Chad Gray , who was part of Hellyeah for 12 years alongside Vinnie Paul Abbott , said in an interview with The Jesse Lee Show that the drummer showed no interest in a Pantera after the death of his brother, Dimebag Darrell .
Vinnie Paul passed away in 2018 from a heart attack, and in 2022, Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown announced a tour with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante in memory of the Abbott Brothers. The group performed in Brazil in December as part of the Knotfest Brasil lineup.
Regarding the reunion, Chad Gray commented (transcription via Blabbermouth ): “I know what it is and I know that, on certain levels, the intentions are pure and true, but I also know from doing a million interviews with Vinnie Paul that [the Pantera reunion] wasn't going to happen. And there was always some clown interviewer asking, 'What about these rumors about a Pantera reunion with Zakk?' and Vinnie would literally reply, 'My brother is dead.'”
“Vinnie thought like that. Pantera was over because his brother was dead,” Gray continued. “So when I remember how emphatically he said that and I know how honest he was being… He didn’t care. Vinnie didn’t need the money, his heart was in Hellyeah. He loved Hellyeah so much. It was a great honor to have him there and see him literally bleed for the band. It was everything to him and he didn’t care about Pantera anymore.”
