THE BEAST

Vinny Appice   has once again weighed in on the fact that   PANTERA 's surviving members   Philip Anselmo   (vocals) and   Rex Brown   (bass) have united with guitarist   Zakk Wylde   ( OZZY OSBOURNE ,   BLACK LABEL SOCIETY ) and drummer   Charlie Benante   ( ANTHRAX ) for a world tour under the   PANTERA   banner.

Anselmo   and   Brown , along with   Wylde   and   Benante , are headlining a number of major festivals across South America, Asia, North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They will also support   METALLICA   on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

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 in 2021 said   Wylde   wouldn't tour with   PANTERA   if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Appice , who previously played with   Brown   in a band called   KILL DEVIL HILL , discussed his views on the   PANTERA   comeback in an interview with   TotalRock . He said (as transcribed by   BLABBERMOUTH.NET ): "I always thought, even when   Vinnie   was alive — he was a good friend; rest in peace — I thought back then, 'Why don't they get   Zakk   in the band and go out and play this stuff?' Because it's classic stuff. People love the music; people love to hear it. So I'm happy they're doing it this way. I think they waited; they could have [done] it earlier. But I think it's great."

He continued: "I love   Rex .   Rex   is a great, badass bass player. He blew out more amps than I ever have seen in my life. [He would] plug it in at rehearsal places, and he blew 'em out. He goes, 'Don't say anything. Let's get out of here.'"

Appice   previously spoke about the   PANTERA   reunion in an October 2022 interview with   Rocking With Jam Man . At that time, he said: "I think that's great. I always thought, years ago, when   Dimebag   passed that why don't they get the perfect guitar player, [which] is   Zakk Wylde . But that's when   Vinnie , his brother, was still alive, playing drums. And I always thought they should get   Zakk , go out and play the music. But it's been so long now, now   Vinnie 's passed too. And   Charlie 's on drums, and he probably fits perfect. He's that kind of drummer. So it sounds like it's gonna be exciting."

Asked if he offered to play drums for the   PANTERA   comeback,   Vinny   said: "Oh, me? I don't play that stuff. I mean, I can play it, but I don't use double bass. I'm a heavy drummer, heavy player, heavy metal, but it's a different type. I mean, if they asked, I would have went down and checked it out. But I don't think I'd fit."

Last month,   PANTERA   headlined the 2023 "comeback" edition of Japan's   Loud Park   festival. The two-day "limited" event took place on March 25 at Intex Osaka in Osaka and March 26 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City near Tokyo.

In December,   PANTERA   played seven shows in Mexico and South America.

Brown   was forced to leave   PANTERA 's Latin American tour after testing positive for   COVID-19 . Filling in for him at some of the shows was   CATTLE DECAPITATION   bassist   Derek Engemann , who also plays with   Anselmo   in both   PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS   and   SCOUR .

Up until his passing,   Vinnie   remained on non-speaking terms with   Anselmo , whom the drummer indirectly blamed for   Dimebag 's death.

Vinnie Paul   and   Dimebag   co-founded   PANTERA . When   PANTERA   broke up in 2003, they formed   DAMAGEPLAN . On December 8, 2004, while performing with   DAMAGEPLAN   at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio,   Dimebag   was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of   PANTERA   were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie   passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.