Charlie Benante, ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer, recently sat down with IRON MAIDEN legend Nicko McBrain and Modern Drummer CEO David Frangioni on the new podcast Metal Sticks. In the first of a two-part deep dive, Benante opened up about the emotional weight and musical intensity of stepping into the drum throne for PANTERA—a gig that, as he reveals, was never up for debate.
According to Benante, his connection to the Abbott brothers—Vinnie Paul and “Dimebag” Darrell—goes back decades.
“I was very, very close to them throughout the years and especially close to Darrell, Dimebag,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And I think Philip [Anselmo, PANTERA singer] and Rex [Brown, PANTERA bassist] really wanted to do something again with the legacy that that is PANTERA and just celebrate the life and the music of them. Philip called me and said, ‘Would you be into doing this?’ And they didn’t want anyone else [to play drums]. It was always me that they wanted to do this, which I felt very honored by that. And I just jumped at it, and I’m, like, ‘Yes, I wanna do this.’ Because the love that goes back for me with these guys, it goes back a long, long time ago. I mean, I met Darrell and Vinnie — God, like, 1985. So we’ve known each other since then. And I just loved hearing that I was the only choice that they wanted for this position.”
Benante’s first show with PANTERA took place in Mexico City in December 2022—a night he remembers vividly.
“Man, [I] was so nervous. And you know this, because playing Mexico City, they are so passionate there. When MAIDEN plays, it’s just like a spiritual event. So I was very nervous. It was 52 degrees outside. We were freezing. The intro came on and started, and I’m just, like, ‘Okay, this is it. Let’s go.’ And then once we kicked into the first song, I kind of settled down. But you know, man — the first show of a tour, you’re jittery. You just don’t know what to expect. And then I was so happy that I just kind of settled in and just kind of rode it out, and it was just beautiful.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.