# Power Metal Drum Setup: Vinnie Paul's Last Gear Before Cowboys from Hell (1988)

> Pantera's fourth and final independent album before the Cowboys from Hell reinvention. A look at Vinnie Paul's Tama Imperialstar-era setup on 1988's Power Metal, and how it connects directly to the Tama Artstar II gear he'd bring to the band's major-label debut.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Vinnie Paul](/llms/drummers/vinnie-paul.md)
**Band / Album:** Pantera — *Power Metal* (1988)
**Genre:** Glam Metal / Speed Metal

## Overview

Released on June 24, 1988, "Power Metal" was Pantera's fourth and final studio album released through their own Metal Magic Records — the last chapter of the band's independent era before Atco Records and "Cowboys from Hell" changed everything two years later. Recorded once again at the Abbott family's Pantego Sound Studio in Pantego, Texas, the album was produced by Jerry Abbott, Pantera, and guitarist Marc Ferrari, who contributed additional lead and rhythm guitar to the sessions.

"Power Metal" has an unusual history behind it. The album was originally slated for a September 1987 release, but Pantera's plans with Gold Mountain Records fell apart when the label's leadership reportedly considered the material "too heavy" and pushed for changes. Rather than compromise, the Abbotts and the rest of the band walked away from the deal and released the record independently through Metal Magic instead — a decision that speaks to how uncompromising Vinnie, Dimebag, and Rex Brown already were about their sound, years before the industry came calling on their own terms.

Musically, "Power Metal" sits at a genuine crossroads. Critics and fans have described it as a bridge record — still rooted in the glam metal image the band had carried since 1983, but incorporating heavier, faster, more aggressive playing that pointed toward the groove metal reinvention just around the corner. It didn't chart, and it didn't get major-label promotion, but it closed out Pantera's independent chapter on the band's own terms.

For Vinnie Paul, "Power Metal" represents the last time he'd record with the gear and approach of Pantera's Metal Magic years. Within two years, the band would sign to Atco, and Vinnie's entire kit — bass drums, snare, and cymbals alike — would be overhauled for "Cowboys from Hell." This article covers what's documented about his setup during this final pre-major-label session, and how directly it connects to the Tama-era gear that followed.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Tama Imperialstar (Stage-standard lacquer finish)
- **Snare:** Tama Tama Steel 14" x 5.5", 14" x 5.5"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian — Zildjian A
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal; Vic Firth American Classic 2B (played backwards)
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Clear (snare side)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension for cut and speed

### The Final Glam-Era Kit: Tama Imperialstar

By 1988, Vinnie Paul was still playing the same Tama Imperialstar setup that had carried him through Pantera's entire independent run — a single 22" bass drum, 12" and 13" rack toms, and a 16" floor tom. It's the same core configuration documented on "I Am the Night" three years earlier, and it would remain in place right up until the band signed to Atco and began preparing "Cowboys from Hell."

What had changed by 1988 was the material Vinnie was playing over it. "Power Metal" pushed harder and faster than anything on the band's earlier records, foreshadowing the speed and aggression of the groove metal sound to come. The kit itself hadn't scaled up yet — that would happen almost immediately after this record, when Vinnie moved to the dual 24" Tama Artstar II setup for the band's major-label debut — but his playing on "Power Metal" already shows the power and drive that would define the next decade of Pantera's music.

### The Closing Chapter Snare

Vinnie's snare on "Power Metal" was the same Tama steel 14" x 5.5" model documented on the band's earlier independent releases — a bright, cutting shell tuned for the era's faster, more aggressive material rather than the deep, semi-triggered crack he'd develop once groove metal and larger production budgets arrived.

As with the rest of the band's Metal Magic-era recordings, there's no publicly documented microphone or trigger setup for this session — Pantego Sound in 1988 was still very much a family operation, well short of the major-label recording budgets that would follow. What's audible on the record itself is a drummer already playing with real force, foreshadowing the massive snare sound that would become his signature on Cowboys from Hell just two years later.

### Zildjian A Series — The Last Round

"Power Metal" marks the last Pantera record where Vinnie Paul used his Zildjian A cymbal setup — 14" hi-hats, 16" and 18" crashes, and a 20" ride. Once the band signed to Atco and began work on "Cowboys from Hell," Vinnie would switch to Sabian, beginning a partnership that lasted for the rest of his career.

The Zildjian A series had served him well throughout the independent years: warm, reliable, and well-suited to the glam and hard rock material Pantera had built its early catalog around. By 1988, with the band's sound hardening into something faster and heavier, the cymbals were doing double duty — still musical enough for the record's more melodic passages, but pushed harder on the album's speed metal-leaning tracks.

## Key Facts

- Released June 24, 1988 — Pantera's fourth and final independent album
- Recorded at Pantego Sound Studio; produced by Jerry Abbott, Pantera, and Marc Ferrari
- Originally intended for Gold Mountain Records, released independently after the label balked at the heavier material
- The last Vinnie Paul album before the total gear overhaul that produced Cowboys from Hell (1990)
- Same core Tama Imperialstar configuration used throughout the Metal Magic years
- Single 22" bass drum with double pedal — still two years from the dual-kick Artstar II setup
- The last Pantera record recorded on this kit before the Cowboys from Hell gear overhaul
- Playing style already trending toward the speed and power of the coming groove metal era
- Estimated kit value: $1,000-1,500 (1988 estimate, well-used touring kit)
- Estimated snare value: $150-250 (1988 estimate)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What drum kit did Vinnie Paul use on Power Metal?**

A: On Pantera's 1988 independent release Power Metal, Vinnie Paul played the same Tama Imperialstar setup he'd used throughout the band's Metal Magic years — 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 the last record on this kit before Vinnie rebuilt his entire setup for Cowboys from Hell in 1990.

**Q: Why was Power Metal released independently?**

A: Power Metal was originally intended for release through Gold Mountain Records in September 1987, but the label's leadership reportedly found the material too heavy and wanted changes. Pantera refused, the deal fell through, and the band released the album independently through their own Metal Magic Records in June 1988 instead.

**Q: How does Power Metal connect to Cowboys from Hell?**

A: Power Metal is the direct predecessor to Cowboys from Hell, both musically and in terms of gear. Vinnie Paul recorded it on the same Tama Imperialstar kit and Zildjian A cymbals documented on the band's earlier independent releases. Within two years of Power Metal's release, Pantera signed to Atco Records and Vinnie overhauled his entire setup — dual 24" Tama Artstar II kicks and Sabian AAX cymbals — for the band's 1990 major-label debut.

**Q: Was Power Metal Pantera's last independent album?**

A: Yes. Power Metal, released June 24, 1988, was the fourth and final Pantera album released through the band's own Metal Magic Records. It closed out the band's independent era before they signed to Atco Records and released Cowboys from Hell in 1990, which introduced the groove metal sound to a national audience.

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/power-metal-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-07-06 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*