During a conversation with Loudwire Nights, guitarist Zakk Wylde discussed being a part of Pantera now, saying:
“Everybody in the whole camp, it’s all great people. And it’s crazy because we’ve known each other for years, but you end up knowing, even with the crew and everything like that, all these people you’ve known for years, I mean, people that I’ve been with when I started with Ozzy (Osbourne) and everything like that. So, it’s just a great time out there, man, for sure. And then, obviously, celebrating (late Pantera members) Vinnie, and Dime every night, it’s just awesome.
“The beautiful thing about music is, all the bands that we love, whether it’s (Led) Zeppelin or Black Sabbath, The Allman Brothers or Elton John or Pantera or whatever, everybody has their connection to that music. That’s the most powerful thing about music. I mean, you hear stuff, it just transports you back to when you were 13 years old, 14 years old, where you were and what you were doing when that music was going on.
”So, for so many people, it’s amazing ’cause Phil always does it at like almost every night, he’s just, like, ‘How many people saw Pantera back in the day?’ And everybody, obviously, you have all the Pantera faithful. And then he goes, ‘How many people, this is their first time seeing Pantera?’ It’s mind-blowing. I mean, I’d say it’s almost like 60-40, 70-30 sometimes, where it’s, like, ‘Wow. That is amazing.’
“I never got a chance to see Zeppelin back in the day, so to see… When I went and saw the (Jimmy) Page and (Robert) Plant thing with the orchestra and everything, that was just amazing, because I never got a chance to see them back in the day. So, just the power of the music, to see it live was just…
”I saw ’em at Brendan Byrne Arena (in East Rutherford, New Jersey in April 1995) when we were working on (Ozzy Osbourne) ‘Ozzmosis’. I got tickets and we went down to the gig that night, and it was amazing, ’cause I never I never got a chance to see it back in the day. So, it’s pretty much the same, ’cause I know I was getting chills when I was watching it. So, yeah, it’s a beautiful thing, man.”
Zakk was also asked if he would be open to working on new material with PANTERA. He said: “Nah, I don’t think so. Whenever Phil says that and all the younger kids are screaming and yelling, when they put the house lights on and everyone’s got their fists up in the air ’cause that’s the first time [they’re seeing PANTERA live], I just look at like Vinnie and Dime, if they were on the side of the stage, and go, ‘See what you guys created.’ So it’s just, like, yeah, it’s awesome. It truly is, man. But, no, I don’t think [the plan is] to record [as PANTERA]. I mean, it’d be like if [Eric] Clapton was playing with [drummer] Mitch [Mitchell] and [bassist] Noel [Redding], honoring Jimi [Hendrix], they’re not gonna go in and record [and call it] THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE with Eric Clapton. [Laughs] I don’t think anything like that. Obviously, if we were ever to do anything, it would be under a different name. Like Jimmy Page, if he was playing with Paul Rodgers and everything, it’s THE FIRM; they’re not going out as LED ZEPPELIN.”
