Dimebag Darrell: 1966 – 2004

Heavy metal is not my genre. At least not anymore. Sure, during middle school I was mildly obsessed with Metallica, but it’s been ages since then. And even then, I didn’t venture much past my treasured Metallica CDs. I knew nothing of Pantera, Damageplan or any other bands in the pantheon of 90s heavy metal.

So why do I care now? Why, after Darrell Lance Abbott was tragically shot onstage while playing a show with Damageplan in 2004, do I care?

There’s something very intimate and personal about heavy metal music. It’s tough to explain, because people who hate the genre only hear shrieking guitars, screaming vocalists, and a headache-inducing rhythm section. But the great metal bands (read: the metal bands that I like) are the ones who can inject melody and beauty into this type of music. It is not, as some think, music for brain-dead angry teenagers who don’t fit in. It’s beautifully melodic music that also works well in most pits.

And it’s in this vein that I feel a kinship to Dimebag and his music. He was able to inject a world that most viewed as dark, violent, and angry with beauty; listen to his solo 5 minutes into the track, and tell me you that it isn’t melodically beautiful.

So whether this music is your cup of tea or not, crank up this track and feast your ears on this guitarist who was most tragically taken from us way too soon.

Pantera – Cemetery Gates