10 Best Hard Rock Guitarists Of All Time

You couldn't really get arrested if you played metal in the '90s. As opposed to the golden age of fast riffs and heavy grooves happening at the start of the decade, everyone seemed to stop caring once the alternative boom gave way to new and exciting bands out of Seattle. At a time when metal seemed to be on its last legs, Pantera sparked a heavy revolution through Dimebag Darrell's guitar.

On the surface, something like Pantera's music seems almost off-putting at first, with Phil Anselmo sounding like a mix between a heavy metal belter and a hardcore punk. Though it may not have been for the faint of heart, what kept pulling you back in were Dime's riffs, with a handful of classics being hammered out on every release.

While these little pieces were still heavy as hell, there was always a certain groove that made you want to keep moving, from the pull down of Walk to the Texas Swing style of Cowboys from Hell.

Even when stepping out of the riff world, Dime's leads were like no one else in the metal community, as he brought everything from jazz to old school blues into the mix to get some of the meatiest solos on tracks like Floods. Though Dime might not have lived to see his legacy go on, the omnipresence he has had over the guitar scene makes it feel like he never even left.