Written by Fantasma el Rey
DimeVision; It’s a cool title for this DVD and a good way to remember the legendary heavy metal guitarist, “Dimebag” Darrel Abbot, who was taken from the world by a crazed “fan” in December of 2004, at the age of 38. Abbot started his career with the heavy metal band Pantera and after that band's demise formed Damage Plan along with his brother, drummer, Vinnie Paul. Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell And Vulgar Display Of Power are considered some of heavy metals finest albums; for me it’s definitely Vulgar Display with classics such as “Mouth For War” and “Walk”, which is a true metal anthem for the masses. For those of you who actually follow my mad ramblings, it will come as no surprise, that I was introduced to this band by none other than that pillar of corruption (according to who you ask) my brother in law, Rob; may the metal gods bless him and his children.
DimeVision is a good disk for the casual fan and is a goldmine for those that truly adore the work of Dimebag Darrel. And before I go any further, I have to make this fact very clear; Dimebag is a master at what he does, his shredding on the guitar is seriously from another “dime”-mension. Loud, fast and insane is the best way to describe his guitar playing skills and his antics as this DVD shows.
The disk is a collection of footage that captures Dime in his everyday life and misadventures. There are some very good moments of Dime in his prime, scratch that, Dime was still in his prime when he was cut down way too early in his life. Most of the footage is from home videos and is a bit crude, but who the hell cares; it's heavy metal. The scenes are mostly in chronological order, with some rare shots of Dime and Pantera playing in small clubs, early in their career. Even at such a young age Dime was a wizard with his instrument of choice. A crowning moment is a young Pantera doing an excellent cover of Metallica's “Seek And Destroy”.
There are also a few really good photo montages of Dime with friends, family and fans; some of the pictures have him with members of other bands, such as Slayer and Metallica, as well as with younger musicians and contemporaries including Zakk Wylde, who consider him to be a master. Next to the live scenes of Dime jammin’ and shredding on one of his many famous guitars, these photo collages are the most enjoyable to see and they illustrate the effect that he had on the people that he knew.
Some of the stuff on this disk is simply insane. There are some very wacky moments, such as Dime and a pal of his burning the tire off a brand new truck. Keep in mind that most of Dime and friends shenanigans are drunken shenanigans. Throughout the whole thing there are fireworks galore; I do believe that Dime was sponsored by the Black Cat firework company. I mean, this guy uses these damn things constantly to wake people up from their drunken slumbers. He will randomly shoot them off wherever he is and it just doesn’t seem like a party to Dime if small pyrotechnics aren’t involved in some way.
Overall, DimeVision is enjoyable to watch. The only drawback is that at times it seems almost like a drunken, heavy metal version of MTV's Jackass. What makes it better is the fact that you get to see Dimebag and his bandmates do some steady rockin’, which is always a good thing. Dimebag Darrel was a positive force in heavy metal music and certainly one of its fan favorites. This DVD shows him in all his fun loving glory and reinforces the fact that the music world in general lost a great guitarist. This “bud's” for you, Dime!
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