Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Robben Ford is photographed at Olympic Studios with his trusty whiteguard Fender Telecaster.
Artists Robben Ford on rearranging John Lennon, iconic collaborations and paying tribute to the great Jeff Beck and amp guru Alexander Dumble
Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian presents ZZ Top frontman Billy F. Gibbons with a custom Explorer that he designed and built himself.
Artists Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has made a stunning custom Explorer – and Billy Gibbons is playing it onstage with ZZ Top
Myles Kennedy plays live at the 2025 Stagecoach Festival in California
Artists Myles Kennedy on what it was like to play Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster – and how he felt unworthy to play it
Dio, 1983: Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, Viv Campbell
Drummers "We were just having a great time”: Vinny Appice remembers his time with Ronnie James Dio
Mark Morton of Lamb Of God takes a solo onstage with his prototype signature Les Paul
Artists Mark Morton on the chemistry behind Lamb Of God's twin-guitar groove and what he owes ZZ Top
Zakk Wylde cups his hand to his ear as he asks the crowd for more during a 2026 Black Label Society performance.
Artists “Look at AC/DC. Whatever was popular, it didn’t matter. It’s like McDonald’s. ‘We make the Big Mac and we make fries and we don’t care about doing sushi’”: Zakk Wylde on musical identity, jailhouse rocking with Ozzy and the return of Black Label Society
Diamond Head
Artists “We were labelled ‘the new Led Zeppelin’. But it was a blessing and a curse”: A great rock band that had it all – and then blew it
holy holy
Artists “David didn’t seem happy about it”: Tony Visconti reveals Bowie's reaction to Holy Holy
George Harrison wears all white and plays an acoustic guitar during his 1974 Dark Horse tour.
Artists “When I first met George I was speechless”: Robben Ford on what it was like working with a Beatle at the age of 22
Vernon Reid cups his hands to his ears to the crowd has he performs live at the at the Fremont Street Experience on April 18, 2025.
Artists Living Colour’s Vernon Reid on NYC epiphanies, unsung heroes and the emotional power of a sample
Bon Scott
Artists “Bon liked a drink, but he wasn’t just a wild man”: The life and times of legendary AC/DC singer Bon Scott
Paul Gilbert wears a tricorn and period dress as he poses in shred mode with his signature Ibanez guitar
Artists “I’ve got to compete with Bach and Beethoven and Mozart and The Beatles!”: Inside the mind of guitar hero Paul Gilbert
Gary Clark Jr plays his signature Cobra Burst ES-355 live onstage.
Artists Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab
Mark Morton with his signature Les Paul Modern
Artists How Mark Morton and Gibson reinvented the Les Paul for modern metal – and why passive beats active humbuckers hands down
American historic producer of British singer David Bowie, Tony Visconti, poses during a photo session in Paris on November 19, 2019
Singers & Songwriters “Afterwards he sent David an invoice for $10,000”: Tony Visconti on Dave Grohl’s “ludicrious” Bowie session fee
More
  • Jimmy Douglass speaks
  • Ultravox's Vienna
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Elektron Tonverk Review
  1. Artists
  2. Guitarists

7 rare Dimebag performances you need to hear

News
By Stuart Williams published 8 December 2014

Young Dimebag, Anthrax, King Diamond, Nickelback and more!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Anthrax - King Size

Anthrax - King Size

When Anthrax found themselves making Stomp 442 without a lead guitarist, they approached Dimebag. Scott Ian recently told us, “He came to the studio, we hung out for a couple of days. We wanted to pay him but he wouldn't take our money because we were friends. We said we had to do something for him and he said, 'Alright, I want this video camera.' We bought him the best video camera that was out at the time.”

Hear Dimebag's solo, at 2:21.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
King Diamond - Voodoo

King Diamond - Voodoo

Dime gets dark on this guest slot with King Diamond, the title track from the concept album of the same name. There are a couple of solos, both short but brilliant, appearing at 2.11 and 3.40 respectively.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Nickelback feat. Kid Rock - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

Nickelback feat. Kid Rock - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

Nickelback and Dimebag join forces with Kid Rock to cover Elton John. You probably didn’t expect to read that sentence today, but it happened for the Charlie's Angels: Fill Throttle soundtrack in 2003. Chad Kroeger told MTV in 2003 “We were driving and I slipped it in [the CD player] in his vehicle, and he just flipped,” Kroeger said. “So I said, ‘Dude, wanna play the guitar solo on this?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I’d love to.”

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Nickelback - Side of A Bullet

Nickelback - Side of A Bullet

This tribute to Dimebag was written after his death, but features an unused Dime solo from Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven era. Vinnie Paul and Dime’s wife, Rita sent Nickelback the solo for them to use on the track, which appears on Nickelback’s All The Right Reasons.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Tres Diablos - Heard It On The X

Tres Diablos - Heard It On The X

While Pantera had some downtime, Dime, Vinnie Paul and Rex got together to record a cover of ZZ Top’s Heard It On The X. It shows Dime’s more classic side, throwing out some typically impressive country-metal licks while handling lead vocals. This version would go on to be included on the ECW Extreme Music soundtrack.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Sebastian Bach - Believer

Sebastian Bach - Believer

Dimebag pays tribute to another fallen guitar hero, Randy Rhoads, on Sebastian Bach’s cover of Ozzy’s Believer. Taken from Bach’s second solo album, Bach 2: Basics, it’s atmospheric, and Dime nails his idol’s style here, with screaming pinched harmonics and a belter of a solo starting at the 3.09 mark.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Dimebag in his youth

Dimebag in his youth

Okay, so it’s not really a guest slot, but you’ve read the tales of a young Dimebag conquering guitar competitions in Texas bars and music stores, now it’s time to see him in action. Note the Van Halen and Randy Rhoads references, as he melts the fretboard on his trusty Dean ML with his playing.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
CATEGORIES
Guitars
Stuart Williams
Stuart Williams
Social Links Navigation
Drums

Stuart has been working for guitar publications since 2008, beginning his career as Reviews Editor for Total Guitar before becoming Editor for six years. During this time, he and the team brought the magazine into the modern age with digital editions, a Youtube channel and the Apple chart-bothering Total Guitar Podcast. Stuart has also served as a freelance writer for Guitar World, Guitarist and MusicRadar reviewing hundreds of products spanning everything from acoustic guitars to valve amps, modelers and plugins. When not spouting his opinions on the best new gear, Stuart has been reminded on many occasions that the 'never meet your heroes' rule is entirely wrong, clocking-up interviews with the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Foo Fighters, Green Day and many, many more.

Read more
Zakk Wylde cups his hand to his ear as he asks the crowd for more during a 2026 Black Label Society performance.
Artists “Look at AC/DC. Whatever was popular, it didn’t matter. It’s like McDonald’s. ‘We make the Big Mac and we make fries and we don’t care about doing sushi’”: Zakk Wylde on musical identity, jailhouse rocking with Ozzy and the return of Black Label Society
 
 
Zakk Wylde [right], Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown perform as Pantera during their 2023 reunion/tribute tour honouring late members, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul
Artists “You never know”: Zakk Wylde says its possible that the Pantera tribute lineup could record music together
 
 
Zakk Wylde [left] plays a lightning blue electric guitar live on the Pantera tribute tour. Randy Rhoads [right] plays his iconic polka-dot V.
Artists “Without Ozzy as a foil, Randy would have never been able to do it": Zakk Wylde's favourite Randy Rhoads solo
 
 
Joe Bonamassa [left] wears a dark blue suit and shades as he performs with a Gibson Les Paul in 2024. BB King [right] has a mischevious look on his face as he performs seated with Lucille.
Artists BB King was the undisputed King of the Blues – but Joe Bonamassa says he also taught him how to use an iPod
 
 
Phil Anselmo of Pantera in 2000
Artists “All I could think about was Black Sabbath!”: How Pantera singer Phil Anselmo fell under Sabbath’s evil spell
 
 
Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman trade solos as Megadeth play live in 1990
Artists Dave Mustaine admits he nearly passed on Marty Friedman for Megadeth because he didn’t like his hair
 
 
Latest in Guitarists
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 21:  Tom Dumont of Dreamcar performs at Piestewa Stage during day 2 of the 2017 Lost Lake Festival on October 21, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona.  (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Guitarists “It’s been a struggle”: No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont opens up on Parkinson’s diagnosis
 
 
A black-and-white live shot of Kurt Cobain performing in 1991 with Nirvana
Artists Could your next amp be Kurt Cobain’s stage-played Fender Twin? Nirvana’s Bleach-era touring backline goes up for sale
 
 
Robben Ford is photographed at Olympic Studios with his trusty whiteguard Fender Telecaster.
Artists Robben Ford on rearranging John Lennon, iconic collaborations and paying tribute to the great Jeff Beck and amp guru Alexander Dumble
 
 
Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian presents ZZ Top frontman Billy F. Gibbons with a custom Explorer that he designed and built himself.
Artists Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has made a stunning custom Explorer – and Billy Gibbons is playing it onstage with ZZ Top
 
 
Myles Kennedy plays live at the 2025 Stagecoach Festival in California
Artists Myles Kennedy on what it was like to play Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster – and how he felt unworthy to play it
 
 
Mark Morton of Lamb Of God takes a solo onstage with his prototype signature Les Paul
Artists Mark Morton on the chemistry behind Lamb Of God's twin-guitar groove and what he owes ZZ Top
 
 
Latest in News
The Fender Vintera III series offers period correct specs and promises golden era tones — and here five from the range are lined up in formation.
Guitars “We set out to capture the defining moments that shaped Fender’s legacy”: Fender unveils the Vintera III series
 
 
Bruce Hornsby and Justin Vernon
Artists "I started getting all these Google alerts": Bruce Hornsby on how he first heard about Bon Iver
 
 
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 28: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Olivia Dean performs 'Man I Need' on stage during The BRIT Awards 2026 at Co-op Live on February 28, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Artists Olivia Dean says that her biggest hit “wasn’t supposed to be a single”, and names the Motown legend who inspires her
 
 
Lyndon Laney photographed at the Laney factory in 2007, and on the left two of his company's most-famous amp designs.
Guitars UK amp pioneer Lyndon Laney has died, aged 77
 
 
moog
Tech Moog celebrates the legacy of its founder with special limited-edition reissue of the Minimoog Model D - but only 500 will be made
 
 
Moya Brennan from the Irish group Clannad performs at Sentrum Scene on April 22, 2022 in Oslo, Norway
Singers & Songwriters “She sang like an angel”: Bono and others pay tribute to Clannad singer Moya Brennan
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...