ANTHRAX frontman Joey Belladonna took a leap onto the PANTERA stage this past Tuesday (August 8) at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater in Syracuse, New York
With an infectious energy, he belted out PANTERA‘s timeless anthem “Walk,” creating a moment that had the crowd fired up and cameras rolling. You can catch the electrifying footage of Joey’s surprise appearance just below.
The mighty PANTERA, now back in action and riding the waves of a resurging tour across the U.S., teamed up with the heavyweight LAMB OF GOD on July 28 at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Riffing their way through a nostalgic journey, PANTERA‘s setlist boasts two resurrected gems that hadn’t graced the stage since the band’s revival last year: the bone-crushing “Slaughtered” from their 1994 album “Far Beyond Driven,” a metal monolith that astonishingly claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, and the defiant “Revolution Is My Name” from the group’s final studio album, 2000’s “Reinventing The Steel.”
PANTERA‘s 2023 lineup boasts a powerful ensemble, with surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) at the helm. Firing up the guitar strings is the legendary Zakk Wylde, known for his work with OZZY OSBOURNE and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, while the explosive rhythm section is fortified by none other than drummer Charlie Benante of ANTHRAX fame.
This dynamic quartet, joined by Anselmo, Brown, Wylde, and Benante, has embarked on a world-spanning adventure, headlining prime festivals throughout South America, Asia, North America, and Europe. In an ultimate harmonization of metal forces, they’re also set to join forces with METALLICA for an epic North American stadium tour spanning 2023 and 2024.
Surprisingly, the reunion’s green light has been illuminated by the estates of PANTERA‘s founding icons – drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. Notably, back in 2021, Brown had hinted that Wylde wouldn’t grace the PANTERA stage again, but times have changed, and the details behind this shift remain a bit of a mystery.
Stepping back to March, PANTERA took the helm at Japan’s prestigious Loud Park festival, marking a triumphant return to the spotlight. The electrifying two-day event roared to life on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and surged onwards to March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.
But PANTERA‘s journey didn’t stop there – in December, they ignited Latin America with a searing seven-show performance. However, the plot thickened when Rex Brown was temporarily sidelined due to a positive COVID-19 test. Stepping into the breach was none other than CATTLE DECAPITATION‘s bass maestro, Derek Engemann, who shares musical realms with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.
Tragically, before his passing, Vinnie Paul maintained a somber silence in his relationship with Anselmo, a rift indirectly associated with the heart-wrenching loss of “Dimebag” Darrell.
Reflecting on the roots, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA, a legendary partnership that endured. However, following PANTERA‘s disbandment in 2003, they forged ahead to create DAMAGEPLAN. The dark shadow of fate descended on December 8, 2004, as Dimebag‘s life was tragically cut short on stage during a DAMAGEPLAN performance at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, an irreplaceable loss that shook the music world to its core.
Vinnie Paul‘s own journey reached a poignant conclusion on June 22, 2018, in his Las Vegas home. The echoes of a powerful heart gradually faded as he succumbed to dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition marked by an enlarged heart and severe coronary artery disease. It was a chapter of chronic heart weakening, a heart that could no longer pump life’s rhythm as robustly as it once did.