Pantera have always been a love/hate part of my CD collection. I really can't stand Phil Anselmo, but on the other hand Dimebag Darrell is one of my guitar heroes, so when I found this book in the work spares cupboard I was keen to give it a read.
This biography charts Darrell's all too short life, from his teenage years as a Kiss and Van Halen fan and rookie guitar player, through the formation of Pantera in the 80's to their peak in the 90's (Dimebag by this time a guitar virtuoso) and eventual disbanding in the 2000s. His life is covered through a series of anecdotes from his nearest and dearest, and he comes across as a hard drinking fun loving guy who made time for everyone around him. His life was cut tragically short in December 2004 when a crazed Pantera fan stormed the stage whilst he was performing with his then band Damageplan and shot him at near point blank.
The writing feels a little haphazard at times with events and passages segueing untidily into each other, often feeling like an extended music press article. But in an odd sort of way, the style matches it's subject. One for Dimebag/Pantera fans only maybe.