I like to believe that most Pantera fans aren't redneck racists.

Today on Facebook, the official Pantera group posted:

"Here is a bit of Pantera trivia for you. What was the original title of "The Great Southern Trendkill"?

The seemingly innocent question, led to a variety of colorful responses specifically from one individual who used a bunch of racist terms, talks of lynching, and more in an effort to be funny. As big of a Pantera fan as I am, I don't know the official original title of the album (although I think it is simply The Great Southern Trendkillers), but I doubt it involves malt liquor and the n-word.

Don't get me wrong, I think racial humor can serve a purpose as social commentary or even just funny incidents where stereotypes prove to be true. But guessing "Shooting Coons" or "Time for a Good Ol' Lynching" as the album title is not funny. Period.

C'mon America, it's time to set the racism of the past aside. And it's douchebags like this that give the genre a bad name. Anyone can enjoy metal.

Listen to Pantera - "The Great Southern Trendkill" below:

5 Years Gone: Remembering Dimebagg

Five years ago on December 8, I received a phone call from my brother late into the night asking if I had heard the news. Dimebagg Darrell, guitarist for Pantera and Damageplan, had been shot pointblank on-stage.

I immediately went downstairs to my computer in disbelief and saw all of the news stories speculating what had happened that night.

I then put on some Pantera. I was wide awake, even if it was late and I had school in the morning.

No matter if you agree that Dimebagg is a legendary guitarist or not, his death was shocking and terrible. It was probably the only "celebrity death" where I felt like I had actually lost a brother and friend.

That was what was so amazing about Dimebagg, even people who only knew him through the music, recognized him as family. That is sort of what is so cool about metal in general. Its ability to connect people is unheard of in just about any other form of music.

As the day draws to an end, I just want to say that no one deserves to go out like Dimebagg did. However, it almost seems kind of fitting for Dimebagg to die doing what he loved on-stage.

He may be dead and gone, but the music still lives on.

Rock In Peace Dimebagg!

Zakk Wylde to cover Suicide Note Pt. 1

This is kind of old news, but cool nonetheless. Guitarist Zakk Wylde will be covering "Suicide Note Pt. 1" off Pantera's underrated album The Great Southern Trendkill.

I think the song will fit Zakk's style well and seeing as Wylde had a near death experience himself (although not from heroin), maybe it will add some personal emotion in the song.

Here is the current list of bands that are recording cover songs for the Metal Hammer tribute album (for the 5th anniversary of Dimebagg's tragic onstage death).

* MACHINE HEAD - "Fucking Hostile"
* CHIMAIRA - "Slaughtered"
* EVILE - "Cemetery Gates"
* THROWDOWN - [to be announced]
* ZAKK WYLDE - "Suicide Note Pt. 1"



Check out this cool "demasked" intro version I found: