The Greatest Guitarists Series: Dimebag Darrell

Dimebag Darrell was one of the best guitarists of his time. In this post we are not going to place so much emphasis in the tragic event that led to his death but instead we will focus instead in the legacy he left.

Dimebag played in multiple bands but he is most famous for Pantera. Pantera was one of those bands that made you a fan from the first time you heard them. In fact I will proceed to play Pantera to inspire myself for this post.

Before going full into his guitar playing in Pantera I want to mention that he also played in Damageplan and collaborated with Anthrax and King Diamond.

I consider Dimebag a cathalyst that helped with the music transition from one era to another. In fact Pantera has been called by some as the creator of the "groove metal" style. He also had unique tight, precise, tone. That tone is one of the details that got many people into Pantera. His rythmic style was also very characteristic because of the way he incorporated bends, vibratos and the whammy pedal, which were mostly used before only in lead or solo sections.

Dimebag had great guitar solos in almost every song. As a guitarist it was always fun to cover Pantera! My favorite Dimebag solo (and complete song) has to be Cemetery Gates. That was the first song I heard from Pantera and it made me an instant fan.

From the first riffs, to the calm verse, this song is a dynamic rollercoaster. The guitar solo is a piece of art. It starts with melodic ambience, with some very unique details, until it gets to the upbeat section. Every guitarist will know that playing this section is amazing.

Cemetery Gates



Image credit: Robert Knight Archive | Redferns