“I know for a damn fact Vince and Dime would want us to do this”: Phil Anselmo on Pantera reunion
“They would want the Pantera brand or the legacy to go on.”
Credit: Scott Legato/Getty Images
Since Pantera announced their reunion last year – with a new lineup of core members Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown, as well as guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante – metal fans have been divided.
Some have revelled in the ability to see some of their favourite Pantera songs brought to the stage once again, while others feel it’s wrong to continue under the Pantera banner without the late Abbott brothers: Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.
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But in a new conversation on The Metallica Report podcast, frontman Anselmo reassures fans that Dimebag and Vinnie Paul would have been supportive of the reunion.
“Only thing I can say is, man, I know for a damn fact Vince and Dime would want us to do this, hands down,” he says [via NME]. “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.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, he reflects on the band’s reunion shows so far, and how they’re approaching music now compared to when they were younger.
“It’s empowering,” he says. “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.”
Anselmo continues: “When we were younger, we were at war and when we were onstage; 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.”
Pantera recently announced a mammoth US tour in February 2024 with Lamb of God, and will play more dates with Metallica in August 2024 as part of their M72 World Tour. For a full list of upcoming dates, head to Pantera’s website.