
| title10 = Cowboys from Hell
| note10 = Live at Monsters in Moscow, 1991
| length10 = 4:16
| title11 = Heresy
| note11 = Live at Monsters in Moscow, 1991
| length11 = 4:59
| title12 = Psycho Holiday
| note12 = Live at Monsters in Moscow, 1991
| length12 = 5:50
|total_length = 83:10
}}

===Disc 3: ''Cowboys from Hell: The Demos''===
Only available on the 'Deluxe' and 'Ultimate' editions of the album.
{{Track listing
| title1 = The Will to Survive
| note1 = demo
| length1 = 4:14
| title2 = Shattered
| note2 = demo
| length2 = 4:47
| title3 = Cowboys from Hell
| note3 = demo
| length3 = 4:06
| title4 = Heresy
| note4 = demo
| length4 = 4:42
| title5 = Cemetery Gates
| note5 = demo
| length5 = 5:19
| title6 = Psycho Holiday
| note6 = demo
| length6 = 5:09
| title7 = Medicine Man
| note7 = demo
| length7 = 4:52
| title8 = Message in Blood
| note8 = demo
| length8 = 4:57
| title9 = Domination
| note9 = demo
| length9 = 4:45
| title10 = The Sleep
| note10 = demo
| length10 = 6:15
| title11 = The Art of Shredding
| note11 = demo
| length11 = 4:11
| total_length = 53:17
}}

==''Cowboys from Hell: The Demos''==
The demos were recorded in 1989 and re-released on [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]] 2010. Copies were limited to 3,000 180-gram pressings, with the vinyl including the custom cover and demos of the original tracks, as well as the previously unreleased demo cut "The Will to Survive".<ref>Staples, Derek (November 26, 2010). [http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/11/26/pantera-reissue-cowboys-from-hell-the-demos-for-black-friday/ "Pantera reissue ''Cowboys from Hell: The Demos'' for Black Friday"]. Consequence of Sound.</ref>

=== Track listing ===

{{Track listing
| title1 = The Will to Survive
| note1 = demo
| length1 = 4:14
| title2 = Shattered
| note2 = demo
| length2 = 4:47
| title3 = Cowboys from Hell
| note3 = demo
| length3 = 4:06
| title4 = Heresy
| note4 = demo
| length4 = 4:42
| title5 = Cemetery Gates
| note5 = demo
| length5 = 5:19
| title6 = Psycho Holiday
| note6 = demo
| length6 = 5:09
| title7 = Medicine Man
| note7 = demo
| length7 = 4:52
| title8 = Message in Blood
| note8 = demo
| length8 = 4:57
| title9 = Domination
| note9 = demo
| length9 = 4:45
| title10 = The Sleep
| note10 = demo
| length10 = 6:15
| title11 = The Art of Shredding
| note11 = demo
| length11 = 4:11
| total_length = 53:17
}}

'''Note'''
*Demos of the album's tracks were also released in 2010, in the 20th anniversary edition of ''Cowboys from Hell'', but with a different track listing.

==Personnel==
'''Pantera'''
*[[Phil Anselmo]] – vocals
*[[Dimebag Darrell|Diamond <!-- was credited under that name -->Darrell]] – guitars
*[[Rex Brown|Rex]] – bass, acoustic guitar and piano ("Cemetery Gates")<ref name="guitarworldrex">{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/magazine/rex-brown-recalls-making-panteras-cowboys-hell-vulgar|title=Rex Brown Recalls the Making of Pantera's 'Cowboys from Hell,' 'Vulgar Display of Power' and More|author1=Jon Wiederhorn|date=July 24, 2015|website=guitarworld}}</ref>
*[[Vinnie Paul]] – drums

'''Technical'''
*[[Terry Date]] – producer, engineer, mixing
*Pantera – co-producer, mixing
*Matt Lane – assistant engineer
*Matt Gililland – assistant engineer
*[[Howie Weinberg]] – audio mastering

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1992)
! Peak<br/>position
|-
{{Album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|27|artist=Pantera|rowheader=true|refname=PANTERAHEAT|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (1995)
! Peak<br/>position
|-
{{Album chart|Sweden|46|artist=Pantera|album=Cowboys from Hell|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}
|-
{{Album chart|BillboardCatalog|8|artist=Pantera|rowheader=true|refname=PANTERACATALOG|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Chart (2010)
! Peak<br/>position
|-
{{Album chart|UKRock|32|date=20100919|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}
|-
{{Album chart|Billboard200|117|artist=Pantera|rowheader=true|refname=PANTERA200|accessdate=June 20, 2024}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1993|relmonth=10|region=Argentina|award=Gold|certyear=1993|certref=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110706084844/http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP|archive-date=6 July 2011|url-status=dead|title=Estadísticas – Discos de Oro y Platino|publisher=capif.org.ar|work=[[Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas]]|language=es|access-date=6 May 2021}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Gold|type=album|artist=Pantera|title=Cowboys from Hell|relyear=1990|certyear=1995|access-date=November 28, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|relyear=1990|relmonth=7|region=Japan|award=Gold|certyear=1983|certref=<ref name="JPN">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=[[Oricon|Oricon Entertainment]]|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}</ref>|salesamount=100,000|salesref=<ref name="JPN"/>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|type=album|artist=Pantera|title=Cowboys from Hell|relyear=1990|certyear=2006|id=1543-2238-2}}
|-
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Platinum|type=album|artist=Pantera|title=Cowboys from Hell|relyear=1990|number=2|certyear=2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links==
*[https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/features/complete_guide_to_pantera_cowboys_from_hell.html Complete Guide to Pantera 'Cowboys From Hell'] at [[Ultimate Guitar Archive|Ultimate-Guitar.com]]
{{Pantera}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowboys from Hell}}
[[Category:1990 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Terry Date]]
[[Category:Atco Records albums]]
[[Category:Pantera albums]]