Earlier this year, Billboard announced that Pantera’s surviving members, vocalist Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, signed with Artist Group International and agreed to a reunion tour in 2023. Most metal fans thought that with the deaths of brothers “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Vinnie Paul, that any chance of a Pantera reunion and/or tour was over. The band split up in 2003, and Abbott and Paul formed Damageplan. Abbott was tragically shot and killed onstage in 2004, and Paul died of heart complications in 2018.
It was also announced that the vacancies in the group would be filled by Black Label Society/Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante. According to Billboard, the lineup was given a green light by the estates of the Abbott brothers.
Recently, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger talked about the Pantera tour with LA Lloyd and said he’s looking forward to it. “Well, selfishly, I wanna see those songs performed live. When you listen to a Pantera record and you think to yourself — well, as we thought for the last, I don’t know how many years, since the band broke up — it’s, like, ‘Oh, I’m never gonna get to see these songs [performed] live again.’ And it’s heartbreaking. So the fact that the boys are getting called in from here and there… [I] love Zakk; [I] love Charlie — great, great guys. I think the fact that they’re gonna get on stage and do this… All Phil has to do is just get up there and crush it.”
“I would go see that,” he continued. “I would buy a ticket to go see that show. I wanna see it. I wanna scream those songs. And I think that calling it more of a tribute is probably closer to what it’s gonna be, which is great; that’s great. People that love that music that wanna recreate it live every single night… And like I said, as long as Phil brings it, it’s gonna be great. Just to be able to sit back and watch those guys to do it up… And I think all the Pantera fans are gonna love it.”
Kroeger also thinks the naysayers of the tour will end up going to a show. “Anybody who’s sitting back hating on the idea, I think when it comes to town, they’re gonna do the same thing that happens with those people that say they don’t like Nickelback,” Chad added. “They always find themselves at the show. Strangely enough — shocker! It’s, like, ‘Ah, I hate those guys. They suck.’ ‘Are you going?’ ‘Of course’ [Laughs].”
Nickelback is gearing up to release a new record, “Get Rollin,” on Nov. 18. The band recently released the album’s first single, “San Quentin.” Guitarist Ryan Peake commented on the new song in an interview with WRAT regarding the heavier direction of the tune. “I don’t think it’s unusual, that type of song, for us. It’s not necessarily indicative of the whole album, but as far as rock, it’s a heavy rock song. And if you’ve seen us live, you would definitely get it, too. I think it’s nice, I kind of like that people are feeling like it’s a surprise that we could write or we could have rock songs like that in our repertoire.”
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