In a new interview with Rock Feed, the current Pantera guitarist Zakk Wylde reminisced about tearing up during the band’s live performances. Wylde was asked if he remembered Vinnie Paul’s reaction when he showed the music video of his band’s song, ‘In This River.’ The song’s music video includes two children playing the roles of the youth of Dimebag Darrell and Wylde. The rocker replied to the question:
“We all teared up especially when Vinnie saw it for the first time, like Vinnie was crying. Even when I see it on the screens every night, when I’m doing ‘Floods,’ I just gotta concentrate on what I’m doing instead of breaking down. It’s obviously a huge tribute spot to Dime and to Vinnie as well. Dime was really proud of that thing when he put it together, especially the outro thing. So that’s a big deal at the end. I get choked up everytime I play it.”
The Reunion Is Not Really A ‘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.’
Despite such remarks, the rockers are drawing crowds of thousands to stadiums. It appears that not only Anselmo but also the other band members relish the opportunity to perform once more under the Pantera banner. Acknowledging that it’s essentially ‘a bunch of friends getting together’ rather than a formal reunion, Wylde expresses his enjoyment of being involved:
“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?”
What Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Would Think
Charlie Benante, the current drummer, acknowledged the anticipation surrounding new Pantera music. However, during an interview, he expressed concern that certain Pantera fans might be reluctant to embrace new releases without Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. However, Anselmo believes that they were paying due respect to Dime and Vinnie. During a previous interview, Anselmo asserted his belief that the revamped Pantera lineup would have received approval from the Abbott brothers:
“The 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 of 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.”
You can watch the interview with Rock Feed below.
