Rest in Peace Vinnie Paul.
I remember it was raining in 1996 and coming home from high school to find my BMG member box had arrived with a couple of CDs I had ordered and with one particular album that I added to fulfill my complete order requirements. That album was Pantera's "Far Beyond Driven." I choose it because I liked this song but was still very shy and wasn't that into, what I used to call, "heavy music" so when I got the album, I didn't expect to find a perspective that was soo foreign to me be so life-changing. Music and its rhythm and groove have always been the leading reason for my musical discovery and this band and this particular album featured a rhythm and a groove that just got into my soul.
Dimebag Darrell and Vinne Paul, the Abbott brothers, created a something special, so special that the album transcended listener bases. This album wasn't just for heavy metal die-hards, it was loved by people from other scenes. That amazing achievement was all thanks to the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul with his heavy, infectious groove drumming and Dimebag with his amazing, catchy shredding on guitar. That era of the band was unlike anything in music, hell the album was the number 1 selling album on the top 40 charts with no radio play, it was all due to the fans and I am glad I added that album to my BMG order because I would have missed out on discovering any amazing style of music and amazing band. May Vinne Paul rest in peace and hope he gets to play with his brother again.