Cowboys from Hell

Pantera, 1990, from Cowboys from Hell. Solo by Dimebag Darrell.

The song that introduced Dimebag to a wide audience: thrash speed, bluesy bends and whammy squeals.

Cowboys from Hell introduced Dimebag Darrell to a much wider audience, and his playing announces a new voice in metal. The main riff has a swaggering, almost Texan groove, and his solo mixes thrash-speed runs with bluesy, drawling bends and piercing whammy squeals that became his trademark. His tone is tight, bright and heavily saturated, cutting through the band's pounding rhythm section. The balance of groove, blues feel and technical flair set him apart from other thrash players. Listen for the high-pitched whammy squeals that punctuate the solo, and notice how Dimebag slips from lightning runs into slow, sassy bends, keeping the solo full of attitude.

Cowboys from Hell by Pantera is ranked #245 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Dimebag Darrell and the song was released in 1990. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #60 (Magazyn Gitarzysta).

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Thrash Guitar Solos — #13
• The Best Dimebag Darrell Guitar Solos — #5
• The Best Pantera Guitar Solos — #5

Sources

• Magazyn Gitarzysta: 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] — #60
• Guitar Solo Legends: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026) — #61
• DigitalDreamDoor: 200 Greatest Metal Guitar Solos — #110
• Lefty Fretz: 53 Best Metal Guitar Solos Of All Time