THE BEAST

For many metal guitarists, the thought of playing with  PANTERA  would be a dream come true. But when the offer was put out to CREED / ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti by Rex Brown , he refused even to contemplate it and auditioning for it.

During a recent interview with Overdrive in Ireland, Tremonti was asked if he’d accept the offer to fill Z akk Wylde ‘s spot for PANTERA ‘s comeback shows.

“Hell no! [ Laughs ] A number of years ago, I was talking with  Rex  [ Brown ,  PANTERA  bassist] at the  Download  festival, and he was talking about a possible  PANTERA  reunion,” Tremonti responded. “He looked at me and said, ‘You should put your name in the hat’, and I was like, ‘No way, man.’ You have to be a certain type of personality to take on that role.

“It’s not just about the playing, it’s very much the personality, and  Dime  [late  PANTERA  guitarist  ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott ] had a huge presence. Put it this way, nobody’s gonna flip off  Zakk Wylde  onstage. They very well might do that to me, but there’s just no way I would put myself in that situation.”

As previously reported,  PANTERA  surviving members,  Philip Anselmo  and  Rex Brown , reformed the band with  Zakk Wylde  on guitar (from  OZZY OSBOURNE  and  BLACK LABEL SOCIETY ) and  Charlie Benante  on drums (from  ANTHRAX ). They will be playing at festivals all over North America, South America, Europe as well their own headline concerts.

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 last year said  Wylde  wouldn’t tour with  PANTERA  if a reunion were to happen. It’s unclear what changed his mind.

Via Metaladdicts