Remembering Dimebag Darrell Ten Years Later: Havok’s Dave Sanchez

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, Dave Sanchez, guitarist and vocalist for Havok, discusses Pantera’s “Shattered”:

My favorite Dime riff has to be the main riff in “Shattered.” Not only is this riff ultra-creepy sounding, but musically speaking, it has a really cool “call and response” quality to it. 

For the call, the main line is played on the higher octave and palm muted; then it’s followed by the response, which is the same riff, played an octave lower with chords.  It’s simply brilliant writing!  You don’t hear riffs like this often at all. 

The riff also has really interesting timing; it catches in an odd place, which winds up giving it a real swinging groove quality.  

“Shattered” also has a ridiculously rockin’ solo in the middle!  It’s not a very long solo, but it gets the job done, quickly and efficiently, in classic Dime blues-driven style. 

It’s easy to understand why this man was, and still is, so highly revered in the metal world.  Rest in peace, riffmaster general.  

http://youtu.be/C7qSxCAJm3g