Pantera’s Rex Brown recently talked to Sweetwater, where he opened up about the late Abbott brothers, suggesting that Pantera’s current lineup (himself, Phil Anselmo, Zakk Wylde, and Charlie Benante) was given the green light by founding members Vinnie Paul, and ”Dimebag” Darrell.

During the interview, Rex Brown said:

“The last show, man, I had a creepy, like a cold, something came by me. It felt like there was a cold feeling. And I’ve gotten this a couple of times before. When we were down recording with Charlie, me and Charlie just went down, put up eighty to a hundred hours of tape before Zakk (started rehearsing with us). 

”Zakk was still on the road. So we wanted to get the bass and the drum real tight, and we had this scratch guitar player. I felt that same chill. And, to me, they’re angels. And I think you know who they are. Those guys, I think they’re looking down, or they’re looking around us, with us, and I think they’re digging what they’re seeing, man. I do.

”And that’s the only kind of way I can look at it, and get as close as we can with Charlie and Zakk. And God, it’s getting really, really good. And there’s so much more potential to get even tighter.”