Phil Demmel doesn’t think Zakk Wylde deserves the criticism he gets for the Pantera gig.
The guitarist recently appeared on the Metal Forge podcast and said he wasn’t the right musician for Megadeth when Kiko Loureiro left. Then, he talked about how he also couldn’t do in Pantera:
“The Pantera thing is another thing where my name was popping up just as people [were saying], just, ‘Oh, blah, blah, blah.’ I couldn’t do that gig. There’s no way that I would do that gig. They got the right guy for that gig. Too many judging eyes. And it doesn’t matter who it was gonna be, but in my eyes, and I can only speak for myself, I am 100 percent accepting of that. I haven’t seen it. I’m hoping that it’s a big celebration and a tribute to the brothers [late Pantera drummer Vincent ‘Vinnie Paul’ Abbott and guitarist ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott]. They’re playing arenas.”
Demmel Wants Fans To Enjoy The New Pantera
Later, Phil explained that he had three other guitarists in his mind who could do the Pantera well, but he believes fans would rather see Wylde. The rocker sees it as the best choice for their generation. Demmel added that it’s unfair to criticize Wylde for not playing Dimebag Darrell’s parts exactly right:
“He’s catching some stuff for, ‘Oh, he’s not muting this the way this is,’ and ‘He’s not doing…’ It’s, like, man, give the dude a break. Enjoy the tribute and enjoy the celebration. Phil [Anselmo, Pantera frontman] isn’t singing like he was back in the day. Rex [Brown, Pantera bassist] isn’t playing like he was back in the day, but this is who we are now at 60 years old, and enjoy this celebration and be part of it, man.”
Other Musicians Also Supported Wylde
Last year, Ola Englund also defended Wylde against the backlash in a YouTube video on his channel. The guitarist stated:
“Zakk is getting a lot of flak for how he’s handling the Pantera tribute situation. I think it’s incredibly unfair because he’s doing a kicka** job, in my opinion. [In] my personal experience, from all the stories I’ve heard about Dimebag… getting the vibe from him, I think Dimebag would want Zakk to approach this just as he [has]. I think Dimebag would think that it would be weird, to see Zakk completely imitating him to the exact note. No, I don’t think he would’ve appreciated that. He would’ve appreciated seeing what Zakk is doing right now.”
Skid Row’s Rachel Bolan expressed support for the reformed Pantera lineup, too. He defended Zakk and Charlie Benante against criticism and said Skid Row would tour with them in a heartbeat. Bolan believes they’re doing a great job representing Dimebag and Vinnie Paul.
You can watch Demmel’s full interview below.
