Even though Pantera didn't get their big break until Metallica were already a well-established thrash machine, James Hetfield has revealed that he and guitarist Dimebag Darrell both "inspired each other" throughout their shared time in the metal spotlight.
During a new interview with SiriusXM's Jose Mangin, Hetfield spoke a bit about his relationship with Pantera's late, great axman, and revealed what he learned from the younger player who looked up to Hetfield and considered Metallica one of his favorite bands.
At one point in the conversation, Mangin remarked that Dimebag was a "gigantic" Metallica fan and that he covered Hetfield's songs before the two eventually met as fellow metal stars.
"Well, what a blessing to have been in his life and him in my life," Hetfield said. "Yeah, some of those early days ... just traveling down there to the Dallas area and meeting with those guys and just hanging out.
"Dimebag introduced me to the solid state amp. I remember he had this freaking amazing crunch going on. It's like, 'What is that?' You know? So yeah, [we] inspired each other. He inspired me as well. No doubt."
Watch the clip below.
