Ozzy's Wylde Guitarist

Zakk Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt, January 14, 1967), is an American musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, and for his dedication to the study of the pinch harmonic.  Wylde started playing the guitar at the age of 8 and would often play the guitar almost non-stop between coming home from school and leaving for school the next morning, then sleeping through the school day. He sent Ozzy a demo tape in 1987 and was hired to replace Jake E. Lee, who had replaced the deceased Randy Rhoads. Rhoads remains Wylde's foremost guitar-playing and stagecraft influence.

He is known for his use of Gibson Les Paul Custom model guitars with a bulls-eye graphic on them, a design he used to differentiate himself visually from Randy Rhoads – who was frequently identified by his cream Les Paul Custom. The bulls-eye paint job was originally supposed to look like the spiral from the movie Vertigo, but when it came back incorrect from the luthier, he liked the result and stuck with it. He was sometimes criticized by viewers and media for taking the idea of the bulls-eye from Eddie Ojeda from Twisted Sister, however, both Eddie and Zakk deny it and suppose it to be coincidence. One of Wylde's favorite stage guitars is a Karl Sandoval V, a model that is famously known as the Polka-dot V used by Randy Rhoads. Wylde's signature Les Pauls include a red flame-maple bulls-eye model, a black and antique-white bulls-eye model, an orange buzz-saw model, and a camo bulls-eye model with mother of pearl neck inlays and a green camouflage paint scheme. Wylde has a custom Dean Splittail with a mud splatter bulls-eye graphic, as well as a signature Splittail shaped Gibson model called the ZV. Another Dean in his collection is a Dime series Razorback with custom Bulls-eye graphics ordered for him specially by Dimebag Darrell shortly before his death. Since receiving the guitar, he has only ever used it on stage to play "In This River," Zakk's personal tribute to Dimebag. (Wylde was a close friend of Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott before he was murdered in 2004 and subsequently dedicated the song to his memory.) Wylde gravitated toward a particular Les Paul guitar, which has become known as The Grail; his infamous bullseye-painted Gibson Les Paul custom. Wylde lost the guitar after it fell from the back of a truck transporting equipment as he was travelling between gigs in Texas. Rewards were offered to anyone that had information about the guitar. Wylde and The Grail were reunited years later when a fan bought it at a Dallas pawn shop and saw Zakk's initials carved into the back of the humbucker pickups.

 On stage with Osbourne, Wylde has been credited for lending a high level of energy and passion to performances. Zakk's band Black Label Society headlined the second stage at the 2006 Ozzfest, with Wylde playing double duty with Ozzy. Wylde's health has come under scrutiny for several years. Wylde was asked by Sharon Osbourne to attend rehab, but left early on. In August 2009, Wylde was hospitalized due to blood clots and he was recovering when he learned he was replaced in Ozzy's band.

In addition to the many albums he has recorded with Ozzy Osbourne, in the early 1990s, Wylde formed his own solo band Pride & Glory, playing a mixture of bluesy southern rock with heavy metal. However, they disbanded in December 1994 after having released only one album. Wylde subsequently recorded an acoustic solo album, Book of Shadows (released 1996). After limited commercial success with Book of Shadows, Wylde and drummer Phil Ondich recorded what became Black Label Society's debut album Sonic Brew. It was decided, rather than releasing another solo album, that they would form a long term band. Nick Catanese was brought in as the second guitarist in the band (Catanese had previously toured with Wylde as rhythm guitarist during the Book Of Shadows tour). John DeServio joined as the band's bassist for the album's tour. On this album Wylde played every instrument, except for the drums, including vocals, guitars, piano, and bass.

The band's second album Stronger Than Death followed in 2000, with DeServio being replaced by Steve Gibb and Craig Nunenmacher replaced Ondich. This line-up recorded the live album Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live +5. This was followed by 1919 Eternal (dedicated to Wylde's father.) Steve Gibb was temporarily replaced by Mike Inez during 2001, and then Robert Trujillo took over bass duties for the band the next year. In 2003, Trujillo joined Metallica which left room for Inez to rejoin the band for a short 2 week tour, supporting the album The Blessed Hellride. James LoMenzo joined the band in 2004 after the release of Hangover Music Vol. VI.

In 2005 the album Mafia was released. LoMenzo left the band (and joined Megadeth a few months later) and was replaced by the band's original bassist, John DeServio. In 2006, the band released the album Shot to Hell. Drummer Craig Nunenmacher left the band in 2010, and was replaced by Will Hunt. On August 10, 2010, Order Of The Black, their 8th studio album, was released. The band is currently touring in support of their new album. In March 2011, Will Hunt left the band to record with Evanescence, and Danzig drummer Johnny Kelly  filled in until Mike Froedge of joined the band. Black Label Society released The Song Remains Not the Same, featuring unplugged versions of material from their latest album, Order of the Black, as well as additional material recorded during the Order of the Black sessions. The Song Remains Not the Same was conceived, created and compiled by Zakk Wylde and the title is a nod to one of Wylde's favorite bands, Led Zeppelin. Mike Froedge left the band in September and was replaced by Breaking Benjamin's Chad Szeliga. Unblackened is the newest BLS album, released in 2013.

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Caught In A Mosh

I have to admit that I wasn't knocked out by Anthrax when I first heard of them back in the day (which means the 80s.) At the time I thought they were a little too punk, a little too heavy, a little too silly, a little too rap-y, and their singers voice was a little too high. But what I really missed out on was how great their songs were. I rediscovered Anthrax when they released The Greater of Two Evils, a live in the studio re-recording of many of their earlier songs done by the then-current lineup featuring John Bush on vocals. It was only then I realized what I'd been missing and how good this band really was.

Anthrax was formed in mid-1981 by guitarists Scott Ian Rosenfeld and Danny Lilker. The band was named after the disease the two saw listed in a biology textbook, using it because it sounded sufficiently evil. The initial line-up of Anthrax was rounded out by drummer Dave Weiss and bassist Kenny Kushner. Kushner was soon replaced by bassist Paul Kahn, who also was quickly ousted. Lilker chose to take over on bass and Greg Walls joined as lead guitarist. Weiss was replaced by Greg D'Angelo early on as well. The vocalist position was auditioned for by the band's roadie John Connelly and Scott Ian's younger brother Jason Rosenfeld before vocalist Neil Turbin joined the band in August 1982. This line-up made frequent live performances in the New York/New Jersey tri-state area. Anthrax and Metallica played on the same bill also many times. Greg Walls left in the summer of 1983, and  Bob Berry, who was recommended to Turbin by Rhett Forrester of Riot, temporarily replaced him on guitar. Berry's stay was short and he was replaced by Dan Spitz who had previously been with New Jersey thrash band Overkill. In September, Charlie Benante replaced Greg D'Angelo on drums.After recording a couple of demos and a single , Anthrax recorded their debut album Fistful of Metal in late 1983 and released in January 1984, followed by a US tour.

The term "Thrash Metal" was first referred to by the music press while making a reference to the Anthrax song "Metal Thrashing Mad". Prior to this Metallica's James Hetfield referred to their sound as Speed or Power Metal, while Anthrax then started to refer to their music as Thrash Metal. Tensions between Danny Lilker and the rest of the band arose due to Lilker's lateness, sloppiness and unprofessional demeanor. Lilker was released from the band and he went on to form Nuclear Assault with former roadie John Connelly. He was replaced by Charlie Benante's nephew Frank Bello. In August 1984, vocalist Neil Turbin was fired from the band. Matt Fallon (who later preceded Sebastian Bach as vocalist for Skid Row) was a temporary replacement. The band also appeared as a four-piece billed as The Diseased, with Scott Ian on vocals. They performed a few hardcore punk covers.

Vocalist Joey Belladonna was chosen as the new singer and the band recorded an EP titled Armed and Dangerous including two live tracks from early 1984, and the two songs from the "Soldiers of Metal" 7" single. Later in 1985, Ian, Benante and Danny Lilker collaborated with vocalist Billy Milano to produce the satirical album Speak English or Die under the band name Stormtroopers of Death.

Anthrax's next album, Spreading the Disease, came out in the same year and was followed by US and European touring in 1986. Their first major tour was with Black Sabbath, but with only one original member in its line-up at the time (guitarist Tony Iommi), plus singer Glenn Hughes's voice problems, the tour was cancelled after only four dates. In April 1986, Anthrax attempted their first tour of Europe, which was immediately cancelled after the Chernobyl disaster. Later that year, they attempted to tour Europe again with Metallica, but after the bus accident that claimed  Metallica bassist Cliff Burton's life that tour also was cancelled.

The follow-up album Among the Living developed the band's humorous and more experimental side. Anthrax radically departed from the "traditional" heavy metal look in favour of brightly colored "surfer" jam shorts and lyrics that focused on movies, comic books and Stephen King novels. "I Am the Law" is a tribute to comic book hero Judge Dredd. "Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)" ("nise fukin life" spelled backwards) is about comedian John Belushi's drug addiction and death. "Indians" and the mosh pit anthem "Caught in a Mosh" are still considered Anthrax classics today. The album was dedicated to the memory of Cliff Burton. "I Am the Law" was issued as a single, backed with "I'm the Man", a song that combined rap with metal.

Anthrax stuck to its thrash metal formula on the 1988 album State of Euphoria. The single "Antisocial" soon became a staple on MTV in regular rotation as well as on Headbangers Ball. The group continued to expand its horizons by touring the US with Funk/Metal band Living Colour. In 1989, MTV held a contest in which the winner would get to have the band come to their home and trash it. This was the inspiration for the band's 1992 appearance on Married... with Children, where the main characters of the show win a similar television contest.

In 1990, Anthrax released the more serious Persistence of Time to even greater success than State of Euphoria. The album was considerably darker, more technical and progressive than Anthrax's previous work. This struck a chord with metal fans who had been previously wary of embracing the band because of their silly side.

During 1991 they collaborated with pioneering rap artists Public Enemy on a version of "Bring the Noise". This was a hit, and the band played a successful  tour with Public Enemy. The EP Attack of the Killer B's was recorded during 1991, featuring a new version of "I'm the Man" and a cover of "Bring the Noise" on which Scott Ian did some of the vocals. A short time later during 1992, Joey Belladonna was fired from Anthrax.

Belladonna was replaced by John Bush, formerly of the then-recently disbanded Armored Saint. Ten years earlier, Bush had been approached by Metallica to sing for them. Though it was quite a change from their earlier work with a dark, rockier feel, Sound of White Noise received mostly positive reviews and "Only" was a major hit. In keeping with the band's eye for unlikely collaborations, classical composer Angelo Badalamenti provided music for the track "Black Lodge," a tribute to the TV show Twin Peaks. Importantly, the album demonstrated that Anthrax had at last shed its sometimes cartoonish outlook in favor of mature, thoughtful songwriting.

 In 1995, the band released Stomp 442, and longtime guitarist Dan Spitz left the band leaving Anthrax officially a quartet for 2 years. On the album Charlie Benante played much of the lead guitar parts, assisted by Paul Crook – who would become the band's touring lead guitarist for several years – and Dimebag Darrell from Pantera. The record company refused to provide real promotion for the album and it quickly disappeared without a trace.

The 1998 release Volume 8: The Threat Is Real once again saw Benante playing lead guitar alongside Crook and Dimebag. Pantera's Phil Anselmo also guested. Unfortunately, almost immediately after the album's release, the band's record label went bankrupt and disappeared, making the album difficult to find. Regrouping, the band signed with a new label and released the greatest-hits album Return of the Killer A's, although that record label went out of business as well. During this period, a two-vocalist tour featuring both Joey Belladonna and John Bush was proposed and set to go, until Belladonna pulled out at the last minute.

During the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, the band altered its website to provide information about the disease after people began simply typing anthrax.com into their browsers. Amid what could have become a PR nightmare for the band, Anthrax issued a press release that jokingly mentioned that they were going to change the name of the band to something more friendly, like "Basket Full of Puppies". They later sank all name-change rumors at the New York Steel 9/11 benefit concert when they took the stage wearing boiler suits that spelled out the sentence "WE'RE NOT CHANGING OUR NAME". 

Despite the hardships and legal entanglements regarding who had the rights to certain albums, Anthrax managed to continue. New lead guitarist Rob Caggiano joined and the band released We've Come for You All —an album hailed by the metal press as a return to form. In early 2004, the band returned to the studio to record The Greater of Two Evils—a "live in the studio" re-recording of the band's early work with the then-current lineup. Shortly afterward, bassist Frank Bello announced he was leaving the band to join Helmet and was replaced for touring purposes by Fates Warning and Armored Saint member Joey Vera.

On April 1, 2005, the band announced that the "classic" lineup of Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Dan Spitz, Joey Belladonna, and Frank Bello would be reforming. On some dates of the resultant tour, they performed Among the Living in its entirety for the first time. At the conclusion of the tour, it was expected the reformed line-up would begin a new album, but Joey Belladonna elected to leave the group.

John Bush was approached about rejoining the group at the time but he declined, possibly due to hard feelingsw about being pushed out of the group in favor of Belladonna. In December of 2007, it was announced the band's new vocalist would be Dan Nelson, formerly of Devilsize. Around the same time, it was confirmed that Rob Caggiano would return as lead guitarist.

 The band began work on an album with Nelson on vocals and played several shows over the next year and a half until Nelson was abruptly released from the band. The band reunited with John Bush, who had mixed feelings reguarding the reunion. He was not comfortable simply re-recording Nelson's vocal parts for the new record since he had no involvement in writting any of the material. Bush ultimately decided that he did not want to commit to the band full-time, and was out of Anthrax by early 2010. Joey Belladonna returned to Anthrax for shows in the summer of 2010 as well as committing to the band for Worship Music

On January 4, 2013, Anthrax announced that lead guitarist Rob Caggiano had left the band. A week later, it was announced that Jonathan Donais of Shadows Fall would become the band's touring lead guitarist, and subsequently Donais has become an official member of the band.

On March 19 in North America and March 22 in Europe, the band released the Anthems ep, which includes covers of 1970s rock bands, including Rush, Cheap Trick, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Boston and Journey

You can purchase Anthrax music from our online store or by clicking the album titles in yellow in the above article.

Cowboys From Hell

(You can purchase the releases described in this article at our online store or by clicking the yellow links in this article.)

Pantera was an American groove metal band from Arlington, Texas. Starting as a glam metal band, the band was originally named Pantera's Metal Magic and consisted of Vinnie Paul Abbott on drums, Dimebag Darrell Abbott (called Diamond Darrell at that time) on guitar, Donnie Hart on vocals, Terry Glaze on guitar, and Tommy Bradford on bass. The band was renamed Pantera to shorten the name and settle an agreement between band members. Hart left the band and Terry Glaze became the group's vocalist, leaving Darrell as the solo guitarist. Later that year Bradford also departed and was replaced by Rex Brown (then known as Rexx Rocker). Pantera became an underground favorite, though its regional tours never took them beyond Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The band began supporting fellow heavy metal acts such as Stryper, Dokken, and Quiet Riot, who in turn promoted Pantera's debut, Metal Magic. Metal Magic was released on the band's label of the same name in 1983 and produced by the Abbott brothers' father Jerry Abbott at Pantego Studios.

The following year, Pantera released its second album, Projects in the Jungle. Though still very much a glam metal album, the band's songs had less glam influences than songs from Metal Magic. Another change was Terry Glaze's name, changed to Terrence Lee. A music video for the album's lead track, "All Over Tonight", was eventually created.

In 1985, Pantera again released a full-length album on Metal Magic Records, entitled I Am the Night. As with Projects in the Jungle, this album saw Pantera's sound becoming heavier (though still rooted in glam metal), and the heavy metal press took more notice of the band. Because of poor distribution, I Am the Night was a costly album to many fans. Around 25,000 copies of I Am the Night were sold.

1986 and 1987 saw the release of several landmark thrash metal albums from Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth that would prove influential to Pantera's developing musical style. Terrence Lee's glam approach did not fit the band's new outlook and he left the band and went on to form rock group, Lord Tracy.

The band went through temporary vocalists Rick Mythiasin, Dave Peacock and Matt L’Amour before discovering Phil Anselmo in 1987. Upon playing with Pantera, Anselmo immediately clicked with the other three members. More than just the band's image was changing, however. In 1988, Pantera released its first album with Anselmo, entitled Power Metal. By far the band's heaviest album at this point, Power Metal was a mix of 1980s hard rock and thrash metal, sometimes blending both styles in a single song.After the release of Power Metal, the band members decided to seriously reconsider their glam metal sound and image. The band members would later ignore their independent releases, including Power Metal, as they sculpted a new, heavier image to accompany their later groove metal sound. Their four independent albums are not listed on the band's official website and have become hard-to-find collector's items.

Shortly after Power Metal was released, "Diamond Darrell", as he was then known, auditioned for Megadeth's vacant guitarist slot, and was invited to join the band. Darrell insisted his brother, bandmate Vinnie Paul, be included, but because Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine had already hired a drummer, Darrell declined and Mustaine instead decided on Marty Friedman.

The Abbott brothers refocused their attention on Pantera, and in 1989 they were given their first shot at commercial success. After being turned down 28 times by every major label on the face of the Earth, Atco Records reps Mark Ross and Stevenson Eugenio were asked by their boss Derek Shulman to see the band perform after Hurricane Hugo stranded them in Texas. Ross was so impressed by the band's performance that he called his boss that night, suggesting that Pantera be signed to the label. Atco Records accepted, and at the close of 1989, the band recorded its major label debut at Pantego Studios.

Released on July 24, 1990, Cowboys from Hell was another leap into heavier territory. Pantera showed a more extreme style on this outing, leaving behind its glam metal influences in favor of an amalgamation of thrash metal and groove metal dubbed "power groove" by the band. Although Anselmo still used Eric Adams-influenced falsetto vocals, he also adopted a more abrasive delivery. Darrell's more complex guitar riffs, along with his brother's faster-paced drumwork were evidence of the band's transformation.. Many fans, as well as the band itself, consider it Pantera's "official" debut. Cowboys included the tracks "Cemetery Gates", a brooding seven-minute piece that focuses on death and religion, and the thrashing title track, which gave the band members their nickname and asserted their raucous personality and style.

Pantera's unique style came to fruition in its breakthrough album Vulgar Display of Power, released on February 25, 1992. On this album, the power metal falsetto vocals were replaced with a hardcore-influenced shouted delivery and heavier guitar sound. Two other singles from the album became two of Pantera's most notable ballads: "This Love", a haunting piece about lust and abuse, and "Hollow", somewhat reminiscent of "Cemetery Gates" from Cowboys. Singles from Vulgar also received significant airplay on radio as did the music videos on MTV. The album entered the American charts at No. 44. It was around this time that Darrell Abbott dropped the nickname Diamond Darrell and assumed Dimebag Darrell, and Rex Brown dropped the pseudonym Rexx Rocker.

Far Beyond Driven (released on March 22, 1994) debuted at No. 1 in both United States and Australian album charts. The album's first single, "I'm Broken", earned the band's first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1995. Driven saw Pantera continue its groove metal approach, while taking an even more extreme direction with its musical style. The album's original artwork (a drill bit impaling an anus) was banned, so it was re-released with the now familiar skull impaled with a drill bit.

Pantera hit the road and toured South America, along with being accepted into the Monsters of Rock festival. At that festival on June 4, 1994, the Abbott brothers got into a scuffle with journalists from the music magazine Kerrang! over unflattering cartoon depictions of drummer Vinnie Paul. Then in late June, Anselmo was charged with assault for hitting a security guard after he prevented fans from getting on stage, Anselmo was released on $5,000 bail the next day. The trial was delayed three times until Anselmo apologized in court and pleaded guilty to attempted assault. He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

Frontman Phil Anselmo began behaving strangely and distanced himself from the band when they returned to the road in 1995. The rest of the band members first thought that Pantera's perception of his fame had gotten to Anselmo, but Anselmo cited back pain as the reason for his behavior. Anselmo attempted to subdue his pain through alcohol, but this, as he admits, was affecting his performances. Doctors predicted that with surgery, Anselmo's back problem could be corrected, but that the recovery time could be a year or more. Not wanting to spend that much time away from the band, Anselmo refused, and began using heroin as a painkiller.

In 1995, Down, one of Anselmo's many side projects, took off. Down was a supergroup consisting of Anselmo, three members of Crowbar—guitarist Kirk Windstein, bassist Todd Strange and drummer Jimmy Bower—and Corrosion of Conformity guitarist Pepper Keenan. Down's 1995 debut, NOLA, was a success, but shortly after the members returned to their respective bands, leaving Down inactive for several years.

Pantera's next album, The Great Southern Trendkill (released May 22, 1996), is often considered Pantera's overlooked album. Phil Anselmo recorded the vocals for this release in Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor's studio in New Orleans while the rest of the band members recorded in Dallas, evidence of the continued distancing between Anselmo and the rest of the band. In comparison to the band's previous efforts, there was a heavier emphasis on vocal overdubbing in a somewhat "demonic" fashion. Drug abuse is a recurring theme inTrendkill, as exemplified by tracks such as "Suicide Note Pt. I", "Suicide Note Pt. II" and "Living Through Me (Hell's Wrath)".

On July 13, 1996, Anselmo overdosed on heroin an hour after a Texas homecoming gig. After his heart stopped beating for almost five minutes, paramedics gave Anselmo a shot of adrenaline (most likely Narcan) and sent him to the hospital. After waking up in the hospital, the nurse working in his room said "Welcome back to life, oh and you have overdosed on heroin." Anselmo apologized to his bandmates the next night, and said he would quit using drugs. The revelation of heroin use came as a shock to Vinnie and Darrell who were embarrassed by Anselmo's actions. Anselmo said after which, he relapsed twice and was overcome with guilt.

Some of the band's live performances were eventually compiled in its July 29, 1997 release, Official Live: 101 Proof, which included fourteen live tracks and two new studio recordings. Also in 1997, Pantera played on the mainstage of Ozzfest alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Type O Negative, Fear Factory, Machine Head, and Powerman 5000. Additionally, the band played on the 1998 UK Ozzfest tour alongside Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Foo Fighters, Slayer, Soulfly, Fear Factory, and Therapy?, as well as touring with Clutch and Neurosis.

Around this time, Anselmo ventured into more side projects, (Necrophagia, Eibon and Viking Crown.) The Abbott brothers and Rex Brown began their own country metal crossover project, Rebel Meets Rebel with David Allan Coe, around the same time.

Pantera returned to the recording studio with Anselmo in 1999 and cut its last album, Reinventing the Steel, which was released on March 21, 2000. Steel debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Pantera played on the mainstage of Ozzfest alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Godsmack, Static-X, Methods of Mayhem, Incubus,P.O.D., Black Label Society, Queens of the Stone Age, and Apartment 26. In November the band cancelled their planned tour after Anselmo broke his ribs after falling during his eighth annual House of Shock event. Back home, the band planned to release its fourth home video in Summer 2002 and record another studio album later that year, but neither came about.

Anselmo again engaged in numerous side projects. In March 2002, Down released its second studio album, Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow, which featured Rex Brown on bass. Brown remained Down's full-time bassist until 2011, having appeared on their subsequent release in 2007. Also, in May of that year Anselmo's Superjoint Ritual released its debut, Use Once and Destroy. Vinnie Paul claims that Anselmo told him he would take a year off following the events of September 11, 2001, but Anselmo's touring and record output for both Superjoint Ritual and Down contradicted this.

 The Abbott brothers were frustrated, and held out for a time, assuming Anselmo would return. However, according to Anselmo, taking a break from Pantera was a "mutual thing" between each of the band members. The Abbott brothers officially broke up Pantera in 2003, when they concluded that Anselmo had abandoned Pantera and would not return. The break-up of the band was not amicable and subsequently a war of words was waged via the heavy metal and musical press. The Abbott brothers and Pantera crew members claimed that they tried to contact Anselmo over the phone to reorganize Pantera, but Anselmo maintains that they never called him. Caught up in the torrent was Rex Brown. 

After Pantera's breakup, Darrell and Vinnie formed Damageplan with vocalist Pat Lachman and bassist Bob Zilla. The group released their first album, New Found Power, in Februaryof 2004. The album was a commercial success; over 44,000 copies were sold in its first week alone and within a year over 100,000 copies were sold. However, some fans felt that Damageplan's material did not measure up to that of Pantera.

Tragedy struck on December 8, 2004 when Damageplan was performing in support of their album at a show in Columbus, Ohio. Less than a minute into the first song of their set, Nathan Gale, 25, went onstage and shot and killed Darrell. Gale killed 3 other people and injured 2 more before being shot dead by a Columbus police officer. No motive has ever been given as to why Gale killed Dimebag Darrell, but early theories (dismissed by police) suggested that Gale was angered over Pantera's breakup and resorted to violence. In a number of interviews, some of Gale's friends suggested that he claimed that he had written songs that were stolen by Pantera.

When Anselmo called in the aftermath of the murders, Rita Haney, Darrell's girlfriend, answered one of Anselmo's calls and said she would blow Anselmo's head off if he attended Darrell's funeral. He was buried with Eddie Van Halen's black and yellow-striped Charvel electric guitar. Dimebag had asked for one of these guitars in 2004, shortly before he was shot. Eddie Van Halen originally agreed to make Darrell a copy of the guitar, but upon hearing of Abbott's death, offered to place the actual guitar in his casket. Dimebag was buried in a KISS Kasket. Inspired by the rock 'n' roll group KISS, he requested in his will that he be buried in one of the famous coffins. Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons said, "There were a limited number made and I sent mine to the family of 'Dimebag' Darrell. He requested in his will to be buried in a Kiss Kasket, as he sort of learned his rock 'n' roll roots by listening to us for some strange reason." 

On May 11, 2006, the VH1 Behind the Music episode on Pantera premiered. While focusing heavily on Darrell's murder and burial, the episode also detailed the band's glam metal beginnings, the band's perceived rise in its own popularity after the change in musical direction, and the conflicts between Anselmo and the Abbott brothers in the band's later years that would tear them apart. In interviews in 2009 & 2010, both Rita Haney & Phil Anselmo have stated that after a meeting at Download 2009 they have patched up their differences and are once again on speaking terms.

Pantera has come under some criticism within the fringes of the heavy metal community in relation to the New Orleans band Exhorder. Although the music, lyrics and song titles are entirely different works, some fans have accused Pantera of stealing the "style" of their groove metal sound from Exhorder. While Pantera's style change on Cowboys from Hell was released just before Exhorder's debut, Slaughter in the Vatican, Exhorder self-released two demos in the late 1980s that a number of fans believe to be the real birth of the musical style Pantera is often credited for inventing. Exhorder lead vocalist Kyle Thomas has stated that he does not care about any of the criticism and that he and the members of Pantera were great friends who used to tour together.

The Greatest Guitarist of All Time

Randall William "Randy" Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. . A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. Despite his short career, Rhoads is a major influence on neo-classical metal, is cited as an influence by many guitarists, and is included in several "Greatest Guitarist" lists.

The Rhoads family did not own a stereo and the children created their own music at home to entertain themselves. Rhoads began taking folk and classical guitar lessons at approximately age 7 at his mother's music school. He soon became interested in electric guitar and began taking lessons from an instructor named Scott Shelly. Shelly soon approached Delores to inform her that he could no longer teach her son, as Rhoads' knowledge of the electric guitar had exceeded his own. Rhoads also received piano lessons from his mother to build his understanding of music theory.

Rhoads met Kelly Garni while attending School and the two became best friends. The pair were unpopular due to the way they looked. Rhoads taught Garni how to play bass guitar, and together they formed a band called The Whore. It was during this period that Rhoads learned to play lead guitar. With this band, Rhoads spent several months playing at backyard parties around the Los Angeles area in the mid-1970s. The pair formed a cover band called Violet Fox with his older brother Kelle on drums. Violet Fox, who were together for approximately 5 months. After the dissolution of Violet Fox, Rhoads formed various other short-lived bands. At age 16, Rhoads and Garni formed the band Little Women. At approximately the same time Rhoads began teaching guitar in his mother's school during the day and playing live gigs at night. Recruiting Kevin DuBrow as lead vocalist, the band soon changed its name to Quiet Riot. The drummer Drew Forsyth, had periodically played with Rhoads and Garni in the past. Quiet Riot quickly became one of the most popular acts on the Los Angeles club circuit and by were signed to CBS/Sony Records. While the band had a strong following in Los Angeles, Quiet Riot and Quiet Riot II were released only in Japan

In 1979, ex-Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne was in Los Angeles, attempting to form a new band. An acquaintance of Osbourne's, future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum, contacted Rhoads to see if he was interested. Rhoads, disillusioned with Quiet Riot's inability to land an American recording deal, discussed the possibility of joining an already established band with his mother Delores.  Rhoads got the call for the audition just before his final show with Quiet Riot. Rhoads walked into the vocalist's Los Angeles hotel room with his Gibson Les Paul guitar and started warming up. Osbourne immediately gave him the job. Osbourne was very drunk, and passed out during the audition. Rhoads recalled later, "I just tuned up and did some riffs, and he said, 'You've got the gig'; I had the weirdest feeling, because I thought, 'You didn't even hear me yet'".

Drummer Lee Kerslake and bassist Bob Daisley completed the new band, then known as The Blizzard of Ozz. The group headed into the studio to record their debut album, titled Blizzard of Ozz. Rhoads's guitar playing had changed due to the level of freedom allowed by Ozzy and he was encouraged to play what he wanted. His work with Quiet Riot has been criticized as being dull and did not rely on classical scales or arrangements. Propelled by Rhoads's neo-classical guitar work, the album proved an instant hit with rock fans, particularly in the USA.

After the UK tour the band recorded another LP, but before the US Blizzard tour both Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley were fired by Sharon Arden, Ozzy's future wife. For the US Blizzard tour, drummer Tommy Aldridge and bassist Rudy Sarzo ( who had been Randy's bandmate in Quiet Riot) were hired. Diary of a Madman was released soon after in October 1981, and since Kerslake and Daisley were already out of the band, Aldridge and Sarzo's photos appear on the album sleeve. Disputes over royalties performance, and other intellectual property rights became a source of future court battles. According to Lee Kerslake, Rhoads almost left Osbourne's band in late 1981, due to his displeasure with the firing of Kerslake and Daisley.

A live album, Tribute, mainly drawn from a performance in Cleveland, Ohio, was released in 1987 and included live versions of "Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies", recorded in the UK with Daisley and Kerslake in 1980.

Around this time, Rhoads remarked to Osbourne, fellow Ozz bandmates Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo, and friend Kelly Garni that he was considering leaving rock for a few years to earn a degree in classical guitar at UCLA. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, Rhoads would seek out classical guitar tutors for lessons.

 Rhoads was beginning to receive recognition for his playing and just before his death Jackson Guitars created a signature model, the Jackson Randy Rhoads. Randy received one prototype – a black offset V hardtail which is the base for today's RR line of Jackson guitars – but died before the guitar went into production.

Rhoads played his last show on Thursday, March 18, 1982 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. The next day, the band was heading to a festival in Orlando, Florida. Osbourne recalls his final conversation with Rhoads that night on the bus involved the guitarist admonishing him over his heavy drinking. The last thing Rhoads said to him that night was "You'll kill yourself, y'know? One of these days." After driving much of the night, they stopped in Leesburg, Florida, to fix a malfunctioning air conditioning unit on the bus while Osbourne remained asleep. On the property there was an airstrip with small helicopters and planes. Without permission, tour bus driver and ex-commercial pilot Andrew Aycock took a small Beechcraft F35 plane. On the first flight, Aycock took keyboardist Don Airey and tour manager Jake Duncan. He then landed and a second flight took to the air with Rhoads and makeup artist Rachel Youngblood aboard. During the second flight, attempts were made to apparently 'buzz' the tour bus, where the other band members were sleeping. Aycock succeeded in making two close passes, but botched the third attempt when one of the plane's wings clipped the top of the tour bus, breaking the wing into two parts and sending the plane spiraling out of control. Rhoads and Youngblood were thrown through the plane's windshield by the initial impact. The plane then severed the top of a pine tree and crashed into the garage of a nearby mansion, bursting into flames. Keyboardist Don Airey was the only member of the band to witness the crash, as the rest were asleep in the bus. It was later revealed that Aycock's system tested positive for cocaine. Osbourne later said that Aycock had been doing cocaine all night prior to the crash. The investigation into the crash discovered that Aycock's medical certificate had expired and that his biennial flight review, required for all pilots, was overdue. It was later learned that Aycock had been the pilot in another fatal crash in the United Arab Emirates six years earlier.

Rhoads' funeral was held at the First Lutheran Church in Burbank, California. Pall-bearers at the funeral included Osbourne, Aldridge, Sarzo, and Rhoads' former Quiet Riot bandmate Kevin DuBrow. On his coffin was a photo of the guitarist as well as a photo of himself on stage with Osbourne in San Francisco.