Remembering Dimebag Darrell Ten Years Later: Tony Asta from Battlecross
On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell Abbott was brutally murdered while playing live with Damageplan. The already-legendary Pantera guitarist was just thirty-eight years old. Today, the tenth anniversary of his death, heavy hitters from throughout the metal world will honor this fallen icon on MetalSucks by sharing their favorite Dime riffs, solos, and, in some cases, personal remembrances. Below, Tony Asta, guitarist for Battlecross, discusses Pantera’s “Floods”:
The old man in me says kids these days don’t know “real heavy fucking metal.” But then I ask myself, “How can I blame them?” Maybe they don’t have an actual idol to look up to. A kid can argue until he’s purple in the face, but he will never convince me that there is or ever will be a greater guitar god than Dimebag Darrell. For those of us who know, we are lucky to have lived it.
There was a time when my portable, non-skip CD player never left my side, and during my freshmen year of high school, I was lucky enough to borrow The Great Southern Trendkill from a friend in class. A week later, he had to pry it from my hands. The tone of the album was exactly where I fit in: ultra pissed and ready for war. I had already been into some of Pantera’s previous material, but for some reason, it was only now that I’d matured somewhat that I finally came to appreciate it all as a whole so much more.
One song in particular gave me chills: “Floods.” I could be wrong, but it seems like Dime loved to double his solos on record and, depending on the album, without a rhythm guitar track during the lead sections. There’s a part in the “Floods” solo where the note bends and holds a little longer than the other lead track (or maybe it’s a delay trick in the studio?), and I just about lose my shit every time I hear it. I knew Dimebag could shred, but the way he held his notes with such feeling really struck a chord with me.
We all remember where we were ten years ago, on the day the world changed, and I will never forget the feeling of loosing someone I never knew. Dimebag influenced so much good and changed so many lives. What he achieved is a really powerful thing. Though I never had the privilege myself, everyone who ever met him said he was the coolest guy, and so down to earth: a real genuine human being. He always has a place in my musical soul, and I believe we owe respect to him and his immense contribution to “real heavy fucking metal.” Rest in peace.
http://youtu.be/U2K9znW9Zvc
