Friday, March 25th, 2005
Rest In Peace Darrell
Rest In Peace
"Dimebag" Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20th, 1966 - December 8th 2004)
Last night, December 9th 2004, as I prepared myself for a night of massive draught consumption, I was floored momentarily. As I clicked through the channels, a teaser for the local news caught me off-guard. "Metal guitarist shot and killed, details at eleven." I thought to myself surely it can not be anyone worthy of tears, or my phone would have been off the hook. Not to mention, we all know of a guitarist or two we wouldn't mind being snubbed off the scene or maybe even the planet for that matter. Nonetheless, further information said the incident involved a Columbus Ohio setting, and inexplicably, I was immediately reminded of the unfortunate incident in Rhode Island involving Great White nearly two years ago. 'Can never be too careful,' I said to myself as I plunged for box of wires and knowledge.
No longer was my shock momentary as the rest of the information finally jumped from the screen back at me. Darrell Abbott, otherwise affectionately known to the rest of the world as one "Dimebag Darrell" was shot and killed tonight. Abbott, 38, and his brother and long time drummer, Vinnie Paul, had been re-visiting the depths of ground level artist promotion touring with their new formation Damageplan. "It just kind of got narrow-minded, and we just wanted to bust it open a little bit more and just broaden it up, go for the Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors instead of the one, you know what I mean?," Darrell Abbott told CNN news back in April 2004 of the finally confirmed Pantera break-up.
Back to Friday night (12.9.04), not long into Damageplan's live set at Alrosa Villa night club, 25 year-old Nathan Gale from nearby Marysville was said to have charged the stage and shot Darrell in the side of the head from close range. After shooting the legendary lead finger picker, the heavy set man dressed in his said-to-be usual attire (Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey jersey and a hoodie), moved his attention sporadically and successfully towards the rest of the stage area and eventually onto his peers in the crowd. By the time local police officer James Niggemeyer had shot and killed Gale, four others were dead, including the head of Damageplan security, Jeffrey "Mayhem" Thompson. Acting tour manager Chris Paluska (critical but stable condition) and drum tech John "Kat" Brooks were also injured during the shooting. Although, early reports had said Vinnie Paul was also shot and possibly killed, these reports were later nullified.
As for a next day clear cut motive, it was still unclear to police as to what, if any motive Gale had for his senseless rampage. Some witnesses at the show said he was yelling accusations as he attacked. Perhaps suggesting Dimebag had been the reasoning behind the Pantera break up, but police had not verified those reports. Eery reports say hands stamped 21 and over allegedly marked the word assassin. In an interview conducted with Fox News with one of his hometown friends, Gale has said to have accused Pantera of allegedly stealing his lyrics, and even his identity. Even further investigation led to many other stories of exemplified reasoning as to how this random individual could've been guilty of this heinous crime, but let's keep a journalistic integrity and stick with the real story here...saying good-bye to a legend.
Born and raised in the Dallas/Fort Worth area by his father, Jerry Abbott, Darrell was known for his electrifying and mind-boggling guitar solos. Though some of his influences included fellow metal guitarists such as Black Sabbath's late guitarist Tony Iommi, or even contemporary performers such as James Hetfield (Metallica), and Kerry King (Slayer), it may have been his father's upbringing that molded this genius. Jerry Abbott, a country songwriter, owned a recording studio. So often times, Darrell would watch on as blues guitar legends came through the studio with their quick gun style. And some will remember Dimebag for his amazing characteristics and antics. Such as the Godzilla-like claws that climbed over the top of his roof at his home in Arlington ,TX.
Not always Dimebag, as Diamond Darrell and his brother formed Pantera originally formed back in 1982, they were as Glam as they came. From the high pitched stereotypical 80's vocals, to the dredges, bayou's and beliefs of deep southern metal. It was their Glam/Metal hybrid and major label debut with Elektra records, "Cowboys From Hell," that helped sit them atop the metal industry in 1990, when it rose up the Billboard 200 charts, going as high as 27th . And even though their 1992 sophomore release only peaked as high as 44th, "Vulgar Display Of Power," with its unforgettable fist to the face album cover art, it's said to have embedded the act forever into the historical lesson plan of influential heavy metal for years to come. Although songs like "Respect (Walk)," "F*cking Hostile" and "Rise" were over-aggressive moments of lyrical bigotry, the music itself became the life raft that saved those who were lost at sea during the dying days of Grunge. That deep bottomed out feel of Rex Rocker's (Bass/Pantera) strings, or the double bass feel of Vinnie Paul pounding away at the pedals combining with the music's heartbeat, the 6 strings of Dimebag's trailblazing charting on the neck of his signature geetar. Later on, by releasing a slew of videos and albums such as "Far Beyond Driven", "The Great Southern Trendkill", and "Reinventing The Steel", Pantera only secured their place in the impending creation of a Metal Hall of Fame.
Whether or not it's tactful to admit, after I learned of the fatal tragedy that night, I kept my plans for draught consumption because Dimebag would have wanted it that way. Most of the night, my brain shifted back towards the early days of my musical afflictions. I could almost taste the days of high schools halls. Hiding in the back of my Introduction to Keyboarding class, writhing and sliding my hands in an air guitar motion with each amazing chord, one after another as "Hollow" played on my borrowed classmate's walkman. Its epic-like rhythms blaring loud, surely defining the musical preference of the tiny hairs in my ears. (But) never will I forget the first time I saw his presence on stage. Focused, and never intent on anything but the perfect trails of scrunching Classic Rock and Heavy Metal together enamored in a blend of distorted equalizers.
Although other stories here may very well be that of lame gun control laws or slacking event security, the real focus should spotlight this as yet another isolated incident of what happens when idolization of performers (music, sport, television etc...) simply gets out of hand. For whatever reason this the press may drudge up eventually (and you know we will) as to why this selection of flesh and bone decided to take it upon himself to end another human's life, and so now we're left to pick up the pieces, I suppose we should be alright. Just dig through that CD collection, and next time you see you're "Vulgar Display Of Power" CD, throw it on for old times sake, and say a prayer every so often for the recently passed on guitar god.
Written by
Brian 'hstisgod' Rutherford
hstisgod2000@yahoo.com
|
Facebook
Twitter
