Ever since the news first broke that Pantera would be re-forming to play shows, the metal world has been buzzing with strong opinions on the band's return. But what does Corey Taylor think? The Slipknot frontman has finally weighed in — doing so earlier today (August 30th) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk." So far, Pantera — now featuring core members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown plus Black Label Society's Zakk Wylde and Anthrax's Charlie Benante — are scheduled to play four shows in December: Mexico's Hell and Heaven Open Air fest, and Knotfest's three South American iterations, in Brazil, Chile and Colombia.
"I know everybody in the [new Pantera] band; I knew everybody in the prior band," Taylor said, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. "So it's interesting. I know there's a lot of debate about it. All I'm going to say is that I'm stoked to see these songs played live. I'm stoked to see it done with respect.
"Whether anybody wants to admit that or not, these fans online, they wanna admit this or not, you're talking about two dudes [Wylde and Benante] who not only knew the brothers from years ago, knew them before Pantera was even a thing," he continued. "They were friends with those guys from when Pantera was still playing clubs, and they would go and hang out with them when those respective bands would go and play Dallas; they would go and hang out with those dudes. So then when Pantera becomes massive, lo and behold they're touring with their friends, man.
"You can't get a better drummer than Charlie, you can't get a better guitar player than Zakk to step into those shoes," Taylor concluded. "Is it going to work? I don't know. But to say that it's not the right thing — first of all, it's for anybody else to say except for Phil and Rex, because those guys, they were in the band. So let's just give them the benefit of the doubt and let's see what happens."
