Editing Metal Magic

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Metal Magic
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Pantera]]
| cover      = PanteraMetalMagic.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = June 10, 1983<ref name="Loudwire">{{Cite web |last=Wiederhorn |first=Jon |title=39 Years Ago: Pantera Release Their First Album 'Metal Magic' |url=https://loudwire.com/pantera-metal-magic-album-anniversary/ |date=June 10, 2022 |access-date=March 27, 2023 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref>
| recorded   = 
| studio     = Pantego Sound, [[Pantego, Texas]]
| genre      = {{flat list|
* [[Glam metal]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Ewing |first=Jerry |date=January 15, 2019 |title=Every Pantera album ranked from worst to best |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/every-pantera-album-ranked-from-worst-to-best |access-date=May 26, 2021 |website=[[Metal Hammer]]}}</ref>
* [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]]<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/metal-magic-mw0000999246 |title=Metal Magic - Pantera |access-date=July 2, 2012 |last=Rivadavia |first=Eduardo |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>
* {{nowrap|[[hard rock]]}}<ref name="AllMusic" />
}}
| length     = 39:37
| label      = Metal Magic
| producer   = [[Jerry Abbott]] & Pantera
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title = [[Projects in the Jungle]]
| next_year  = 1984
}}
{{Album reviews
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic" />
| rev2 = ''[[Martin Popoff|Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal]]''
| rev2Score = 6/10<ref name="martin">{{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties |publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]] |date=November 1, 2005 |location=[[Burlington, Ontario]], Canada |page=258 |isbn=978-1894959315}}</ref>
|rev3 = The Daily Vault
|rev3score = C+<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=2725 |title=The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Metal Magic |access-date=December 23, 2012 |last=Thalen |first=Christopher |work=The Daily Vault |date=January 10, 2005}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[Metal Forces]]''
|rev4score = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Pantera - Metal Magic |magazine=[[Metal Forces]] |year=1984 |first=Steve |last=Hammonds |issue=3 |url=http://www.metalforcesmagazine.com/site/album-review-pantera-metal-magic/ |access-date=July 2, 2012}}</ref>
| noprose=yes
}}

'''''Metal Magic''''' is the debut studio album by American [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Pantera]], released on June 10, 1983, by Metal Magic Records.<ref name="Loudwire" /> Like the band's next three releases, it is musically oriented toward a [[Glam metal|glam]]/heavy metal sound influenced by [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]] and [[Van Halen]], rather than the [[groove metal]] style they became famous for playing in the 1990s. The album was released on the band's own label (also called Metal Magic) and produced by [[Jerry Abbott]] (under the alias "The Eld'n"), a [[country music]] songwriter and producer and the father of [[Vinnie Paul]] and [[Dimebag Darrell]] (then known as Diamond Darrell), who were 19 and 16 years old, respectively, at the time of release.

== Background ==
Pantera was formed in [[Arlington, Texas]], in 1981. The band was originally named Gemini, then Eternity, before finally settling on Pantera.<ref>{{Citation|last=Loudwire|title=Pantera / Hellyeah's Vinnie Paul Plays 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?'|date=November 30, 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2K-AS-2iAk?t=60|access-date=May 5, 2025}}</ref>

== Reception ==
In a retrospective review for [[AllMusic]], Eduardo Rivadavia gave ''Metal Magic'' a largely negative ranking of 1.5 stars out of a possible 5. He described the album as "exceedingly average [[hard rock]] and metal misfires" with only two promising songs in "I'll Be Alright" and "Widowmaker". Furthermore, the album's "strongest asset" even in these early years was [[Diamond Darrell]]'s guitar playing.<ref name="AllMusic" />

Drummer [[Vinnie Paul]] said the album sold around 5,000 copies by 1990.<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>

== Track listing ==
All credits adapted from the original LP.<ref name="credits">{{cite AV media notes |title=Metal Magic |others=[[Pantera]] |year=1983 |type= LP sleeve |publisher=Metal Magic Records |id= MMR1283 |location=Arlington, Texas }}</ref>
{{tracklist
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Ride My Rocket
| writer1 = {{hlist|[[Vinnie Paul|Vince Abbott]]|[[Dimebag Darrell|Darrell Abbott]]}}
| length1 = 4:55
| title2 = I'll Be Alright
| writer2 = {{hlist|V. Abbott|D. Abbott}}
| length2 = 3:13
| title3 = Tell Me If You Want It
| writer3 = [[Terry Glaze]]
| length3 = 3:44
| title4 = Latest Lover
| writer4 = {{hlist|V. Abbott|D. Abbott|Glaze}}
| length4 = 2:54
| title5 = Biggest Part of Me
| writer5 = Glaze
| length5 = 4:49
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = Side two
| title6 = Metal Magic
| writer6 = {{hlist|V. Abbott|D. Abbott}}
| length6 = 4:17
| title7 = Widowmaker
| writer7 = {{hlist|V. Abbott|D. Abbott}}
| length7 = 3:03
| title8 = Nothin' On (But the Radio)
| writer8 = Glaze
| length8 = 3:30
| title9 = Sad Lover
| writer9 = {{hlist|V. Abbott|D. Abbott}}
| length9 = 3:27
| title10 = Rock Out!
| writer10 = Glaze
| length10 = 5:45
| total_length = 39:37
}}

== Personnel ==

;Pantera
* [[Terry Glaze]]&nbsp;– vocals, guitars
* [[Dimebag Darrell|Darrell Abbott]]&nbsp;– guitars
* [[Rex Brown|Rex Rocker]]&nbsp;– bass
* [[Vinnie Paul|Vince Abbott]]&nbsp;– drums

;Production
*[[Jerry Abbott]]&nbsp;– production, engineering, mixing
*M.C. Rather&nbsp;– mastering
*Recorded at Pantego Sound, [[Pantego, Texas]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Pantera}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1983 debut albums]]
[[Category:Pantera albums]]
[[Category:Self-released albums]]