MUDVAYNE frontman Chad Gray has expressed his opinions regarding PANTERA‘s reunion in a recent episode of The Jesea Lee Show podcast.
Gray, who was bandmate with late PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott in HELLYEAH since 2006, and up until drummer’s death in 2018, said (as transcribed by Loudwire): “I know what it is and I know some levels of the intention are true and pure. But I also know from sitting in on a million f**king interviews with Vinnie Paul and him and I interviewing together and s**t, the whole time [he was] basically [saying that the reunion] wasn’t happening.”
He continued: “Vinnie would literally go, ‘My brother’s dead.’ [long pause] That’s all he would say. That’s all he would f**king say.”
“That’s the way Vinnie thought about it. PANTERA was done because his brother was dead. So when I hear that and how passionately he said that and I know how much he meant it… he didn’t care [about bringing PANTERA back].”
PANTERA, consisting of Phil Anselmo on vocals, Rex Brown on bass, Zakk Wylde on guitar, and Charlie Benante on drums, is set to headline major festivals in North America, South America, and Europe. Additionally, they will be performing their own headline concerts and supporting METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in 2024. This marks a significant moment for PANTERA fans, as it is the first time the band’s surviving members have come together for live performances in over two decades.
According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band’s founders, drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who previously said Wylde wouldn’t tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It’s unclear what changed his mind.
