Zakk Wylde Discusses Possibility of New PANTERA Live Album and More
In a new interview with Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda, Zakk Wylde addressed Charlie Benante’s recent comment about the potential release of a live album from the current PANTERA lineup. Joining BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Wylde and ANTHRAX drummer Benante in PANTERA’s reformed lineup are surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals). Zakk shared (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):
“Yeah, whatever the fellas wanna do, we knock it out. Let’s be real — it’s a live album every night. People with their phones and everything are recording it anyway, so it doesn’t [matter] to me. You go up there and you play to win every night.”
When asked about the possibility of new songs from the current PANTERA lineup, Zakk responded:
> “No, we haven’t sat and talked about, like, ‘Oh, guys, let’s get together and write songs,’ or whatnot; there hasn’t been anything like that. I mean, the only discussions we’ll have is just what other new songs we wanna put in the setlist. Like when we put ‘Floods’ in and then we got together at rehearsals, got together over at Phil’s house, we just rehearsed everything. But no, nothing like… We haven’t been sitting around writing riffs and things like that.”
Miranda also asked Wylde whether he views the current PANTERA lineup as a tribute or something else. Zakk explained:
> “Yeah, that’s what I feel it is. It’s not even a tribute. It’s more just a PANTERA celebration. Like whenever we go out and do the ‘Experience Hendrix’ [tours], which I always have a blast when I do that, it’s all of us going out and celebrating Jimi’s greatness. To me, this is [a] PANTERA celebration. We’re celebrating all the mountains that PANTERA conquered. So that’s what this is.”
Wylde addressed the fact that he doesn’t exactly reproduce the parts originally written and recorded by late PANTERA guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott:
> “Oh, yeah, even if Dime was up there playing the solo to ‘No More Tears’ or ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’, it’s gonna sound like Dime playing the solo to ‘No More Tears’. ‘Cause he has his touch and his feels. Like when Randy Rhoads was playing BLACK SABBATH songs, it sounds like Randy Rhoads playing BLACK SABBATH songs. You listen to the ‘Tribute’ album [from Ozzy Osbourne], when Saint Rhoads was playing ‘Iron Man’ and he was playing ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Children Of The Grave’, it sounds like Randy playing BLACK SABBATH songs. It’s Randy’s guitar tone and Randy’s touch and Randy’s playing. But that’s what makes it cool. Yeah, to me, it’s just common sense. Dime just sounds like Dime no matter what he’s playing.”
The reformed PANTERA is headlining major festivals across North America, South America, and Europe, and is staging its own headline concerts. They are also supporting METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2024.
