New Book Examines the Lives and Murders of Three Heavy Metal Fan

After the shooting death of guitar icon and former Pantera member "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott on December 8^th, 2004 at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, OH, scores of memorabilia, both sincere and otherwise, hit the marketplace. However the untimely deaths of three fans that same night became more of a footnote in Dime's history. On April 14^th, that will change with the release of "A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa".

The author, credited only as Chris A., chronicles the lives of Jeffery "Mayhem" Thompson, Nathan Bray, and Erin Halk who were all in attendance that fateful night for a performance by Dimebag's new project, Damageplan.

Events of the night unfolded only thirty seconds into the bands set when psycho-fan Nathan Gale entered the venue via the backdoor, walked onto the stage and fired three shots into the famed guitarist. As fans and roadcrew attempted to save Abbott, Gale fired additional shots, killing Thompson- a longtime friend of the band, Bray and Halk. Fortunately, off-duty police officer James D. Niggemeyer heard the shots and ended the rampage by taking out Gale with a single shotgun blast from 20 feet away.

Distributed by MJS Music Publications, proceeds from the book will go towards the Anthony Bray Scholarship Fund which was set up for Nathan Bray's son- the only child left behind. This is being done with the full support of the Thompson and Halk families.

In additional to book sales, several fundraisers have been established to benefit the scholarship fund as well as other charitable causes. One such charity deals with paranoid schizophrenia, the same disease that plagued Gale.

Other events include an April 13^th concert a the Alrosa Villa, a May 4^th concert in Las Vegas featuring Great White and a May 12^th concert in Clifton, NJ featuring Smoke.

The book will be available at Borders and Waldenbooks as well as through mailorder by Musician's Friend.

Pre-orders can be placed for limited edition, autographed copies at the publisher web site, www.MJSPublications.com.

It should be noted that while some people may cry foul and claim the book is part of a get-rich-quick scheme based on Dimebag's name, the author states, "As frustrating as this accusation is, not only to me, but also to the families of the victims, I remain as calm and professional as I possibly can when answering this criticism. It should be obvious that this isn't a book about Dimebag, and it most certainly is not an attempt to make money off of his good name. It does pay loving tribute to Dimebag Darrell, but the great majority of its contents focus on the lives and memories of Erin, Jeff and Nate, in addition to examining the killer---his disease---and his motives.

Further, allow the cover to speak for itself. Of the mass-market Dimebag Darrell merchandise that has flooded the retail industry since his death, all of it bears his name, and in many cases, his photo or image. These run the gamut- from stickers, amplifiers, guitars, electronic effects, clothing, books, DVDs, and more. If this story was an attempt to "cash in" on Dimebag, we would have followed this already proven trend and blazoned a giant picture of Dime on the cover of the book. The fact is, his picture does not appear on the cover, nor does his name. Instead, you will find the heroes, Nate Bray, Erin Halk, and Jeffery "Mayhem" Thompson on the cover, as the heroes who came to Dime's aid, and the aid of hundreds of others, only to pay the ultimate price with their lives."

On a personal note, I had the pleasure of meeting Dimebag on several occasions during the Pantera years. He was exactly as everyone says- the nicest, most friendly individual you could ever shake hands with. He appreciated each and every one of his fans, and we appreciated him.

RIP Dime.

Sources:
MJS Music Publications
URL: http://www.mjspublications.com

Database, "Dimebag Murder Was Not Motivated By Pantera Breakup" UltimateGuitar.com
URL: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dimebag_murder_was_not_motivated_by_pantera_breakup.html

John Futty , Evan Goodenow and Aaron Beck, "A nightmarish scene: Witnesses describe grisly details of gunman's attack at club; officer praised for preventing more deaths" Nasta.ws
URL: http://www.nasta.ws/Alrosa.htm

Staff Writer, "Dimebag Book - A Vulgar Display of Power - To Benefit Charitable Causes" Blabbermouth.net

URL: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=68739