Ever since Pantera broke the metal internet a few weeks back with the news that the Cowboys from Hell would ride again without the Abbott Brothers, fan sentiment has been pretty divided. On one hand, you have a younger generation that missed out on any chance of seeing the original lineup live before the demise, and are excited for any chance of experiencing the storied catalog in a live setting. On the other hand, you have a contingent of fans & artists who don’t think the reunion should be happening at all without Dime and Vince.
Charlie Benante of Anthrax fame, who will be behind the kit for the reunion shows (with Zakk Wylde tapped to handle guitar duties for Dimebag), responded to the reunion naysayers this weekend during an Anthrax fan Q&A session.
When a fan tells Charlie that they are excited to see him play with Pantera despite the internet “flak,” Charlie responded with the question of “why is there flak?” The fan responded that “people are stupid,” to which Charlie states emphatically and simply: “there you go. Don’t come.”
When the Pantera topic came up again, members of Anthrax reassured fans that Charlie’s involvement won’t greatly interfere with Anthrax: “The Pantera thing is not gonna change anything we’re doing. We’ll still be working.”
Charlie also added that Pantera will only play “select” shows, so it will be interesting to see what that means. No specific shows have been announced as of time of writing, so time will tell regarding how much touring Pantera plans to do for this reunion run.
Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo themselves have not yet spoken publicly about the reunion since it was announced. However, Phil was gracious enough to speak to us back in February about the 30th anniversary of Vulgar Display of Power, and offered some poignant words at the time about what he thought Dime and Vince would want for the legacy of Pantera:
“Dimebag and Vince always wanted this band to be a legacy band, to be massive… to be our own conduit to success, simply put. I think Dime and Vince, I know Dime and Vince would want the legacy and the name of Pantera to go on and on and on and in everybody’s damn face. I know that for sure. Absa-fucking-utely dude, that would be their biggest dream.”
You can watch the Anthrax Q&A video with Charlie below: