Ha, thats funny. Pantera's certainly not for everyone, but it made sense when I was young and suffering from teenaged angst. They're very heavy and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone not already into that kind of music to tell the truth. The column is certainly less about them and more about what the music meant.
Living here in Dallas, I must say while Pantera is not my musical taste, Darrell and Vinnie are a part of this community, especially with their support of the local sports teams (the Dallas Stars theme song that was a huge part of their Stanley Cup run in 1999). I've heard nothing but good things about the guy, he was always very approachable. All the local radio stations here in DFW have been talking about this non-stop today, even the local sports talk radio station, where Vinny used to call into once in awhile.