Ex-Pantera singer pens song about Dimebag Darrell

Former Pantera vocalist Philip Anselmo has penned a song for the third album by his current group Down that addresses the death of Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, according to MTV. Down guitarist Pepper Keenan said that Anselmo had written a "beautiful song" about Abbott's untimely end, adding, "When I heard it, I was pretty watery-eyed. Those (Pantera days) were beautiful days for him. The whole song is pretty intense, and it's actually a heavy song. That's the wild thing about it -- it's not a ballad or anything."

Abbott was shot to death onstage in December of 2005 at a Ohio nightclub while performing with his post-Pantera band, Damageplan.

Anselmo did not part on good terms with Abbott and his brother, Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, and has rarely spoken in public about Abbott's murder.

Keenan, who also fronts Corrosion of Conformity, began Down with Anselmo in the mid-'90s as a side project. The band includes ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown.

The group will begin recording Down III on February 15th with a tentative late summer release planned. The disc will also include several tracks inspired by Hurricane Katrina's destruction of New Orleans. Anselmo and Keenan are both residents of the ravaged city.

Down will also open for the Black Sabbath offshoot Heaven and Hell on a Canadian tour in March.