Dimebag Darrell Once Told David Ellefson Which Megadeth Album 'Changed' His Life

The night Dimebag Darrell first met David Ellefson, he wanted to make sure he understood how much Megadeth meant to him.

Former Megadeth bass player and founding member recently discussed an early conversation he had with the late Pantera guitarist and a "sobering" moment from their encounter.

Dimebag Darrell's Favorite Megadeth Album

Alternative Nation recently shared a portion of an interview with Ellefson where he provided his perspective on Pantera. The 60-year-old bassist talked about how he was first introduced to the band in their home state of Texas in 1988.

It was on that night that he was approached by Dimebag Darrell who wanted to share just how much Megadeth meant to him.

"We went out, drank hard, a good time, and Dimebag – who was known as Diamond Darrell at that time – after we had been drinking all night, he comes up to me and he looks me dead in the eye and he goes, 'David, I just want to tell you the Peace Sells album changed my life.' And I kind of shrugged it off like, 'Oh, thanks, man. Appreciate it.'"

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Ellefson didn't initially think much about Dime showing his appreciation for Megadeth's second studio album, 1986's Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? The Pantera guitarist must have noticed in the moment as he wanted to make sure Ellefson knew just how much the album meant to him.

"And I remember he put his hand on my shoulder. He goes, 'No, it changed my life.'" Ellefson explained during the Alternative Nation interview. "It was like a sobering moment right there when he said that."

The Song Pantera Refused to Play When Opening For Megadeth

Four years after Ellefson met Dimebag Darrell, Megadeth would ask Pantera to open for them on their 1992 world tour following the release of Countdown to Extinction.

The pair's friendship would continue to grow throughout the European leg of the tour. It eventually led to a bit of ribbing between the two bands.

In a 2023 interview with Sense Music Media, Ellefson said Pantera refused to play Megadeth members' favorite song, "Cemetery Gates," every night of the tour despite the headliner's urging to do otherwise.

During the final show of the run,  Pantera's crew went out onstage in their underwear as a way to get back to Megadeth's non-stop insistence on playing the song. They also relented and added it to the setlist that night.

"I think at that point, Vulgar (Display of Power) was so heavy, and Phil (Anselmo) had shaved his head and was on the cover of the magazines. He was a real kind of a hardcore star at that point. He was bringing hardcore into the mainstream. And I think for them, 'Cemetery Gates' was too much of a ballad. And we were like, 'C'mon, it's a fucking great song. You gotta play it.'"

Pantera currently have no tour dates scheduled for the remained of 2025. Their next show is a date opening for Metallica in Frankfurt, Germany on May 24, 2026.