What drum kit did Vinnie Paul use on I Am the Night?

On Pantera's 1985 independent release I Am the Night, Vinnie Paul played a standard Tama Imperialstar kit — a single 22" bass drum driven by a Tama Iron Cobra double pedal, 12" and 13" rack toms, and a 16" floor tom. It was a stage-ready, non-signature setup, years before Vinnie's Tama Artstar II era began with Cowboys from Hell in 1990.

Who was the singer on I Am the Night?

I Am the Night was the final Pantera album to feature original lead vocalist Terry Glaze, who had fronted the band since its 1981 formation. The album was recorded at the Abbott family's Pantego Sound Studio and released independently through Metal Magic Records in October 1985.

How does I Am the Night connect to Cowboys from Hell?

I Am the Night represents Vinnie Paul's gear and playing five years before Pantera's major-label breakthrough. The Tama Imperialstar kit, Zildjian A cymbals, and single-kick setup documented here were replaced wholesale once the band signed to Atco Records and Vinnie built the dual-24" Tama Artstar II rig for 1990's Cowboys from Hell.

Was I Am the Night a successful album?

By independent-label standards, yes. I Am the Night reportedly sold more than 25,000 copies without major-label distribution or promotion, a strong result for a regional Texas metal band self-releasing through Metal Magic Records in the mid-1980s. It wouldn't be until Cowboys from Hell in 1990 that Pantera reached a national audience.

I Am the Night Drum Setup: Vinnie Paul's Pre-Fame Gear (1985) | MetalForge

Before groove metal existed, Vinnie Paul was cutting his teeth on Pantera's self-released I Am the Night. A look at the Tama Imperialstar kit, Zildjian A cym...

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