Pantera returned late last year with a lineup that features Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Black Label Society frontman/guitarist Zakk Wylde. The newly constituted band, which also features Pantera mainstays in vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex brown, has been accepted by most metal fans, but they’re not without their detractors.
Benante and Exodus/former Slayer guitarist Gary Holt did an interview with Consequence where they discussed filling the shoes of legendary musicians who are no longer with us.
“Fortunately, [Charlie and I] share something in common in that we are widely accepted by most fans of the guys we were stepping in for,” Holt said.
Holt stepped in for Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman from 2011 to 2019.
Benante, much like Zakk Wylde, was considered to be the only reasonable option to fill in for late Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul.
“I don’t go looking for things [online],” Benante said of criticism he has received.
“There’s people who send me [negative comments], and I’m like, ‘Why did you send me this?’ Why ruin my day?’ And I think these people who [make] these comments, I don’t think they realize how much of an effect they can have on people. Whether or not you hate the situation …why can’t you find some sort of restraint? …I’ve never seen more of it in my life than I’ve seen in these past couple of months of people judging.”
Benante also discussed how he prepared to play drums for Pantera. “I spent just a lot of time on Vinnie’s parts [but] more importantly the tones that Vinnie had. I wanted it to sound like Pantera. That was my thing, and my drum configuration is different from the Anthrax one because I wanted to challenge myself to play those parts like he played them, in that configuration. But yet, people still have to find some problem in that.”
Wylde dismissed critics last year who said he didn’t sound like Dimebag Darrell. In essence, Wylde basically said that it isn’t possible to mimic the late guitarist completely.
“No matter what I do, it’s going to sound like me,” he said. “I can practice all I want and stay as faithful as I want, but I am never going to escape that.”
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