Seven years ago today, deranged fan Nathan Gale opened fire at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus Ohio during a Damageplan show. killing “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and three others. It’s a day that still haunts the metal community, and saw one of the most influential metal guitarists of our time taken away from us. Time has gone by, but Dimebag’s legacy still lives on as a major source of inspiration for metal fans and bands alike.
Last year, we honored the late guitarist but naming our favorite Pantera songs. And though he may best be known for his work with the cowboys from hell, Dimebag also showed off his talent through Damageplan, Rebel Meets Rebel, and countless guest appearances on other bands’ records. So with that in mind and with a heavy heart, we decided to pay tribute to Dimebag by listening to a few songs he recorded outside of Pantera.
Damageplan, “Reborn”– When it became obvious that Pantera had come to an end, Dimebag and his brother/music partner in crime Vinnie Paul formed Damageplan to start anew. Along with recruited singer Pat Lachman and bassist Bob Zilla, Damageplan released New Found Power in 2004. While it didn’t create as big of a buzz as Pantera, the debut album showed great potential for Damageplan to grow. Unfortunately, we’ll never know what could be, as Dimebag was assassinated before Damageplan could record a follow up album. And while “Reborn” may not be the heaviest track on the album, the main riff is arguably a standout from the album.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH8YNNNSSWs[/youtube]
Rebel Meets Rebel, “Rebel Meets Rebel”– Recorded and written during downtime from Pantera’s Reinventing The Steel world tour, Dimebag, Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown’s country/metal project with David Allen Cole was released two years after the guitarist’s death. The titled track off of the self-titled album highlights Dimebag’s love for both metal and country.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvYAVYUtQW8[/youtube]
Anthrax, “Riding Shotgun”- Dimebag has made guest appearances on Anthrax’s Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, and We’ve Come For You All. And while you can’t go wrong with any of his appearances on Anthrax’s album, we often find that “Riding Shotgun” off of Stomp 442 is often overlooked.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blAOy9VgNF8[/youtube]
King Diamond, “Voodoo”– Dimebag’s guest solo on the title track of King Diamond’s Voodoo album is an overlooked gem. It’s a short solo, but still shows off Dimebag’s gift for melodic shredding.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YocXVa5P_ao[/youtube]
Nickelback, “Side Of A Bullet”– When Vinnie Paul discovered that Nickelback had written a song in honor of Dimebag following his onstage assassination, he gave the Canadian mainstream rock band a few of his brother’s outtake solos from the Vulgar Display of Powerand Far Beyond Driven sessions. While it may infuriate many fans that Dimebag can be heard on a Nickelback song, the fact that a mainstream band like them wanted to pay their respect shows how Dimebag’s influence extends outside of metal.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U6kpj-k8BE[/youtube]
