During a new interview with Rolling Stone Australia, Rex Brown talked about the tribute band label put on the new Pantera lineup. Brown refused to call the new Pantera a tribute band and said:
“Two of our beloved brothers that just aren’t here anymore man, that’s life, you know? They’re just not with us man. That’s just fate; it’s the way the ball rolls, dude. This is no tribute band.”
Rex also stated that he and Phil Anselmo were trying to enjoy being able to play their songs once again after 23 years. He added:
“Philip and I get to play these songs of ours that we haven’t played in 23 years. And to be able to do that and connect with the enormity of what’s happened is just extraordinarily fucking insane, you know?”
Phil Anselmo Had Doubts About The Pantera Reunion
Before they decided to continue Pantera’s legacy with a new lineup, Phil Anselmo expressed his concerns about the reunion. In a 2014 interview with Matt Pinfield, Anselmo admitted he had concerns about bringing Pantera back with new members. The frontman stated:
“There is a great percentage of me that says, ‘This generation deserves it. Let’s do it.’ And then there’s a reservation in me that says, ‘You know what, man? Legacies get passed down. This, that, the other. Maybe we should leave it alone and just let it be part of the lore and the history and whatnot.’”
Later in 2023, Phil joined the Metallica Report Podcast and confirmed he had no concerns about the reunion anymore. Anselmo added that he believed Dime and Vinnie would have wanted them to continue the Pantera legacy. He explained:
“The only thing I can say is, man, I know for a damn fact Vince and Dime would want us to do this — hands down. They would want the Pantera brand of the legacy to go on.”
Unlike Anselmo, Vinnie Paul’s former Hellyeah bandmate Chad Gray claimed that Vinnie never wanted to have a Pantera reunion. Regardless of Gray’s concerns, Pantera fans seem to appreciate the new lineup continuing Dime and Vinnie’s legacy.
You can listen to Phil Anselmo’s entire interview with Matt Pinfield via YouTube below.