“He ran home and came back with a grocery sack full of old, rusty pedals he had lying around his mom’s house”: Terry Date recalls Dimebag Darrell’s unconventional approach to tone in the studio

Left-Record producer Terry Date during the GRAMMY Behind the Glass with Terry Date and Nick Raskulinecz at Shure Headquarters on August 18, 2016 in Niles, Illinois; Right-Dimebag Darrell (born Darrell Abbott, 1966 - 2004), of the group Pantera, plays guitar as he performs onstage at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, March 4, 1993.

Record producer Terry Date has worked with a who’s who of hard rock and heavy metal, lending his expertise and sensibilities to acts like Soundgarden, Dream Theater, Deftones, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit.

However, his work on Pantera’s first four major-label albums – Cowboys from Hell (1990), Vulgar Display of Power (1992), Far Beyond Driven (1994), and The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) – is particularly notable for capturing Dimebag Darrell’s mastery and distinctive tone on record.