Pantera has unveiled a recent video message featuring singer Philip Anselmo, filmed during the band’s rehearsals for their North American tour scheduled for February 2024. Talking about how ‘youngsters’ make him feel, he says in the video:
“Youngsters have come out in droves to these Pantera shows, and it has lit and ignited a fuse and a fire in me, and I just wanna play these f*cking shows the best fucking way we goddamn know how. And I’m looking forward to it.”
Anselmo’s First Comments On Pantera Reunion
Pantera’s surviving members, Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown, have joined forces with guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante for a global tour under the Pantera banner.
The initial news of the Pantera reunion received both love and hate from the fans. Still, Anselmo felt that it was an empowering move, and he loved to do shows with his bandmate Rex Brown, too:
“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 Rex and I get to dig the shows more, you know.”
What Does The Rest Of The Band Think Of The Reunion?
While some thought this reunion might be ‘cool,’ but is ‘definitely not a reunion’ since the Abboth brothers are not there anymore, some thought it would be a way to honor both Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell. A few went even further to state that Pantera should ‘stay dead’ because Phil Anselmo is a ‘white supremacist.’
The rockers are filling the stadiums with thousands of people despite the comments. And it seems that in addition to Anselmo, the rest of the band members also love being back on stage under the name Pantera.
Though Zakk Wylde acknowledges that it’s just a ‘bunch of friends getting together’ rather than a reunion, he loves to be a part of it:
It’s like, ‘Zack, would you ever do it?’ It’s like, ‘Well, of course I’m going to do it. Why would I not?’ […] I remember Phil called me one night, and was like, ‘Zakk, me and Rex would really love it if you would honor Dime.’ And I was like, ‘Of course, guys, I would always be here to honor Dime and all your achievements.’ The way I looked at it – It’s just a bunch of friends getting together, honoring their buddies, you know what I mean?”
Rather than a public speech about how much he loved being a part of the band, Charlie Benante discussed how much hate he got instead in an interview:
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so judged in my life by people. And I don’t understand. […] Don’t personally attack me or Zakk for something that you have inside of you. You have a problem with something. And it’s like you gotta find some way that is somewhat… I’ve been doing this for over 40 years. Don’t fucking judge me. If I if I didn’t do my homework, then fucking judge me. But I did my homework.”
You can see Pantera’s recent Instagram post here.
