Metal Wani recently interviewed former Pantera and current Down/Superjoint frontman Phil Anselmo. Below are excerpts transcribed by Blabbermouth.net.
On the possibility of a hypothetical Pantera reunion with Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society) or Kerry King (Slayer) filling in for the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott on guitar:
“To me, the most important factor in all of this hoopla are the fans — the fans, hands down. The band doesn’t choose the audience — it’s the other way around. So we’re working hand in hand here. Whatever the fans really want, I guess, would be my answer to the whole thing. And I’m sure that it’s a flip of the coin, depending on the fan. If it’s something that they wanted desperately, then it’s something that… sure, I would do it, but it would be for the fans, man. Everybody has their opinion, so it makes it really, really tough for me to gauge the importance of doing something of that magnitude. Because, yes, it would be a big deal — it would be big, man. It would be emotionally big, is what I’m getting at. I’m not talking about the size of shows, I’m not talking about the impact or anything like that, I’m talking about actually going out on that stage with the band name, the backdrop just giant reading ‘PANTERA’ and not seeing my brother Dimebag across from me on that stage, it would be absolutely… it seems invalid to me right now. I’m not seeing it. I’ll admit it — I’m straight-up torn; I’m confused on the topic.”
On if Pantera’s surviving members could reunite with a Dimebag hologram:
“You know, it would have to be right. I think everybody’s heart would have to be in the right place, and I’m talking about the guys in the band. And it would have to be done right. There’s no way we could skimp on something like that. I mean, if we were gonna do a hologram of Dimebag, it would have to be flawless and it would have to be perfect, just like he was every fucking night, man. No matter how piss-ass drunk he would be, once that guitar was in his hand, he was a machine, man. So it would have to be perfect.”
