It has been 20 years since we lost one of the electric guitar’s all-time greats, Dimebag Darrell.
We have been celebrating his legacy, asking a host of star players why he remains so relevant today, two decades on from his untimely passing.
But the mission for this article was simple: ask as many of Dime’s friends, bandmates, peers and evangelists to spotlight their favorite Dimebag Darrell guitar solo. Here are their answers.
Zakk Wylde
“Walkjust because, like with Randy’s stuff, it’s so memorable and the note selection is so great. You could play Dime’s Walk solo to anybody, and they’d go, ‘Oh, man. This guy’s great.’”
Kerry King
“I’m sure most readers know I had a guest slot on Goddamn Electric (from Reinventing the Steel). And no, I’m not picking my own! I always told Dime I had no business playing on his record.
“My spin is this: Every time Pantera came through my town, or I was in a place they were playing in the ’90s, I’d go up and play Fucking Hostile with them, and it wasn’t too long before I started playing that lead. So I’m going to go with that one because I got the chance to play it with them, and it was fun as hell! Thanks to Dime for being so unselfish!”
Alex Skolnick
“This Love. I’m sure it would have been easy for him to just wail a bunch of licks over the heavy riff; instead, he took the challenge of playing over the clean verse section. Although the dynamic is softer, he still plays a ‘screaming’ solo with effective use of space and melody, capturing the intensity of the song.”
Rob Halford
“Darrell’s solo in Cowboys from Hell hit me like lightning with his totally personalized sound and phrasing that leaves the hooks and melodies ricocheting in your brain.”
Nita Strauss
“I love the classic Cowboys from Hell solo – so much so, in fact, that we cover this song with my solo band! It’s melodic, shreddy and super-fun to play.”
Phil Anselmo
“The Sleep. It’s long and has so many interlocking moments of intensity throughout.”
Rex Brown
“Planet Caravan. He thought it sucked, and I told him to leave it alone, so he comped it and stayed with that one. I was literally in tears.”
Ola Englund
“The Sleep shows the hunger of a young Dimebag before he took over the world. It has everything – melody, shredding, drama and tone – and (is) filled with all the Dime tricks. It’s a perfect example of Dimebag playing from his heart.”
Mark Morton
“The solo in 10’s from The Great Southern Trendkillwhich is probably their most underrated album. It’s just sort of bluesy, and I think it exemplifies Dime’s genuine understanding of blues guitar.
“But it still sounds like him playing; his touch and his voice on the instrument remain ever apparent. It’s a really bluesy solo – and then he plays over the change into this soaring, kinda major lick that rides over the chords, and it’s just such a beautiful, memorable moment.”
Saracen blues
“Cowboys from Hell. As soon as I heard the first track on that album, I knew it was game on!”
Ritchie Faulkner
“Walk has the perfect blend of bluesy swagger mixed with those killer slides and bends that make it 100 percent Dime. Classic, flawless execution and original. Him in a nutshell, really.”
Jose Mangin
“Domination. That solo and breakdown is the most significant guitar part of any Pantera song. It’s hard to look beyond that solo. I love Floodstoo, and I know he loved that one; hell, he had that one in his back pocket since he was a teenager. But I still keep coming back to Domination. It will forever be ingrained in my metal heart and soul.”
Mark Holcomb
“10’s from The Great Southern Trendkill. There are so many underrated late-era Dime solos because I don’t think he was concerned with cramming in as many notes as possible anymore. Cowboys and Vulgar had some iconic solos, but from Vulgar onward, he started to mess with effects, dissonance, minimalism, these big, cartoonish bends and really wide, exaggerated vibrato.
“The 10’s solo exemplifies all of that; the entire thing just drips emotion, feel and confidence. He played with a lot more soul than he got credit for, and this solo illustrates just how perfect his feel was. Putting just the right amount of touch on those slow, wide bends is one of the (hardest) things to do – and Dime could do it effortlessly.”
Matt Heafy
“Floods. You feel every note played in this solo. You feel the emotion as if it were a person singing you the very notes being so emotionally wrought from the strings.”
Scott Ian
“Floods has got it all. In a catalog of fantastic solos, this is the one that moves me the most.”
Gary Holt
“Cowboys from Hell. Signature song, signature solo, my favorite work of his. And I’m ultra partial to that first record since we took them out for their first tour for that along with Suicidal Tendencies. What madness that tour was!”
Charlie Benante
“Floods and The Sleep are two really emotional leads that always hit me hard. The way he expresses it through his Dean was just so him. His personality was this larger-than-life party figure, but he was one of the warmest, generous and loving people I knew. I think that side of him comes out a lot in his playing.”
Bill Kelliher
“A New Level is a bluesy, speed-metal, articulated shred-fest that will leave your jaw on the floor.”
Chris Caffery
“The Sleep is un-Dime-niable! I think it’s probably one of my favorite guitar solos, ever. Like Summer’s Rain by Savatage and Hotel Californiait’s right up with my favorite guitar solos!”
Grady Champion
“We’ll Meet Againwhich is on Power Metal (Pantera’s fourth independent album; released in 1988, it was the first one with Phil Anselmo on vocals). That one hit me hard because it was just so melodic and heartfelt. You could just close your eyes and it fitted the song perfectly. All his solos blew me away, but that one just stuck to me for some reason – and has done since 1988!”
Jake Bowen
“Throes of Rejection is often overlooked. It’s played over several weird rhythms and doesn’t have too many traditionally melodic moments that Dimebag solos are known for. It’s unpredictable and dissonant at times, but it still remains groovy and tasty.
“My favorite moment of the solo is when you think it’s reaching its climax; it fakes you out and goes into a second section, finally culminating into a flurry of licks with drum fills to match. It sounds like pure chaos.”
Legs or
“His phrasing in Cemetery Gates is so lyrical. He plays over the changes beautifully, and it builds perfectly with just the right amount of shred toward the end. Classic!”
Frank Bello
“He told stories in his solos. He had all this technical greatness and could speed up with the best of them, but then he had those beautiful bends. It’s gotta be the solo in Floods because it’s just so tasty, and he was telling this really beautiful story in it.”
Kayla Kent
“Psycho Holiday. The whole song is my favorite groove to jam to, and the solo is the pristine cherry on top. Not many solos can hold their own without a rhythm guitar track underneath, but that solo definitely can.”
Satchel
“Let’s go with Psycho Holiday’cause it makes my nipples hard.”
CJ Pierce
“Floods is such an epic song, and the solos have so much depth and feel. Dime was a genius and played with such passion. That definitely comes through on Floods.”
Chris Broderick
“I’m Broken starts off with some country bends straight into a diminished riff! Who else could do that except Dime? And he follows it up with this crazy descending intervallic sequential riff, into sliding 3rds. So cool! Need I say more?”
Guy Sykes
“The Sleep has so much feel and is one of his longer solos. There were so many amazing solos on that record, and it gave the world the perfect introduction to just how talented Dime was.”
Dean Zelinsky
“Cemetery Gates. It’s a guitar-playing masterpiece. You can’t just talk about the solo without mentioning the playing that leads up to it; it’s a crescendo of fine playing that sets up this incredibly tasteful solo. Melodic playing was clearly in Darrell’s wheelhouse – and what he laid down when recording.”
Rabea mass
“I’m Broken is filled with a bit of everything – wild bends, licks, attitude, bluesy moments, chromaticism, tension, release and the big victory bend at the end!”
Dave Davidson
“Throes of Rejection is dripping with attitude, and the licks are blazing hot. This solo combines the best elements of what make a great Dime solo. It’s got memorable phrases, but it also has those inhuman sections where it sounds like he’s flying by the seat of his pants, ready to go off the rails at any moment – but it always stays perfectly in the pocket.
“From a compositional standpoint, it’s cool to hear what the rhythm section is doing underneath Dime’s solo. They keep building up in intensity, adding different layers and feels that all climax leading back to the chorus. It’s truly awe inspiring and speaks to Dime’s ability to not just write great solos but to also write great rhythm parts to solo over.”
Attila is red
“The Official Live: 101 Proof version of New Level. That was my first Pantera song and album (I was 11 at the time), and it changed my life. That solo speaks to me; it’s heavy, cheeky, funny and super-energetic, and it gives me the energy like nothing else.”
Phil Demmel
“Rise. It’s such a rad blend of 1/4, full and 1 1/2 bends. The Floyd Rose magic dives and pulls that follow the syncopated fills in the riff. All that coupled with the drum/bass accompaniment gives it such a live feel.”
Tommy Victor
“Drag the Waters. I like the way it starts out on its own during a break and then into a breakdown. It kind of reminds me of an old-school-type solo like Jimmy Page. It’s not all shredding; it’s got this biting blues thing going on. Very cool and very different.”
Jon Dona
“I heard The Sleep on the radio last week, and I didn’t want the lead to end. That’s a lead that just takes you away. It has skill, feel and is just as important as the rest of the song. A grade-A lead in my book.”
- Special thanks to Rita Haney for her invaluable help on this one!
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