Charlie Benante has spoken up about the Pantera reunion and slammed the haters.
During a recent interview with Heavy, the new Pantera drummer addressed the hate comments the band has been getting. He also told the haters to ‘shut up’ and give the reunion a chance. Benante explained the importance of the reunion:
“It’s more important to — again, like I said a little while ago about hearing these songs again… Some of these people who were negative at the at the start of this whole thing, my whole thing was just, please shut up for a minute and just wait. If you don’t wanna come, don’t come. But if you do wanna come, and just come and then witness it, and then afterwards you can say, ‘Fuck this. This was horrible.’ But that hasn’t happened. A lot of people are so positive about it and they enjoy it.”
It’s usual to see these comments since many fans think a reunion without Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul wouldn’t be possible. Some even slammed Zakk Wylde and Benante for not sounding like the original members.
Is The Reunion Controversial?
While the rest of the band is okay with a reunion, some other rockers think it’s ‘controversial.’
In a discussion with Audio Ink Radio, Saxon frontman Biff Byford shared his thoughts on the collaboration of Pantera’s surviving members with Wylde and Benante. While he is aware that it’s controversial to keep the band going without the original members, he is also aware that ‘it should be done’:
“I know it’s controversial, but I think it should be done because it’s not as if the guys aren’t there. They’ve gone on, they’ve passed on, so, it’s not as if they’ve not been invited to the party. I’m sure if they were alive, Pantera would still be going — wouldn’t they? — if Dimebag was still alive.”
Steel Panther guitarist Satchel expressed his views on the reunion too. He stated that fans should come to terms with the fact that the band will sound different with the new lineup. Still, he appreciates the new members:
“I saw Pantera when they had the original lineup, and it was so ridiculously good that… I’ll be honest with you, it’s gonna be hard to [replicate that.] It’s never gonna be the same – like it was. But I do love Zakk. I’m a huge Zakk Wylde fan, and I’m also a fan of Charlie as well.”
New Pantera Music?
New music from Pantera might be coming sooner than expected. Well, at least that’s what Rex Brown signed recently. In a separate interview, Brown said he is open to making new music with Pantera, but he ‘can’t say much about it’ for now.
Although the bassist was positive about new music, Wylde says the opposite. During a previous interview, the guitarist discussed playing the parts Dimebag Darrell wrote years ago and mentioned new music. Apparently, it’s out of the question for now.
The drummer seems to have concerns about fan expectations. He is also aware that some fans might not take it well that Pantera is back on the road for new music without Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul.
However, Wylde did say that they would release new songs under a different name. Fans might want to keep an eye on that.
You can watch the recent interview below.