There were rumors that Zakk Wylde will replace Dimebag Darrell in the band before he joined Pantera as an official member in 2022. Wylde revealed a few months back that these allegations started when he said he was prepared “to support Darrell” in a potential Pantera reunion with Vinnie Paul. However, it appears that Phil Anselmo had some reservations about this offer during those times. The vocalist discussed whether Wylde would be a part of a reunion with WGRD 97.9 FM in 2012 and said the following: Well, look, before that could really happen, Vince [Paul] and I would actually need to be in the same room; we’d need to sit down, hash out whatever issues, demons… Whatever… We’d have to negotiate everything. He continued by stating the following reasons why he didn’t want the guitarist to collaborate with Pantera: “As for Zakk Wylde, I’m not so sure about all that because I believe he and I need to sit down and work out some issues. That day has not yet arrived, but when it does, I will have more to say about it. Right now, all we have is talk.
Paul and Anselmo got into a fight after Darrell passed away in 2004, which led to the drummer cutting off communication with his old comrades while he was still alive. Paul held the singer responsible for his remarks that the guitarist deserved a “severe beating.” Over the years, the drummer insisted there would be no reunion without his late brother while Anselmo claimed he had an open door for a Pantera reunion with Paul. Even so, Wylde and Charlie Benante joined the band following Paul’s passing in 2018 so they could work on new projects. Some fans and prominent figures in the business disagreed with this choice and refused to accept a Pantera reunion without the founding members. Wylde so clarified the group’s goals in a conversation with Eddie Trunk of SiriusXM: “Every time the thought of presenting a tribute has been raised, you’re commemorating the guys and all their glory and accomplishments. That’s what it is, after all.Because everyone questioned how they could refer to it as a Pantera reunion. Because Phil and Rex haven’t performed together in a while, I respond, “Well, it’s Phil and Rex getting back together.” ‘It’s a Pantera party,’ I say. What it is is that. Two further US shows by Pantera have been planned for November 2023. Five further US performances with the band’s new tour lineup are planned for the summer of 2024.
