Charlie Benante has as soon as once more mentioned that PANTERA followers who’ve attended the band’s latest reveals have embraced the chance to see the songs carried out dwell greater than 20 years for the reason that basic PANTERA lineup was final collectively.
Becoming a member of the ANTHRAX drummer in PANTERA‘s reformed lineup are surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals),together with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY).
In keeping with Billboard, the lineup was given a inexperienced mild by the estates of the band’s founders, drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott.
It was first reported in July 2022 that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour underneath the PANTERA banner.
Benante opened up about his participation in PANTERA‘s return throughout a brand new interview with Australia’s Heavy, carried out at this month’s Knotfest Australia pageant. He mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We get individuals coming, we see them after the present, we see them throughout the VIP meet-and-greet issues, and a few of them are crying as a result of it is part of their youth. And so they by no means thought they’d hear these songs on this atmosphere once more. And it is the identical factor for me. After I’m enjoying, I am wanting down on the setlist. I get excited in regards to the subsequent tune arising. It is good.”
Charlie additionally addressed the destructive feedback he has obtained for his participation in PANTERA‘s comeback with out Dimebag and Vinnie Paul. He mentioned: “It is extra vital to — once more, like I mentioned a short while in the past about listening to these songs once more… A few of these individuals who have been destructive on the firstly of this complete factor, my complete factor was simply, please shut up for a minute and simply wait. In case you do not wanna come, do not come. However in the event you do wanna come, and simply come after which witness it, after which afterwards you possibly can say, ‘Fuck this. This was horrible.’ However that hasn’t occurred. Lots of people are so optimistic about it they usually get pleasure from it.
“There isn’t any method I used to be gonna make this a foul, dangerous determination or a foul form of vibe,” Benante defined. “It needed to be assembly my requirements. It is gotta be killer. It is gotta sound like PANTERA. And that was it. There was plenty of homework that went into it. So for individuals to insult and say this, that, and the opposite factor, it is, like, nicely, that is not true. That is not true proper there.”
After one of many interviewers famous that a lot of the complaints focus on the truth that the brand new PANTERA lineup is just not “the true factor”, Benante fired again: “What band is the true factor? What band is the true factor proper now? Give me one band.
“Issues occur. Life occurs typically,” he continued. “I went to see U2 a couple of month and a half, two months in the past, and the drummer wasn’t there. However I loved the shit out of it anyway. It was simply nice.
“Folks on-line, they acquired these Web balls they usually have to speak shit. They cannot precisely present any restraint. ‘No, I’ve to push that ‘enter’ [key],’ you understand what I imply? It is, like, fuck you. Let me come to the place you’re. Let me simply fuck with you all day.”
Benante beforehand opened up about his participation in PANTERA‘s return throughout a February 2024 interview with “THAT Rocks!”, the YouTube collection hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. Talking about a few of the criticism he has obtained for his involvement with PANTERA, Charlie mentioned: “Folks had their preconceived notions of what they have been gonna suppose: ‘Oh, I do not dig this with out Vinnie and Dime.’ And naturally… What do you suppose? We do not know that Vinnie and Dime will not be with us anymore? However after we begin enjoying the songs and also you simply see the faces within the crowd, all that shit goes out the window, the destructive stuff that has been mentioned.
“Man, that is all I ever wished to do, is simply come and do that and make individuals hear these songs once more,” he defined. “And that is what it is all about, actually. It is in regards to the music.”
Requested who was accountable for making the choice to make use of the identify PANTERA for the brand new lineup as an alternative of calling it a tribute or naming it one thing else, Charlie mentioned: “It wasn’t me. [Laughs] For us it was in regards to the celebration of the music and Dime and Vinnie; that is what it was about since day one. Nobody referred to as it a tribute; nobody referred to as it a reunion. It could possibly’t be a reunion. This can be a celebration of the music of PANTERA. Come and revel in it. And that is it. That is all may do.”
Benante additionally talked about his private connection to Dimebag and Vinnie, saying: “Yeah. I liked these two guys, man. You by no means suppose that sure issues would ever, ever occur, after which when it does, you sit again and suppose, like, ‘How did this occur so quick? How did this time simply slip by?’ And Darrell‘s been gone for some time now. Nevertheless it would not change how all of us miss him and really feel him.
“Each present that we play… [Longtime PANTERA engineer, bass tech and friend] Sterling [Winfield], who used to work for PANTERA — nonetheless does, in a way. The primary present, he got here to Mexico Metropolis and he introduced me considered one of Darrell‘s wristbands and a pair of Vinnie‘s gloves that they used. And each present that I’ve performed thus far, I put on the wristband and Vinnie‘s glove is in my pocket as a result of I really feel like they’re with me. And I try this for each present, and I am going to proceed to do this for each different present we play. It simply has significance.”
Benante beforehand mentioned his involvement in PANTERA‘s comeback throughout an interview with Consequence. Addressing the destructive feedback he has obtained for his participation, Charlie mentioned: “I do not go [online] in search of [people’s negative comments about it]. There’s those that ship me, ‘Hey, did you see this?’ And I am, like, ‘Why did you ship me this? Why spoil my day?’
“I believe the individuals who do this stuff, these feedback, I do not even suppose they understand how a lot of an impact that they may have on individuals,” he continued. “And whether or not or not you hate the state of affairs, or no matter it’s, why cannot you discover some kind of restraint? Why do you could say this thought that you’ve? Cannot you simply maintain it in and possibly be, like, ‘I am going to maintain my ideas to myself.’ No, they’ve gotta let you know. I’ve by no means seen extra of it in my life than I [did] in these previous couple of months about simply individuals judging.”
Concerning his private strategy to enjoying the elements initially written and recorded by Vinnie Paul, Charlie mentioned: “I simply spent plenty of time on Vinnie‘s elements and extra importantly the tone that Vinnie had as a result of I wished it to sound like PANTERA. That was my factor. And my drum configuration is totally different from the ANTHRAX one as a result of I wished to problem myself to play these elements like he performed them in that configuration, which, to me, was extra vital than something. However but individuals nonetheless have to seek out some downside in that.”
In keeping with Benante, the preliminary rehearsals for the PANTERA comeback tour have been “an emotional factor” for Philip and Rex “too, as a result of they hadn’t performed as a gaggle, these two hadn’t performed collectively in a very long time, enjoying PANTERA songs. Yeah, they performed [together] in DOWN, however this was an emotional factor for them,” Charlie mentioned. “And I bear in mind after the week of rehearsals that we did, saying goodbye was bizarre, as a result of it was an emotional factor; we actually form of bonded, the three of us. Zakk wasn’t there on the time. However for me, I knew I had carried out one thing proper.”
Up till his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking phrases with Anselmo, whom the drummer not directly blamed for Dimebag‘s dying.
Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they fashioned DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, whereas performing with DAMAGEPLAN on the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA have been stealing his ideas.
Vinnie handed away on June 22, 2018 at his different dwelling in Las Vegas on the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged coronary heart, in addition to extreme coronary artery illness. His dying was the results of power weakening of the guts muscle — principally that means his coronary heart could not pump blood in addition to a wholesome coronary heart.
