DIMEBAG DARRELL LEGACY CONTINUES AMID DEATH ANNIVERSARY

It’s been two years since former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was gunned down playing with his new band Damageplan. We’ve got Darrell in his own words, and a remembrance from Disturbed’s David Draiman

Guitarist Dimebag Darrell was killed on this day (December 8) at an Ohio nightclub with his new band, Damageplan. The former Pantera member got enough strength to join with his brother for form the band, but on tour in support of the band’s Elektra Records debut, he was gunned down. The killer, Nathan Gale, was a mentally troubled ex military man, who was shot and killed by a police officer after killing three more of Damageplan’s crew.

The guitarist had to move on, because singer Phil Anselmo hadn’t talked to him since the events of September 11. Anselmo formed Superjoint Ritual, but Darrell felt bad not only for himself, but for the fans of Pantera, but noted he had to go on.

“I feel like the fans got let down. The Pantera fans were let down and I’m here to prove with Damageplan that me and Vinnie had nothing to ever f–kin, we never had any. We never let the f–king fans down and that we can get up with Damageplan blast them songs better than they’ve ever been played — insane. The response has been f–kin great, and Ill tell ya, there’s not been a city that we’ve gone to that anybody has given us any flak about ‘Pantera,’ or, ‘Pantera!!’ in the middle of the set. Nobody’s yelled nothin at us and nobody’s come up to us and said, ‘Hey dude, you know this or that.’ It’s been nothin but, ‘Hey dude, were down with the plan’ and nothing but awesome comments and compliments for [new singer] Pat [Lachman], and yeah man, the point is definitely getting across.”

Disturbed’s David Draiman was a good friend of Darrell’s, and the guitarist even guested on one OzzFest for a rendition of Disturbed’s cover of Pantera’s signature song, “Walk.” He recalled his last memory of his fun-loving friend.

“My last great memory of Dime was him and me and when we had the Damageplan boys out with us for just about two or three shows, he roped me into some strip club, I forget where the hell it was — it must have been on the east coast somewhere — and sic-ed every single stripper in the entire place on me at one time while I was seated on stage tied to a chair and just laughing his ass off just pouring alcohol over everyone and just being Dime and loving it.”

Dimebag Darrell is survived by his girlfriend, Rita, and drummer Vinne Paul who was with him through Pantera and Damageplan. Paul said that he will never accept Darrell’s death, but that he’s almost ready to resume music.