Both during their prime: Hetfield Vs. Dimebag....

[Motorpud]

Both during their prime (dimebag around cowboys right?) (Hetfield around Justice)

1) which one has been more influential?
2) who's a better riff writter?
3) which one is your favorite?
4) why?

EDIT:

This is not about who's a better player (we all know dimebag can play circles around hetfield). This is about who's been more influential as a guitar player in the metal world.

Well, now that you changed it to this, everyone would have to say James Before, influence was only ONE part of the criteria, now that you've made it the only part of the criteria it changes the point of the thread.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Glam Pantera's Metal Magic. They were glam for 7 years or so. Glad they changed out some band members and moved on.

Don't really give a solid shit who is 'best'. Really no comparison between a rhythm guitarist and all around guy. Dime can beat the shit out of Hamster on leads as well. Metallica was a big influence on Pantera. Pantera even seems to distance themselves from the glam past and first 4 independent releases. The official Pantera web site starts the discography with Cowboys in 1990. Seems like Metallica helped Pantera find the promised land.

To me one starts where the other stops. But as a guitar player.... really? No contest. Dime is king.....

When you talk about household name, songwriter, total musician..... The Het is all over it, but that was not the question.... Dime is the man as a player.

In the end, both guys made their bands great. What more can you ask out of a musician?

 

[slyvren]

For Dime, Some of his riffs just sucked (like Walk)

The main riff for Walk sucked? That's one of the simplest, yet heaviest riffs of all time

Phil Anselmo wrote the main riff for walk.. Well that's what he said in an old interview. Another story goes: it was on the spot by dime in the rehearsal room when phil said they gotta write some new shit for our next record.

Gotta love lore.

 

[James Lugo]

James hands down. What hands and groove.

 

[headlessdeadguy]

For Dime, Some of his riffs just sucked (like Walk)

The main riff for Walk sucked? That's one of the simplest, yet heaviest riffs of all time

Phil Anselmo wrote the main riff for walk.. Well that's what he said in an old interview. Another story goes: it was on the spot by dime in the rehearsal room when phil said they gotta write some new shit for our next record.

Gotta love lore.

I heard the same thing back in the day... Phil wrote alot of the rhythm guitar riffs.

 

[Rogue]

I haven't heard a whole lot of Dimebag, so I can't really speak to any great extent. He was a talented player for sure and more technically gifted than Hetfield (perhaps with the exception of James' timing). But in terms of songwriting and originality? I'd give that one to Hetfield. In fact I consider him one of the greats not because of his ability to play but because he took a style and made it something else that no one else was doing.

 

[RJF]

rythm vs. rythm.... tough call, but you can tell just how good Dime actually was even with his rythm playing. He does a lot of pull offs and bends that almost sound off key or out of tune, but with the way he played it worked and sounded really cool. Most guitar players, me included, can't play his tunes like he could. On the other hand, any experienced guitar player can basically play any riff James ever wrote.

 

[Motorpud]

Most guitar players, me included, can't play his tunes like he could. On the other hand, any experienced guitar player can basically play any riff James ever wrote.

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Most guitar players, me included, can't play his tunes like he could. On the other hand, any experienced guitar player can basically play any riff James ever wrote.

Good point.

 

[Juggernaut]

plus I think Dime was a more rounded player from the beginning, was always into Blues, and other stuff besides just metal, granted hetfield eventually got there, but I think Dime excelled at it more and incorperated more of that into his "heavy" playing where as with hetfield it was either heavy or not. plus Dime was untouchable solo-wise....

 

[Motorpud]

Dimebag could already outplay Hetfield in 84' when he was only 18 He even throws in some supersonic revelation mother earth for good measure

 

[Digital Jams]

Dime, influence for me were the better more technical players and Dime was a better player. WAY more down to earth nice guy as well.

 

[Shask]

I guess I agree with others. James was probably more influential in metal and guitar, but DIme was the better player and had a unique style that others cant copy.

 

[Bishop5150]

Dimebag could already outplay Hetfield in 84' when he was only 18 He even throws in some supersonic revelation mother earth for good measure

That's a cool vid. He plays some of Randy's unaccompanied solo from the Tribute album, a little Carlos Cavazos solo from the Mental Health album, a little Spnish Fly and an old Pantera solo from that time called DGTTM. Good stuff.

 

[romanianreaper]

For Dime, Some of his riffs just sucked (like Walk)

The main riff for Walk sucked? That's one of the simplest, yet heaviest riffs of all time

That's exactly what I was going to say. I love that riff!! It just has this evil feel to it.

 

[ericsabbath]

 

[Motorpud]

Looks like James is pissing his pants

 

[fek]

For me it is Hetfield hands down.. I don't know a single Pantera riff, so although I have HUGE respect for Dime, he hasn't influenced my playing at all.

I so want to be the lower horn on the LP in your avatar.

Het's riffs and downstroke picking wins out for me. As far as overall control of the guitar, Dime would hit that with his leads. Overall influence? Het only because early Metallica started the machine to take this genre where it has gone.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I could never get past Dime's aweful solid state tone but i liked his playing. Hetfield wrote some of the best songs in metal though and with much better tone than Dime ever had.

 

[OldSkoolNJ]

Both bands changed my view of guitar forever and being a fan of both..
And even though I listen to way more Pantera than Metallica these days or even the past few years..

I would have to say James Hetfield... without Metallica there probably wouldnt have been a Pantera as we know them today