ANTHRAX Guitarist Says VINNIE PAUL Will Play Drums Again

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has confirmed to MTV.com that he has spoken to PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul about the possibility of Vinnie playing with ANTHRAX at a February 23 benefit in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom. "We're just hoping it happens," Ian said. "There would be nothing better than getting Vinnie up on the drum kit and jamming with us. That would just be incredible."

Following PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's murder in December, some wondered whether his brother Paul would ever be able to perform in concert again. However, Ian told MTV.com that's not likely to happen. "I don't think that would be possible with him. It's in his blood. The last thing in the world he would do, or that Dime would ever want, would be for him to not drum anymore. That would be insane."

Paul and surviving DAMAGEPLAN bandmates — singer Patrick Lachman and bassist Bobzilla — signed Dimebag posters at the Dean guitars booth at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim, California along with Ian, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde and others.

"His spirits were great," Ian said. "He's doing as well as could be expected in the situation, and he looked a lot better than I thought he would. The fact that he even came out to the NAMM show said a lot. He wanted to be there and talk to people and meet people."

While at the convention, Paul also attended a private party for Guitar World magazine's 25th anniversary, which was headlined by BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. "He seemed like he was doing a little bit better," confirmed Wylde. "But how do you judge when it comes to handling something like that? Vinnie has always been a quiet guy, so he's kind of hard to read."

So far, Paul, his bandmates and family members have rejected former PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's gestures of friendship and even asked him not to attend a memorial service for Dimebag. In light of past malicious comments about Dime, some consider Anselmo's recent attempts at reconciliation hollow or meaningless. But Ian doesn't question the singer's sincerity. "I just hope that whatever they have between them, if there's something that could be worked out, then hopefully that could happen," he said. "If any good could come out of this horrible situation, it would be great."