PANTERA bassist Rex Brown has hinted that the reformed band may be planning on writing new music
During a recent interview with AndrewHaug.com at Knotfest Australia in Melbourne, Australia, PANTERA bassist Rex Brown was posed with a question regarding his willingness to engage in songwriting with the reconstituted version of the band. This revitalized lineup features fellow surviving member Philip Anselmo on vocals, alongside acclaimed guitarist Zakk Wylde (known for his work with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and OZZY OSBOURNE) and Charlie Benante from ANTHRAX on drums.
When asked if he is open to writing new music with the reformed version of the band, Rex replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I could tell you more but I’m not going to.”
Earlier in the interview, Brown discussed what it has been like to go out and perform as PANTERA to a whole new generation of fans. He said: “You can’t see it on the YouTube. You can’t feel that vibe until you actually come to the show,” he explained. “And we haven’t been doing interviews just for the fact we want people just to come to the show. It’s not about anything prior past or present that I wanna talk about today — just the show tonight.
“We’re pinching ourselves over these new fans that have never seen this before, and it’s a whole another generation that we either didn’t know a) that were out there, b) that were still listening to us, and the turnout has just been unbelievable,” Rex continued. “Of course, at first you had the naysayers and all that stuff, and as we played gig by gig, it’s made us tighter. And I’ve been trying to rehearse this band as much as I can within schedules, and we’ll just go down for no fucking reason and just jam. That’s what makes a band tight.”
Zakk Wylde recently weighed in on the prospect of the reformed PANTERA lineup embarking on new musical ventures during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk“. When asked about the potential for fresh material, Wylde expressed reservations, suggesting that any new endeavor would necessitate a distinct identity. He emphasized the irreplaceable essence of the original PANTERA quartet, implying that any continuation would require a different designation.
Zakk added that he was in fact open to making new music with Anselmo, Brown and Benante, provided that it was not specifically under the name PANTERA. “Yeah, of course,” he said. “I mean, how could you call it PANTERA unless it was just pre-existing material and we were gonna record it — stuff that was in demo state or whatever, and it is songs that the guys wrote. But as far as new songs, it would have to be — you’d call it something else.”
The rejuvenated PANTERA has taken the spotlight as headliners at numerous major festivals across North America, South America, and Europe, in addition to hosting some standalone headline concerts. Furthermore, they are set to join METALLICA for a monumental stadium tour in 2024.
News initially surfaced in July 2022 detailing Anselmo and Brown‘s collaboration with Wylde and Benante for a global tour under the prestigious PANTERA moniker.
The tragic history of PANTERA involves the founding members, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag, who later formed DAMAGEPLAN after PANTERA disbanded in 2003. Dimebag‘s life was tragically cut short on December 8, 2004, when he was fatally shot onstage by a troubled individual who suffered from schizophrenia. Vinnie Paul passed away on June 22, 2018, in Las Vegas, due to dilated cardiomyopathy and severe coronary artery disease, stemming from chronic heart muscle weakening.