Pantera has reformed with the new lineup of Phil Anselmo (vocals), Rex Brown (bass), Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums), and the band has performed to rave reviews at festival appearances this month.
In a new interview with Overdrive, Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti was asked if he would have taken the role that Zakk Wylde stepped into for the tribute concerts/tour that is honoring the legacy of the band and the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Vinnie Paul.
“Hell no!” Tremonti said with a laugh. “A number of years ago, I was talking with Rex (Brown) at the Download festival, and he was talking about a possible Pantera reunion.”
Brown suggested Tremonti consider trying out for the group on guitar or at least putting forward that he was interested.
”He looked at me and said, ‘You should put your name in the hat’, and I was like, ‘No way, man’” Tremonti said. “You have to be a certain type of personality to take on that role. It’s not just about the playing, it’s very much the personality, and Dime had a huge presence. Put it this way, nobody’s gonna flip off Zakk Wylde onstage. They very well might do that to me, but there’s just no way I would put myself in that situation.”
Benante recently told Chris Jericho on the Talk Is Jericho podcast: “that there’s die-hard fans who have their issues with” him, Wylde, Anselmo and Brown performing under the Pantera name. “But for me and Zakk, we’re just honoring our friends, to be honest with you. That’s what we’re doing,” he said.
“And that’s it. I enjoy playing these songs. When I look down at the setlist and I see the next song coming, man, I get so excited. So, for me, it’s so great to be doing this. And seeing the reaction… I mean, you saw the videos [from the shows in Mexico and South America]. The people are just loving it. So why would you even be so negative about something when you see how much fun people are having and the joy that it’s bringing?”
“I think that’s the most accurate word (‘celebration) you can use for this thing, because it is a celebration of the music and the vibe that these guys created. Vinnie and Dime would be all for it. And I know there were issues with those guys in the past, but, man, it’s 2022 now. You can’t hold on to grudges all your life. You’ve gotta let sh*t go and you have to just say, ‘I’m gonna enjoy this. I wanna hear ‘Cowboys From Hell’ again. I wanna hear ‘I’m Broken’.’ That’s it. Just come out and celebrate it.”
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