Scott Ian of Anthrax likes to keep a blog and not only is he a good writer, he is a good salesman. Ian shed some light on a track off the band's upcoming release, Worship Music, called In The End. It was written in honor of "Dimebag" Darrell and Ronnie James Dio. This is what he had to say about the track:
It was this song that we wanted to write as a tribute to Darrell and Ronnie. This being our first chance to say how we felt about these guys in the context of what we do and what they influenced. Musically this was the one, epic in scope, the right balance of melancholy and aggression, a proper tribute to two guys that meant so much to us except, it wasn’t perfect. And it had to be. It had to be perfect to honor them.
Darrell was our friend first and foremost. We’d been on this crazy path together since we met in 1986. His impact on our lives will never be forgotten and will always be missed. He played on three Anthrax records. He was truly the sixth member of the band. Getcha’ pull! Ronnie, what can I say? I started out as a fan from Rainbow and then of course followed him to Sabbath.
I wasn’t sure how to even try and express what I felt. Everything I came up with lyrically just sounded cheesy to me. I finally had the music that lived up to the task of honoring our friends, now I needed the words to convey the emotions. I kept hitting a wall and then Charlie [Benante] sent me a line… “Lone star was dark tonight.” That line opened the door for me and the words came naturally. The feelings translating into lyrics that I felt did Darrell and Ronnie justice.
I’ll leave the rest to you my friends, you’ll be able to hear it in 11 days. Enjoy it and I hope it fucks your world the same way Darrell and Ronnie fucked mine!
