During a recent interview with Metal Injection, Zakk Wylde shared that he can’t replicate Dimebag Darrell’s unique style in Pantera.
“I don’t think you can do that,” Wylde said when asked if he changed anything about his playing for Pantera. “Eddie Van Halen always sounds like Eddie. You can find him playing ‘Fire’ by Jimi Hendrix on YouTube, and it still sounds like Eddie Van Halen playing ‘Fire.'”
He added, “We do Sabbath songs like ‘Children of the Grave,’ and it sounds like Randy [Rhoads] playing Sabbath. I think Dime was the same. He played ‘No More Tears,’ and I’d hear it and think, ‘That’s my buddy playing my solo. Dime’s killing it.'”
Wylde continued with another example: “If Phil sings a Doors song, it sounds like Phil singing the Doors because Phil has his own sound. You can’t just tune the solos on tour. You’re playing them as Dime did.”
He went on to praise Darrell’s talent, saying, “Going into the deeper cuts live, I tell everyone I always knew Dime was great, but now I know he’s even greater. It’s his writing.”
Wylde also recalled performing at Madison Square Garden: “I always say, if Dime and Vinnie were on the side of the stage, I’d tell them, ‘Look at what you guys created.’ It’s really special.”
He emphasized the importance of honoring the Abbott brothers: “It’s a beautiful thing every night to pay tribute to Dime and Vinnie, and to this band that brings so much joy.”
In July 2022, it was announced that Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo were reuniting for Pantera’s first tour in 22 years, with Wylde and Charlie Benante stepping in for the late Abbott brothers. Pantera played their first show in 21 years at the Hell and Heaven festival in Mexico on December 2, 2022, and their next concert is scheduled for October 10 at the Aftershock Festival, with a European tour planned for early 2025.
