Dimebag Darrell’s grave was defaced over the weekend by the former lead-singer of Indiana metal band Nuclear Hellfrost, Reece Eber.
Pantera posted to their Facebook page a screenshot of an Instagram image published by the, since removed, account crusty plague. The caption to the Instagram read, “i HATE pantera…with a passion. and so does the rest of my band. so on tour going throug texas we paid douchebag darrell a visit, we spit on his grave, stole a pair of cowboy boots, and i wrote ‘FAG’ on his grave… i’m not a homophobe but i hope all panturrrra fans see this and shit themselves with anger….FUCK DIMEBAG, buncha racist hillbillies.”
Pantera added that they are “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.”
Fans of Pantera originally laid the blame on relatively unknown band Nuclear Hellfrost, the band then took to Facebook to distance themselves from the incident. “The posts about us and to us are a complete surprise to us. Anything having to do with grave desecration was entirely a hoax put on by our former lead singer,” the band wrote.
The band followed that by posting a statement by Eber himself which apologised for the incident and insisted that he simply placed a piece of paper on the grave without causing any physical damage. “I’m truly sorry for my actions and I’m sorry I put people I care about in potential danger and upsetting people for my selfish and morbid sense of humor,” he wrote.
It’s just over ten years since Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed on stage while playing as Damageplan, the band formed by him and his brother Vinnie Paul after Pantera broke up in 2003.
It’s still yet to be seen whether or not Eber will be charged for the incident.
Read the full statements by Nuclear Hellfrost and Eber below.
