As Metallica’s M72 World Tour continues, the band’s bassist Rob Trujillo recently joined a conversation with St. Louis’ 105.7 the Point and shared his thoughts on Zakk Wylde taking the stage with Pantera.
Pantera has been playing with Metallica as the supporting act during the band’s ongoing tour. So, when asked about his experiences performing with Wylde, considering the two’s shared history from the Black Label Society, Trujillo explained:
“It’s so cool to see Zakk up there. Playing up there with Phil [Anselmo], Charlie [Benante], and Rex [Brown]. It’s exciting. They sound so good. Zakk has always been passionate about not just his instrument but about music in general. He was fun to tour with but man, he’s a handful. That dude was wild.”
Trujillo And Wylde’s Musical Journey
Recalling his words to Zakk, the bassist continued:
“I tell him to his face that he’s out of his mind. We had great times. It’s amazing to see him up there playing songs that his brother and his guitar soulmate played. We had that connection together back than at Ozzfest. Zakk is really a great person and it’s really fun to be around him again.”
Musicians Weigh In On Pantera’s New Formation
Since the Pantera reunion took place last year, Wylde and Charlie Benante’s performances with the band have received reviews from various musicians on the rock and metal scene. Pantera fans have compared his style to the late Dimebag Darrell and shared some negative thoughts on social media. In July, Ola Englund responded to these comments and reflected on Zakk’s gig with the band on his YouTube channel, saying:
“[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 appreciate seeing what Zakk is doing right now.”
Rex Brown also shared with Rick Beato in a September chat that he was impressed with how Wylde and Benante have joined the band and performed so well. He specifically praised Zakk for doing an excellent job filling in for Darrell, which was a tough role to take on.
You can watch Rob’s full interview below.
