On the 10th anniversary of Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell‘s death, vocalist Phil Anselmo has penned a lengthy tribute to his friend, published by Rolling Stone, simultaneously breaking fans’ hearts by saying the Texas heavy metal band would have reunited if Darrell had not passed away.
In the piece, the Pantera singer said he thinks of Darrell every day, remembers him “as a warrior”, and believes the band would have reunited to tour and record new music if Darrell had not died after being shot onstage in Ohio in 2004.
“If he were still alive, I’d damn well know him, because of our love for each other,” Anselmo wrote. “He was one of my best friends on this planet… I know for a fact that we would’ve made more music together. There would’ve been more Pantera tours. There would’ve been more albums.”
Pantera disbanded in 2003, before Dimebag’s death, and continued conflict between band members has been well-documented, making Anselmo’s new claims even more interesting. Sadly, though, it’s clear the way in which Darrell died has affected him deeply, and has cut his musical aspirations short.
“When I think about it, the reality of his death collapses that entire pipe dream, and once again the heart is crushed,” he wrote in the article.
Anselmo closed by praising Pantera fans, and offered Dimebag Darrell’s positive personality as an example of how best to live life. “Pantera fans are and always were the greatest. They are part of the family. And the songs that we wrote, those are their songs now,” Anselmo wrote.
“I just hope that everybody who is trying to find closure, just does the best they can every fucking day, because that’s the way Dimebag lived it. And that’s the way, honestly, he went as well. He was on that stage playing the fucking guitar.”
Tributes to Dimebag have been flooding the internet in the last 24 hours. Anthrax have remembered the man by posting a video to Facebook (below), raising a glass to Darrell’s memory. Loudwire have put together a video (below) featuring many of Pantera’s contemporaries and artists that have been influenced by Dimebag and the band.
Read Phil Anselmo’s Dimebag Darrell tribute in full over at Rolling Stone.
Watch: Pantera – Cowboys From Hell
http://youtu.be/_7EQlfprV9E
Watch: Remembering Dimebag Darrell – Musicians Honor Pantera Legend
