Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian recalls wild Pantera tour and Dimebag Darrell’s unforgettable drinking story

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has looked back on the band’s notoriously chaotic tour with Pantera in 1997 and 1998. In a new interview for Metal Hammer, conducted by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Ian recalls the unpredictable atmosphere surrounding Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.

According to Ian, spending time on the brothers’ tour bus often seemed like a good idea in the middle of the night, only for the musicians to find themselves still awake hours later, watching the same live KISS videos. Coal Chamber were also part of the tour.

“We did a tour with Pantera and it was fucking chaos,” Ian recalls. He says he would sometimes join Dimebag and Vinnie on their bus at three in the morning, only to discover at seven that they had been watching live videos for four straight hours.

One particular night has stayed with Ian. After drinking heavily, he rushed to the bathroom to be sick. When he opened the door, Dimebag was waiting with another shot, entirely unfazed by what had happened.

Ian remembers telling Darrell that he had just thrown up. The guitarist responded with a joke: “Now you just have more room.” The story captures the wild, irreverent reputation that followed Dimebag throughout his career.

Dimebag Darrell was also known for his Black Tooth Grin drink, named after a lyric by Megadeth. He was killed onstage in December 2004 while performing with Damageplan, the band he formed with his brother following Pantera’s original breakup. Vinnie Paul died in 2018.

The friendship between Ian and Darrell went well beyond touring. Dimebag contributed guest guitar solos to three Anthrax albums: “Stomp 442” in 1995, “Vol. 8: The Threat Is Real” in 1998 and “We’ve Come For You All” in 2003.

Anthrax released their latest studio album “Cursum Perficio” in September 2026. The record was partially recorded at Studio 606, owned by Dave Grohl. The full Scott Ian interview appears in the new issue of Metal Hammer, which also includes a feature marking 40 years since the death of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.