Zakk Wylde Shares If Current Pantera Lineup Will Release New Music

The reformed Pantera have been busy on the road celebrating the band’s musical legacy and paying tribute to their late founders drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. The new lineup features guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante along with surviving members singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown.

In a new interview with “The Rich Shertenlieb Show,” Wylde talked about the possibility of the new lineup writing and recording new material. “We haven’t talked about anything like that,” Wylde said. “That’s up to the fellas. Whatever they want to do. ‘Cause, like I said, me and Charlie, we’re basically just allied forces and they’re brothers. So it’s just, whatever the guys want to do right now. But as far as right now, I think we’re gonna be — we’re just rolling right now. After this run of shows, I think we go out in February, over in Europe. Six weeks over in Europe.”

Wylde also talked about his reaction to be asked to take part in the Pantera celebration. “Phil called me up and he was, like, ‘Zakk, would you wanna?’” Wylde said. “I’ve always told Rex and Phil if they ever wanted to do it, since day one, when Vinnie was still alive, and they would always talk, there’d be rumblings of talking about it, it was, like, ‘Guys, whatever you wanna do, you know I’m always here. Allied forces. I’m always here to support you.’ So, and then it never came about. I remember I was telling Rob Halford, ’cause Rob saw one of the recent shows, he was like, ‘Zakk, it’s really a beautiful thing you guys are doing.’ And I was telling Rob, I said, it was never a matter of if I’ll do it, it’s a matter of when, you know what I mean? It’s just like one of those things with your parents. If they ask you to come home, you don’t say… you just go home. If they need help around the house, you just do it. So, yeah, to me it’s the same thing.”

Wylde previously told Eddie Trunk that if the band recorded new music, “I think you would have to call it something else. You know what I mean? Pantera is those four (original) guys. So, yeah, you can’t replace that.”

Wylde’s full interview can be viewed below.