The metal community is rising up in outrage after an up-and-coming band allegedly claimed to have desecrated the grave of late Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, as an inflammatory photo was posted to Instagram.
The account to which the photo was uploaded, “crustyplague,” has since been deleted, along with the image, according to Loudwire , yet not before both were recorded by outraged fans. The image depicted Dimebag Darrell’s grave, a homophobic slur scrawled across it as the vandals allegedly spit upon the memorial stone.
“i HATE pantera…with a passion. and so does the rest of my band. so on tour going through texas we paid douchebag darrell a visit, we spit on his grave, stole a pair of cowboy boots, and i wrote ‘F**’ on his grave… i’m not a homophobe but i hope all panturrrra fans see this and s*** themselves with anger….F*** DIMEBAG, buncha racist hillbillies”
Dimebag Darrell – Randall Clinic 1993 http://t.co/Uq8zCha3c7 @Pantera #dimebag #metal #Pantera I miss you, Dime… pic.twitter.com/GJX3S0vvCp
— Heavy Rock Tube (@Heavy_Rock_Tube) February 25, 2015
An image of the post quickly made its way to the Pantera Facebook page, along with a caption expressing the band’s reaction to the alleged disrespect of Dimebag Darrell.
“We are absolutely disgusted by this! We ask that all of you please show Dime & his grave the respect he deserves. This conduct will not be tolerated and the authorities have been notified.”
It has been alleged by several media outlets, including Metal Injection , that a thrash/death/black metal band from Fort Wayne, Indiana, known as Nuclear Hellfrost was responsible for defacing Dimebag Darrell’s grave, though that fact has not been verified. Neither the group, nor their record label have commented on the incident at this time. Pantera fans, however, have utilized the band’s Facebook page to express their displeasure with the slight against Dimebag.
According to Blabbermouth , this isn’t the first time that Dimebag Darrell’s grave has been vandalized. Several years ago, the stone, which resides in the Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas, was defaced, prompting Dimebag’s brother, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, to speak out.
“I don’t understand why somebody would wanna scratch their name in somebody’s tombstone or anything,” Abbott observed. “But fans are rabid, man; they do unheard-of things. I just wish they would respect him and let him rest in peace and just leave it at that.”
In 2013, actor Michael Clarke Duncan’s grave was vandalized in an alleged hate crime. As the Inquisitr previously reported, a local artist claimed responsibility for the act.
Dimebag Darrell & Phil Anselmo pic.twitter.com/21ACgw1Iye — Rock/Metal/JazzBlues (@RockMetal_Blues) February 24, 2015
Dimebag Darrell co-founded Pantera with his brother, and served as the group’s guitarist until they disbanded in 2003. On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell was tragically shot and killed by Nathan Gale while performing onstage with Damageplan.
[Image: pexi1972 via Metal Injection ]