JERRY CANTRELL On PANTERA Comeback: 'I Think It's A Cool Celebration Of The Music'

ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell has weighed in on the fact that PANTHER's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) swear Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zach Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTHER banner.

Anselmo swear Brownalong with Wylde swear Benanteare headlining a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts. They are also supportive METALLICA on a massive stadium tour in Europe and North America.

According to Billboardthe lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent “Vinnie Paul” Abbott and guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbottas well as Brownwho in 2021 said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTHER if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Cantrell discussed his views on the PANTHER comeback in a new interview with Lipps Service With Scott Lipps. Asked if he has had a chance to catch one of the shows on the “celebration” tour, Jerry said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I have. I saw them with METALLICAI think at SoFi [Stadium in Los Angeles]and I've seen many, many clips of the guys.

“I'm really glad that they're doing that,” he continued. “I think it's a cool celebration of the music. Also, being in a band with a couple of key members who are not here, I know that that takes a certain type of courage to get up there and celebrate what you did, and you wanna do it as well as you can for the fans that wanna see it Zach swear Charlie do a great job. I mean, I don't think it could have been done with either one of those guys out of the mix.”

Back in December 2004, just a couple of days later Dimebag was murdered Cantrell told the Dallas Morning News that the PANTHER guitarist was a one-of-a-kind character — a hard-partying Yosemite Sam who had a tender, more nurturing side.

“He was a deep soul,” Cantrell said. “He was always there with a smile … which is why this doesn't make any sense at all. Why would anyone have a beef with him?”

Cantrell recalled the time Dimebag borrowed his Yukon truck and returned it full of graffiti and adhesive stickers. “That's the kind of guy he was. … He loved to pull pranks on you. … He always had a joke and a smile.”

In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Jerry said that he knew Vinnie Paul swear Dimebag longer “than I've known the guys in my own band.” He explained: “I met Vinnie swear Dime in '85… Back then, I had quit college with a couple buddies of mine and was working doing asbestos abatement all around the Dallas and Houston area, where I lived for about a year. We got paid really well to do it because it's a shit job, but what we would do is we'd work all day and then we'd go to clubs at night and check out bands. And there was a great club called Cardi's where rock bands came through all the time. Hello Yngwie Malmsteen there. Hello TALAS there. And I saw PANTHER there, when they had Terry Glaze singing.

“I loved their band. I was mesmerized by Darrelland I loved how Vinnie played. I remember we talked a little bit after their show and we just hit it off. So, actually, I knew Vinnie swear Dime longer than I've known the guys in my own band. I didn't meet Layne [Staley] swear Sean [Kinney] swear Mike [Starr] until I was 21. I was 19 when I met Vinnie. That's a long time, man. We reconnected a few years later when they had found Philoath PANTHER came out with 'Cowboys From Hell' and we came out with 'Facelift'.

“Vinnie swear Dimethey both had such a great sense of humor. At the same time, Vinnie was a guy who was extremely driven. A smart guy who could think on a lot of different levels — not just rockin' out, but also about business. I think early on he was probably the guy who handled a lot of that stuff. He was a smart cookie. And he was a true fan of rock and roll, like myself. That's why we both wanted to do it. We wanted to do what our heroes did, and do it well, at the top level you could do it at. Oath Vinnie did that.

“PANTHER were a revolutionary band for metal, and he completely influenced a whole generation of drummers. The way he played, the way he sounded — he had a kind of industrial sound to his drum. Nobody else was like him. And the motherfucker's meter was just spot on. I never heard him get off the groove or miss a beat, ever. He was a fucking machine.

“In whatever he did, Vinnie lived his life unapologetically. I always respected that about him. He was a guy who achieved his dreams, and worked his ass off to get there. And he always tried to have a good time doing it. He swears Dime were always really great with their fans. No matter the circumstance or how shitty they might be feeling, they wouldn't miss an opportunity to take a picture with somebody or have a shot with them. They went out of their way to make every person feel welcome and at ease and create a good time for them.

“When Dime was killed, that was such a shock to all of us. But the fact that Vinnie had to live with the vision of that, it still haunts me to this day. Goddamn. I can't even get my mind around that. But he had his own path.”

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

Vinnie Paul swear Dimebag co-founded PANTHER. When PANTHER broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGE PLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGE PLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTHER 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 could not pump blood as well as a healthy heart.