“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was a musical legend in his own time. While he was no doubt born with a gift, he honed his talent through years of constant practice. It was that dedication that made him a rare breed of performer: one who was a master at both lead and rhythm guitar parts. His riffs were heavy but catchy; his signature tone a thick, bluesy groove. Dimebag’s style and skill inspired multitudes to pick up an instrument and try to become the hero they looked up to, and some of them actually succeeded.
Related
On the 10-year anniversary of the guitarist’s death, Billboard has exclusive videos of such axemen performing their favorite Dimebag parts as a tribute to their fallen idol. Watch guitarists including Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G and Sevendust guitarist John Connolly jamming to tunes like “Walk” and “Mouth for War.” As Dimebag liked to say, getcha pull!
‘Dimebag’ Darrell Tribute: See All The Coverage
John Connolly of Sevendust (whose side band, Projected, recorded the song “12804” in Dimebag’s memory about the tragic day he was killed for their the 2012 debut album HUMAN):
“Dimebag was for sure the greatest metal guitar player and one of the greatest human beings I ever knew. But his playing had a fire about it that few have ever or will ever match, and he loved playing guitar more than anything. You could hear that passion in his playing…he had swagger and style and confidence in spades. He was the real deal.”
Olof Mörck of Amaranthe:
Gus G of Ozzy Osbourne and Firewind playing Pantera riffs including “Cemetary Gates”:
Ian D’Sa of Billy Talent playing the main riff from Pantera‘s “A New Level”:
“The opening guitar riff to ‘A New Level’ was always my favorite Dimebag Darrell riff. As a teenager I imagined those ascending bar chords as the soundtrack to an army of demons marching out of hell, only to go into an incredible Latin rhythm that sounded like machine-gun fire. His guitar riffs had such a heaviness they created vivid imagery in my mind. You are greatly missed. R.I.P. Dimebag.”
Patrick Judge of Demon Hunter:
Jimmy Hiltula of Sister Sin:
“Dimebag was one of my absolute favorite guitarists of all time and is still to this day. Cheers to Dimebag.”
Jake Pitts & Jinxx of Black Veil Brides:
Mark King and Joe “Blower” Garvey of Hinder doing Pantera‘s “Cemetery Gates” riffs:
“I think the coolest thing about Dime is that when you hear people that knew him talk about him, it’s not just about the music and his talent. Everyone speaks of his kind heart and how cool he was.” — Joe “Blower” Garvey, Hinder
BJ Stead of Miss May I:
Dom Dickinson of Affiance playing a riff from “I’m Broken”:
Jeff George of We Are Harlot:
“I got to become pretty good friends with Darrell and not only was he one of the greatest guitar players of all time but he was also one of the greatest human beings of all time. Darrell, on the 10th anniversary of your passing I just want you to know how much I love and miss you.”
DJ Ashba of Guns N’ Roses & Sixx:A.M:
Steffen Kummerer of Obscura‘s spoken tribute to Dimebag:
Alex Skolnick of Testament:
“He would be amazed at the outpouring of affection and all the fond memories of him and just how much of an impact he had. I think he was always the same guy to much later when the band changed the game for everyone.”