Could you imagine hearing Pantera roar back to life with a brand-new song? Something carrying the weight of everything that came before it. According to touring drummer Charlie Benante, that possibility isn’t off the table. But it’s not his decision to make.
Speaking with Chris Jericho on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Benante was asked whether he and guitarist Zakk Wylde could create new riffs in the Pantera style if the current lineup ever decided to record fresh material.
“Oh, I can do it, no doubt,” Benante said. “But I just don’t know yet if that’s where this is going. I would hope, at some point. We’ll see. It’s all up to Philip and Rex, really, where they wanna take this. Zakk and I are just there for the ride, and whatever we can do.”
As you likely know, the current touring version of Pantera features surviving members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown alongside Benante and Wylde. While discussion about new music continues to surface, Benante has also expressed interest in documenting the band’s current era with an official live album.
Back in March, he told Hot Metal that while there had been some conversation about future recordings, nothing concrete had developed. What he would love to see happen, however, is a live release capturing what this lineup has accomplished on stage.
“I would love to release a live album of this lineup so we can document what we did and just have it,” he said. “I think that would be a great thing.”
Benante also talked about the challenge of stepping behind the kit in place of the late Vinnie Paul.
“The Anthrax style of drumming is so busy,” Benante explained. “Vinnie’s style of playing is the meat and potatoes of Pantera.”
Instead of reinventing the material, Benante says he remains committed to reproducing Vinnie’s parts as faithfully as possible.
“I stuck to exactly what Vinnie did,” he said. “Philip and Rex really respect that. Rex sometimes will close his eyes and it’s like he’s playing with Vinnie. And he said that to me, too.”
That dedication extended well beyond learning the songs. Benante altered his drum setup to mirror Vinnie’s configuration and spent months studying even the smallest nuances of the late drummer’s performances.
“The most important thing is I wanted it to sound like Pantera,” he said. “I didn’t want it to sound like me playing Pantera.”
The current lineup has faced criticism from some fans who object to the use of the Pantera name without founding brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. Benante remains unmoved by the negativity.
“I think in the beginning of the whole thing there were naysayers and all I would say is ‘just come to one of the shows,'” he said. “If you like it, great. If you don’t like it, okay. You never have to come again.”
For Benante, the project has always been about honouring the music and the people who created it.
“This was never a reunion. How can it be a reunion without Vinnie and Dime here?”
He believes the response inside the venues tells the real story.
“The people who were coming were bringing their kids who never saw Pantera before,” he said. “This isn’t the same. Dime and Vinnie are not there, but we are just playing these songs that need to be played again, and it’s giving people smiles on their faces again.”
Should this new lineup of Pantera record new music?
