10 Musicians Who Almost Joined The Wrong Band
9. Dimebag Darrell - Megadeth
With over 30 years of hindsight, it's no secret that the drum and lead guitarist spot in Megadeth is like a game of musical chairs for metal musicians. After releasing their third album So Far So Good So What, Dave Mustaine decided he needed some new blood in the band to replace star guitarist Jeff Young.
Mustaine's search ultimately led him to Texas, where he was impressed by Darrell Abbott, not yet known as Dimebag. Darrell was ecstastic when offered the job, but agreed to join on one condition: his brother Vinnie Paul join with him on drums. Since Mustaine had already hired new drummer Nick Menza for the band's next project, Darrell ultimately stepped out and agreed to stay in a band with his brother.
In losing a potential guitar hero, Mustaine found further success with Marty Friedman, whose licks on Rust in Peace were absolutely stunning. Back in Texas, Darrell and Vinnie quickly found their main man in Phil Anselmo, with whom they revolutionized the metal landscape on the Pantera albums Cowboys from Hell and Vulgar Display of Power. Even if it seems like metal history could have been something spectacular with this team-up, maybe things ended up exactly where they were supposed to.