Fans of Pantera and Dimebag Darrell will be treated to a special release on Black Friday Record Store day in the form of an exclusive 12-inch vinyl EP entitled The Hitz that will be limited to 4000 copies, only available at independent record stores on November 24th. The recordings come from Dimebag’s collection of material he recorded throughout his musical career, and this is the first time these tracks are seeing commercial release. Snippets of these songs were featured on the 2006 release Dimevision Vol 1: That’s The Fun I Have. These songs are not unreleased Pantera songs as they show a different musical side of the guitarist that was not typically showcased.
On the same day Metal Blade Records will be releasing the CD/DVD combo Dimevision Vol 2: Roll With It Or Get Rolled Over, which will feature the songs from The Hitz EP along with hours of archival video footage that paint the picture of a real heavy metal icon.
As the guitarist of Pantera, Dimebag redefined heavy metal in the 1990s, creating a crushing and punishing guitar style that relied on bludgeoning grooves and high levels of distortion to deliver maximum sonic impact on the listener. Over the course of numerous critically acclaimed albums, Pantera became one of the most significant and most influential acts in the world before internal tensions with lead singer Phil Anselmo tore the band apart leading to the band’s dissolution in 2003. Dimebag and his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul formed a new group called Damageplan in 2004. However, tragedy struck that same year as a mentally unstable fan walked onto the stage at a Damageplan concert and fatally shot Dimebag.
Ever since his tragic death, friends and family have been working on releasing archival songs and home movie footage of the guitarist with his final album of studio recordings coming out in 2006 in the form of a collaboration with country singer David Allan Coe, entitled Rebel Meets Rebel.
It has been reported that Vinne Paul is no longer on speaking terms with either bassist Rex Brown or singer Phil Anselmo, instead keeping busy and focusing on his current band Hellyeah. Anselmo has recently debuted new black metal band, Scour while Brown has released his first solo album. Despite speculation that the group could one day reunite with Dimebag’s close friend Zakk Wylde on guitar, Vinne Paul has repeatedly shot down any possibility of that happening.
The Hitz Tracklisting
1. Twisted
2. Ain’t No Struggle
3. True
4. Let’s Go
5. Whiskey Road
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