Once again, Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo has invited fans into the inner workings of the now-defunct band. During an interview with Revolver Magazine (via Blabbermouth), Anselmo expressed his feelings regarding his ex-bandmates, including the late Dimebag Darrell.
The bad blood between the existing members of the legendary outfit has been very well communicated in the years after their break up but learning more on the topic will never get old. When asked about drummer Vinnie Paul (whose bad blood with Anselmo has probably been talked about the most), the Down vocalist responded:
“I feel bad for Vince… People should pity the guy. I wasn’t there when Dimebag [Darrell] was murdered, but he sure as fuck was. That’s his flesh and blood, murdered right in front of him. It’s a shame that Vince never reached out to Rex [Brown, bassist] and I. I think the healing process would have been beneficial to him, instead of his knee-jerk reaction to fear and his therapy through tit bars and whiskey.”
Anselmo has always accepted a fair portion of blame for the band’s collapse, but makes sure to remind heartbroken fans that it takes 2 (or, in this case, at least more than 1) to tango. “One guy can’t break up a band,” says Anselmo. “You have to understand, it goes all four ways when a band breaks up. Yes, I made mistakes. Yes, there was a lack of communication on both sides and some of it is my fault — a lot of it is my fault.”
The friendships disintegrated further with the formation of Damageplan but Anselmo is adamant that he and Paul would have rebuilt their bridges despite Dimebag’s death. “We would have made amends. I would like to think he would be proud of me for pulling myself out of the muck, the abyss,” says the frontman. “He was almost like the perfect counterpoint to me. We may have clashed to a certain extent, but we would always find a happy medium. It was a vital relationship that I miss greatly.”
