A decade ago today, legendary heavy metal guitarist Dimebag Darrell was killed on stage in Columbus, Ohio.
Dimebag Darrell was playing for a band named Damageplan that night, but he was best known for his work with his previous band ----- Pantera!
Dimebag's brother, Vinnie Paul, was a drummer for both bands!
Pantera started as your usual 80's hair metal band..............until a new lead singer (and yeller) joined in.........Phil Anselmo! That was in the late 80s, ready to get into the 90's!
With Phil Anselmo, Pantera took on a much more aggressive direction! Pantera was now the "dont f---- with me", "take no sh--" kind of band! To match Anselmo's persona, Dimebag's guitars now took a much more heavier sound!
Whereas other heavy metal bands scared people with face make-up, eating bats and crazy videos..................Pantera's Phil Anselmo scared people with his big muscular physique, his bald-head, his big fists and his "take no crap" personality! He sure didn't need scary make-up to scare people!
Henry Rollins was bringing the big, muscular, tough guy image to punk rock & alternative rock! Phil Anselmo brought it to heavy metal, which was even more aggressive than punk or alternative!
With Phil Anselmo now on the scene, Axl Rose was no match for him! Axl Rose's antics wore thin with fans who are now aware of a much tougher guy in the heavy metal scene!
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It was 1990, time for Phil Anselmo's debut with Pantera, the legendary album "Cowboys from Hell". It was a statement that Texas was not going to be ignored as a heavy metal hotspot! It put New York and California on notice that they got competition for the baddest heavy metal bands out there!
The album had the song "Cowboys from Hell" and "Psycho Holiday". But it also showed that Phil Anselmo had a gentler side as well, with his legendary song "Cemetery Gates" which was a dedication to his friend that passed away!
In 1992, came the next album"Vulgar Display of Power", which was even crazier than "Cowboys From Hell". The guitars were even more heavy, and Anselmo was even more angry and ready for a fight! Anybody ready for a fight ( or a football/rugby/hockey game) would listen to songs like "Mouth for War", "Walk" and "F______ Hostile" to pump themselves up! Pantera can even make love songs sound scary with "This Love".
In 1994 came the next album "Far Beyond Driven", which debuted on top of the charts, even without much radio/MTV airplay! Whereas MTV was focusing on alternative rock, there was still a major fan base who want real heavy metal! While the hair metal bands faded, people still wanted to hear real metal from bands like Slayer, Biohazard, and Sepultura! And of course, Pantera!
From the 1994 album "Five Minutes Alone" (which actually goes a bit longer than 5 minutes) was the most popular song. It was another fight song! It was Anselmo's response to a lawsuit from an angry fan who got beat up at Pantera's concert! The fan allegedly taunted Anselmo, and Anselmo responded by encouraging the other fans to beat that unruly fan up!
In 1996, Pantera had it's "Great Southern Trendkill" album. While it satisfied many metal fans, it didn't have the mega-classics like the previous albums had! At that point, there were tensions within the band. Anselmo was taking medications (both the legal and illegal) for his back pains! Dimebag & Vinnie Paul got tired of dealing with Anselmo!
By the early 2000s, Pantera broke up! Phil Anselmo joined another band, Down. Dimebag & Vinnie Paul joined Damageplan. Neither band gained the status that Pantera had!
Damageplan was playing a concert in Columbus, Ohio when an apparently deranged fan shot and killed Dimebag Darrell! It was alleged that the fan blamed Dimebag for Pantera's breakup!
There were also rumors that Phil Anselmo was behind the murder of Dimebag Darell. It was as if this was going to be the heavy metal's version of "2pac vs Biggie".
Anselmo wanted to make peace with Vinnie Paul. Vinnie Paul wasn't interested! He didn't even allow Anselmo to attend Dimebag's funeral!
To this day, there are no signs of a Pantera reunion. There are still hard feelings between Anselmo and Vinnie Paul!
However, Dimebag Darrell is still remember by many heavy metal fans as a great guitar player, and a contributor to many classic heavy metal songs!
