photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Last night, we dreamed that Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul was a guest on a TV talk show, and was showing the audience how to projectile vomit at will. He'd kind of cough and spit, and a fountain of puke would spew onto the floor. Then everyone would cheer and a group of scantily dressed women who looked like cheerleaders would clean up the vomit with bar towels.

We're not sure if the dream was inspired by the prescription Tylenol with codeine we took or if it had more to do with Paul's comment to DallasObserver.com that Hellyeah will return to the studio on May 15 to record their second album. Read more...

It was on this day, December 8, four years ago that guitar legend Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage performing for fans at a club in Columbus, Ohio. If you feel like remembering a real metal champion, check out the new photo book "Dimebag Darrell: He Came to Rock!" and its accompany DVD "Dimevision," both of which celebrate the funloving spirit and superhuman guitar exploits of one of metal's most colorful characters.

If you haven't already heard it, click "more" to check out the podcast we posted Friday with Dime's brother Vinnie Paul, as well as some other links from sites paying tribute to the fallen hero.
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A year before ex-Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (Hellyeah, ex-Damageplan) was emotionally ready to put together a book about the life of his slain brother, guitar hero "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, his dad, country & western songwriter and producer, Jerry Abbott, was collecting hundreds of photos from Dime's life.

Then, in late November 2007, Vinnie decided enough time had passed since the December 8, 2004 Damageplan show in which Dime was shot and killed onstage that he could pitch in to a Dimebag book with his dad and rejoice at the great memories instead of sinking in depression.

"Dimebag Darrell: He Came to Rock!" is a 188 page book stuffed with pictures from Dime's childhood, adolescence and every phase of his professional career, (including the hair metal era!). While there's some text, mostly it tells the story of his life through vivid, colorful and sometimes amusing photos and snapshots.

The book is packaged with an updated version of the DVD "DimeVision Vol 1: That's the Fun I Have," which originally came out in 2006. Vinnie is currently on a press campaign to promote "Dimebag Darrell: He Came to Rock!" but by no means is he stuck in the past. When Mudvayne are finished touring their new album The New Game, Vinnie will rejoin their guitarist Greg Tribbett and singer Chad Gray, as well as Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell and ex-Damageplan bassist Bob Zilla, to write and record the second album by groove metal band Hellyeah. Vinnie will also be releasing the debut album by Seventh Void, which features Type O Negative guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly, on his label Big Vin, and he'll be working with writer and ex-Grim Reaper guitarist Nick Bowcott on the first authorized biography of Dime.

In our podcast interview, Vinnie talked about how he assembled "Dimebag Darrell: He Came to Rock!" the legacy of Pantera, how label reps used to try to convince the bandmembers and producer, Terry Date, to integrate alternative and industrial styles within their songs and how Damageplan were misunderstood for most of their short career. He also recalled the time Dime met Eddie Van Halen, and he broke the news about the Nick Bowcott book and announced plans to broadcast his cover band Gasoline's 2009 New Years show over the Internet.

Click "more" to stream or download the podcast. Read more...