Ever since it was revealed that Pantera's surviving members, frontman Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, would be re-forming the band this year with Black Label Society's Zakk Wylde and Anthrax's Charlie Benante, practically every major metal musician has been asked to weigh in on their contentious return.
The surprising news that Pantera will play again after more than 20 years — and without their deceased co-founders, axman Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul — has largely been met by fellow musicians with resounding excitement, but Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has a slightly more nuanced take on it.
Speaking with Heavy Consequence, the Virginia singer said he was being hounded to give a take on Pantera's reunion but didn't feel like he had anything to contribute to the discourse. However, after a few moments of collecting his thoughts, he ended up admitting that while he's happy for younger fans who never saw Pantera back in the day to get the opportunity to do so, he personally doesn't feel like he needs to see the groove-metal pioneers ever again.
"I have nothing to say; I have nothing to say about that whatsoever," Blythe said. "And that's not me being coy saying 'I think they should really do it' or 'I don't think they should really do it.' I don't say anything about that because, I'm not from Texas or Louisiana. I've never been in Pantera. I know all those dudes, and I knew Dime and Vinnie.
"As soon as that happened, a lot people [asked me], 'What do you think? What do you think?' I don't know, man. I'm not the one doing it. I guess, apparently they got the blessing of the estate of Dime and Vinnie, so God bless. Whatever. We'll see how it goes. I'm interested to see how it goes.
"There's a curiosity level, I think — not from me, really, to tell you the truth, because I saw Pantera. I don't need to see Pantera again; I saw Pantera. But there's a lot of young people that never saw Pantera. And of course, Benante and Zakk were friends with Dime and Vinnie as well. I really don't have any judgment in one way or the other."
