PANTERA talks about releasing a live album current lineup
20-03-2024
Charlie Benante says that there has been talk of the current lineup of PANTERA releasing a live album.
Joining the ANTHRAX drummer in PANTERA‘s reformed lineup are surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals), along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY).
According to Billboard, the lineup was given a green light by the estates of the band’s founders, drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott.
It was first reported in July 2022 that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.
PANTERA is currently headlining a number of major festivals across North America and Europe, and is staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2024.
Benante opened up about his participation in PANTERA‘s return during an interview with The Vinyl Guide Podcast. He said: “For me, the PANTERA thing is a very special thing. I think it’s one of those opportunities to a) honor your friends, b) play some songs that you love, and c) give the audience a chance to hear these songs in this environment again, some who had never seen PANTERA before. And yes, I know this isn’t the original PANTERA. I have to be a fucking idiot to not know that. This version of PANTERA is, of course, with Zakk and myself, and we are staying true to what the band was.”
Asked if Vinnie ever talked about the possibility of playing as PANTERA or playing those songs again while he was still alive, Charlie said: “I never had a full conversation with him about it, because it was never something that would be brought up when I was together with him. When we were together, we talked about different things — never reforming the band again. And that was it. His brother wasn’t there. So, I don’t know. I did hear at one point Vinnie was open to do it again, but I don’t know if that was real or not. And that was it.”
As for the possibility of the new PANTERA lineup releasing a live recording from the current tour, Benante said: “Yeah. We talked about that. We’ll see. We record a lot, and it’s probably just spending time with it and see what shows are good, or take a song from this show or a song from that show and compile it for a live record. I would love to do that.”
The reformed band — featuring PANTERA‘s surviving members Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass),along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) — are headlining a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.
It was first reported in July 2022 that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.
According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band’s founders, drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who in 2021 said Wylde wouldn’t tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It’s unclear what changed his mind.
Anselmo and Brown spoke about PANTERA‘s return to the stage during an appearance on the seventeenth episode of “The Metallica Report”, the recently launched podcast offering weekly insider updates on all things METALLICA. Philip said: “It’s empowering. It is incredibly beautiful, and you feel so much love when you’re up there. And if you take it in, it’s a great feeling, man. These days, man, that’s where me and Rex, you know, we get to dig the shows more.”
He continued: “When we were younger, we were at war and when we were on stage; we were just angry and at war, man. Now it’s — the songs are there. I can concentrate on singing the fricking songs, number one. Geez, that’s a relief for me, man. I don’t have to break my fricking body in part anymore.”
Anselmo and Brown also talked about Charlie and Zakk being part of the PANTERA team. Philip said: “Them two dudes, so enthusiastic. And they got their damn thing and they got their own damn legacy, both of them, without us. It’s an honor to play with them. They’re the nicest frickin guys in the world, man. I’m just so… (Laughs) Zakk, he’s a crack-up, man. He’s a sweetheart. And fricking Charlie, we’ve known Charlie since ’87, man. It’s a long time.”
Rex chimed in: “The way (Charlie) plays Vinnie‘s parts is uncanny. I don’t think there’s any drummer out there that could play the way that Vinnie did. I would close my eyes, because I was trying to get tight, and sometimes if I close my eyes, I can hear a little better; I think I can. And there’d be a tear of joy just coming down, because that was so close to what Vinnie and I used to play. So you have the foundation.”
Philip concurred, saying: “The low end sounds so PANTERA, man. It’s freaking me out.”
When the interviewer suggested that PANTERA in 2023 has Vinnie Paul and Dimebag‘s “spirit inside it”, Philip said: “Only thing I can say is, man, I know for a damn fact Vince and Dime would want us to do this, hands down. They would want the PANTERA brand or the legacy to go on. And I don’t know what you believe in, but sometimes, you know, you would like to think that them old fellas are looking down on us, giving us the thumbs-up.”
While he was alive, Vinnie Paul had repeatedly dismissed talks of a PANTERA reunion, telling Germany’s EMP Rock Invasion in 2014: “People are selfish, man. They want what they want; they don’t care what you want. And it’s unfortunate that people go, ‘Oh, wow, man, they can get Zakk Wylde to jump up there on stage and it’s PANTERA again.’ No, it’s not, you know. It’s not that simple. If Eddie Van Halen was to get shot in the head four times next week, would everybody be going, ‘Hey, man, Zakk, go play for VAN HALEN. Just call it VAN HALEN.’ You see what I’m saying? I mean, it’s really selfish for people to think that, and it’s stupid. It’s not right at all.”
He continued: “They call it a reunion for a reason. It’s called bringing the original members back to what it was. So there’s a lot of these things that they call reunions that aren’t really reunions. They’ve got one dude from the band floating around in them, you know. That’s not a true reunion. With PANTERA, it’ll never be possible.”
He repeated those same sentiments a few months later, telling PlanetMosh in a separate interview: “Without Dimebag Darrell, there is no PANTERA reunion. And that’s all there is to it. We were a very influential band, and we touched millions and millions of people with that band, but it’s over. People really have to come to grips with that, and that’s all there is to it. If all of us were still here, then the possibility would truly be there, but since it’s not, you know… It’s selfish of the fans to want something that they can’t have. And they don’t ever understand that, and I get it. There’s things I want in this world too. You know, people in fucking hell want ice water, but they’re not gonna get it.”
Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag‘s death.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.
Dimebag‘s longtime girlfriend Rita Haney in 2011 called on Vinnie and Philip to settle their differences in honor of Dimebag.
Vinnie, who was Dimebag‘s brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag‘s killer.
Haney told the producers of “Behind The Music Remastered: Pantera” that she forgave the singer after they found themselves unexpectedly face to face at a concert in California.
Pantera is one of the most successful and influential bands in heavy metal history, combining elements of hardcore and thrash to create a menacing sound that many acts have tried to replicate. Created by late brothers Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott on drums and “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott on guitar, Pantera broke through following the release of their fifth album, 1990’s Cowboys from Hell, with new singer Phil Anselmo and the 1992 follow-up Vulgar Display of Power, with the simplicity of tracks like “Walk” gaining the band mainstream popularity.
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