On 8th December 2004, Heavy Metal lost one of its brightest talents - Dimebag Darrell, former Pantera guitarist. But five years on, his legend is still alive, and Dimebag continues to inspire heavy guitarists all over the world.

On the evening of 8th December 2004, in Ohiso, USA, an young fan obsessed with heavy metal shot and killed former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and three other people during a show by Damageplan, Abbott's latest band, before being killed by police.

Dimebag Darrell was known as an expressive guitarist who brought the fluid dynamics of Eddie Van Halen's technique to Pantera's much harder power-groove thrash. One of the Nineties' most uncompromising metal acts, Pantera were also one of the most successful: During its eighteen-year career, the band sold more than 7 million records, according to SoundScan; 1994's Far Beyond Driven entered the charts at Number One and sold 1.4 million copies.

After his death, as so often happens in rock'n'roll, his legend only grew, and now the Dimebag name is one of the hit brands in the world of guitar, with popular fx pedals and electric guitars bearing his name. Not surprising, as Dimebag continues to be an important inspiration to heavy metal guitarists worldwide, including new generations of players who never got to enjoy his music while he was still alive!

Dimebag, we salute you!

Check the Dimebag artist page at Dolphin