Nickelback Singer Backs Pantera Reunion ‘as long as Phil brings it’

Phil Anselmo by Assen Tonev (via Wikipedia). Chad Kroeger by Elwedritsch (via Wikipedia).
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Nickelback singer, Chad Kroeger, on the surface, is not someone you’d associate with metal. As a mainstream rock band going on for decades now, with more hit radio singles than we have Slayer bootlegs, it’d be easy to right Chad off as someone who isn’t a headbanger.

However, that’s simply not the case. He and his own brother were super close friends of the legendary Abbott Brothers, partying with them on many occasions and even doing multiple collaborations with Dimebag pre and post death. Their newest single starts off with some extremely heavy panic chords and double kick, and we recently had to tip our hats to The ‘Back after coming across their pretty spot on Metallica cover from years back.

Watch: When Nickelback Covered Metallica’s ‘Sad But True’ & Actually Crushed It

So anyways, yeah, the guy definitely seems to like some heavy music with his coffee. And now, he has joined the sea of other prominent musicians who have weighed in with their two cents on this whole crazy Pantera reunion thing. Here’s what Chad had to say:

“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.” He continued:

“I would go see that… 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.” He went on:

“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, 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].”

So far, the only announced reunion dates are outside of North America, but if we were betting men and women, which we are, we’d bet our left foot that these shows will hit many other parts of the world. Until then, we wait impatiently.