Mr Viral
(Image credit: Lorinda Sullivan)
Unbelievably, 20 years have come and gone since we lost Dimebag Darrell, who – besides being a bona fide guitar hero – was a great friend of this magazine and its readers.
Over the span of 29 pages in this special issue, Nick Bowcott (of Grim Reaper fame) does a fantastic job of illustrating that friendship – especially via the reappearance of Dime’s classic GW column, Riffer Madness (and its “Dear Dime” variants).
Bowcott worked with Dimebag to make Riffer Madness (as well as several Pantera features) a reality all those years ago, so he adds a bit of “I was there” street cred to the proceedings.
Be sure to check out his tale of the day The Great Southern Trendkill was mastered and the Floods outro had to be re-recorded on the fly. In fact, here’s what we’ve got, Dimebag-wise:
The Best of Riffer Madness: Select highlights from Dimebag Darrell’s classic GW column, all of which focus on the as-important-as-ever arts of riffing and rhythm work – with tab and audio!
Master the moment: Bowcott and Dimebag tell the story of the night Pantera’s Floods needed an incredibly last-minute overdub in New York City – literally while the album was being mastered.
Dear Dime…: Dimebag Darrell loved digging through his “Feedback Sack” and answering readers’ questions. Here are some of the best Q’s and A’s from his Riffer Madness days. With tab and audio.
How I play 5 Minutes Alone: It’s exactly what it sounds like – Dimebag tells you how he played Pantera’s 5 Minutes Alone live on stage, minus the guitar overdubs of the recorded version.
5 Minutes Alone transcribed: You betcha!
A Date to remember: How Pantera producer Terry Date captured Dimebag’s six-string mastery on tape.
Cover Models with Zakk Wylde: Zakk revisits his March 2003 GW cover shoot with Dimebag.
Mouth for War: An exclusive review of the new Dimebag mini Warhead 40-watt amp.
PLUS! A who’s who of guitar stars – from Zakk to Kerry King to Glenn Tipton to Nita Strauss, Alex Skolnick, Jim Dunlop, Mark Morton, Scott Ian, Bill Kelliher, Gary Holt and more – explain why Dime is still relevant (while also choosing their favorite Dime guitar solo).
This issue – aka the menacing February 2025 issue of Guitar World – is available right here, right now!
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He’s written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘The Complete Epic Recordings Collection’ (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn’s The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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