Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy recently appeared on That Rocks! for an interview, revealing his thoughts on the Pantera’s new lineup and whether he would take Charlie Benante’s place.
While discussing Pantera, the drummer was asked if his name was ever in the discussion for the drum spot. Portnoy shared his admiration for Benante and revealed whether or not he was mentioned:
“You’d have to ask those guys; I have no idea. Obviously, I would have done it in a heartbeat of ass, but Charlie is absolutely the right guy for the gig. He’s doing a great, great job, and I don’t think it was ever my gig to be had; it was always Charlie’s, as far as I’m concerned.”
The drummer then mentioned his superband and recalled the times they and Pantera performed together:
“I’ve had the pleasure and the honor of already playing some of the Pantera songs with Phil [Anselmo] and Rex [Brown] through the years with Metal Allegiance, as we were just talking about because they’ve both done Metal Allegiance with us. Some of the first times that Phil had ever played any of those Pantera songs, post-Pantera, were with us in Metal Allegiance.”
He made it clear that he wasn’t upset for not being the new drummer of the band and once again shared admiration for Benante:
“So I’ve already had the fun and the honor of getting to jam with those guys, and that was enough for me. Charlie’s doing it right, and I’m happy for him.”
Similar to his admiration for Benante, Portnoy also shared his thoughts on the late drummer Vinnie Paul earlier. The drummer stated that in terms of Paul’s drumming, Pantera was the perfect band needed in the metal scene at the beginning of the 90s because the Big Four were ‘knocked out of style by grunge.’
Additionally, he added that he was already listening to Benante’s drumming before hearing Vinnie Paul’s, but thought the late drummer was ‘the next guy in line to carry the torch for the thrash or groove metal movement.’
See the latest interview below.
