CROWBAR's KIRK WINDSTEIN Doesn't Think PANTERA Reunion Will Ever Happen

During a recent interview with Portugal's Riff-Mag.com, CROWBAR frontman and former DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein was asked if he thinks the much-rumored PANTERA reunion — featuring Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) filling in for the late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott — will ever come to fruition.

"I know [former PANTERA and current DOWN singer] Phil [Anselmo] was doing a PANTERA song or two with BLACK LABEL [SOCIETY during DOWN's recent tour with BLS], but I can't ever see it being billed as PANTERA," he said. "If it's Philip Anselmo, and fellow surviving PANTERA members] Rex Brown, Vinnie Paul and special guest Zakk Wylde doing the music of PANTERA, or celebrating the legacy of PANTERA — something like that — I can see that happening. But to say 'This is PANTERA,' no."

He continued: "To me, it would be a good idea even to have like a… I'm sure financially it woudn't be the best thing… But to have a thing where Phil does those 'Metal Masters' [clinics] with Kerry King [SLAYER] and whatnot, it would be great to have Zakk play a few things… If they could mend things — not him and Rex, but with Vinnie — if you could have Phil, Vinnie and Rex together and have Zakk play a bit and have a couple of other guys who were good friends with Dime play as well and just celebrate what they accomplished, I think that would be cool."

He added: "In my opinion, from knowing Philip for so many years, I don't really see them calling themselves PANTERA. But [to have them] play the songs, why not? We all love it. It's one of my favorite bands ever. I mean, it's the best metal band of my generation, basically, or the newer generation."

Dimebag's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney in 2011 called on ex-PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and Philip Anselmo to settle their differences in honor of Dimebag, who was shot and killed by a crazed gunman while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at a Columbus, Ohio rock club in December 2004.

Vinnie, who is Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo have not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie indirectly blamed Philip for Dimebag's death, suggesting that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

Haney told the producers of "Behind The Music Remastered: Pantera" that she forgave the singer after they found themselves unexpectedly face to face at a concert in California.