Yesterday we lost one of the greatest modern drummers to grace the planet Earth. Vincent Paul Abbott, one of the founding members of Pantera, Damage Plan and Hellyeah died in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 54. He co -founded the monstrous Pantera with his brother Dimebag Darrell Abbott in the early 80’s. Later they would form Damage Plan. And after Dime’s death in December, 2004 Paul would go on to form Hellyeah.
His drumming was nothing short of amazing. One of my favorite drummers of all time. His sound was larger than life. His precision as good as any Berkeley or Julliard graduate. Listen to ‘Strength Beyond Strength’ if there’s any doubts. But it wasn’t just quality production and precision that made him a great drummer. It was also his feel. You’d be hard pressed to find a drummer that can groove like Paul could. He is after all the mastermind behind the modern heavy metal breakdown. It’s not fast, it’s not difficult. Just pure heavy brutality that digs into your skin. He knew how to do that. His bass drums hit your chest with 100,000 tonnage. His snare, phatter than a gorging pig. He wasn’t the first, but he perfected the art of groove. The groove break on ‘Heresy’, his unreal double pedal gallop on ‘Primal Concrete Sledge’. It was the perfect compliment to his brothers addictive guitar riffs. And from 1983’s ‘Metal Magic’ album through 2003’s Damage Plan record ‘New Found Power’ they were the perfect match between lead and rhythm. Songs like ‘Walk’, ‘Five Minutes Alone’, ‘I’m Broken’ and ‘War Nerve’ would redefine heavy metal for the future generations. And it wasn’t just Dime’s revolutionary heavy guitar tones. It was also his brother’s drive on the drums. Perhaps there is no better example of Paul’s drumming prowess than on the ‘Official: Live’ album from the ‘Great Southern Trendkill’ tour. The double pedal rhythm at the end of ‘Becoming’ is almost hard to believe. Sure, the studio version sounds good, but the live replication is game ender. Not to mention the brutal added breakdown at the end.
And while the rest of the band were in a perpetual state of inebriation, in the early years, Paul was playing manager. He drove the band around. He talked to hotel and restaurant managers so the band wouldn’t get kicked out. He produced and spent long long hours in the studio to get Pantera’s records sounding as good as possible. And they do sound amazing. So crisp, clean and well balanced. In other words, he parented the group that would go on to become the biggest band of the 90’s. And a lot of that success was due to his passion and hard work for the band he loved. He did all of that whilst revolutionizing heavy metal drumming.
It’s a massive loss on many levels. He certainly was way too young. And now the hopes of having some sort of Pantera reunion with Zakk Wylde on guitar are gone. But his drumming and his legacy live on. His style, undeniable. His skills, unquestionable. And his heart, larger than life. Rest now with your brother, Vin. We’ll see you on the other side.
Unreal double pedal.
A gigantic, metal sound. No one did it bigger.
What a groove break
We originate from a rock family therefore, its obvious that Metallica is the best group