| Pantera was one of the few bands to escape the wrath of grunge and the dreaded rap-metal phenomenon, gaining even more respect and fans after their last album, Reinventing the Steel, came out in 2000. They were a different breed – as far removed from Nirvana as they were the ’80s hair-metal bands even then slowly entering oblivion.
The fanaticism young kids have for today’s new, thrashy "punk" owes a lot to classic records like Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven – schizophrenic, speedy rock that wasn’t afraid to experiment with style and tempo.
And it was a band of heroes, among them vocalist Phil Anselmo, drummer Vinnie Paul and Paul’s brother, Dimebag Darrell Abbott, on guitar. But just as quickly as they rose, things started to fall apart – drug abuse and distracting side-projects – until the final blow came with Abbott’s murder in 2004.
By 2004, Paul and Abbott were playing in a new group called Damageplan, touring their album, New Found Power. On December 7, 2004, during a show in Columbus, Ohio, a crazy fan jumped the stage, shooting Abbott to death, as well as three others, before being shot by police.
Since then, Paul has formed his own label, Big Vin Records, releasing Rebel Meets Rebel, a country-metal album (featuring Abbott on guitar) and Dimevision, Vol. 1, a DVD tribute to Abbott, with early concert footage of Pantera through to his time with Damageplan, and Vulgar Video-inspired debauchery.
Fast Forward: Is it true that your swimming pool is in the shape of a whisky bottle?
Vinnie Paul: It’s actually like the Crown Royal bottle and the cap is the whirlpool.
FFWD: Awesome. I was watching the old footage of you guys and wonder: how are you still alive? Do you still party and rock that hard?
Paul: Oh yeah. It’s a way of life, once you get used to it. The fans are really inspiring, too – it’s always their Friday night. Doesn’t matter when you’re playing. You drink a lot of water. Pedialyte is good,, too.
FFWD: Has thrashing on the drums all these years affected your health?
Paul: Not really — it’s like being an athlete. You get blisters, calluses and get sore from bashin’ the fuckin’ shit out ’em. Tendonitis. Nothing I can’t handle.
FFWD: What’s the state of metal now?
Paul: It’s in a pretty rough state. But it always goes through stages of popularity. Bands like Lamb of God and Hatebreed keep it alive.
FFWD: The country-metal album Rebel Meets Rebel was just released. You’d been working on it since 1999 – were you ever at the point of not wanting to release it?
Paul: Dimebag and I had full intentions of putting it out. Then… everyone knows what happened. I thought I was done with music, period. It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever been through. For a supposed fan to take him away – it’s fucked up. Dave Grohl wrote to me afterwards, saying he felt the same way after Kurt died. I took those words to heart.
FFWD: What are you working on now?
Paul: A new band, new record. We’ve already recorded it. I wish I could talk about it but gotta get all the legal bullshit out of the way. It’s with guys I’ve worked with in the past. It’s nice just getting on stage again, working with guys I’ve worked with in the past, like Zack Wylde (Black Label Society).
FFWD: The Dimebag DVD is entitled Vol. 1. More in the future?
Paul: Tons. Dimebag always had a bottle of whisky in one hand, videocamera in the other. It’s an amazing way to see what kind of person he was. |
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