“If Dime played my No More Tears solo, it would have his touch – you can’t escape that”: Zakk Wylde on why guitarists should embrace their own sound
Pantera are back in business, and have been now for some time. But while he’s holding down Dimebag Darrell’s position admirably, Zakk Wylde is reminding everyone that the revived line-up doesn’t and shouldn’t sound like prime Pantera.
Without the touch of brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, the legendary groove metal unit is missing the essence of that signature sound. Every musician develops their own sound which is impossible to replicate.
READ MORE: Rex Brown says Pantera aren’t reforming for themselves, but “for the name and the brand”
While the bulk of Pantera’s current line-up consists of surviving members Phil Anselmo (vocals), Rex Brown (bass), as well as Charlie Benante (drums), Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde has stepped up to fill in for Dimebag – but he knows he’ll never be able to precisely emulate Dimebag’s playing style.
In a recent interview with Metal Injection, Wylde reflects on tackling Dimebag’s iconic riffs. In his eyes, nobody can play exactly like another guitarist. “I don’t think you can do that,” he insists.
His reasoning lies in the fact that every single guitarist develops their own unique sound. From Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, every established guitarist has a signature feel, a distinctive tone that becomes an extension of their personality. “Just listen to Eddie Van Halen,” he explains. “Whenever he’s playing, you know it’s Eddie. You can look up when he’s playing [Hendrix’s] Fire with Steve Lukather… It sounds like Eddie Van Halen playing Fire.”
Wylde expands on this idea by retelling tales from his time on the road as Ozzy Osbourne’s lead guitarist. “Randy [Rhoads] would [perform] Black Sabbath songs [with Ozzy],” he recalls. “When he’s doing Children of the Grave, it sounds like Randy playing Sabbath!”
He argues that even Dimebag wouldn’t be able to shake his own distinctive style. “If Dime was in the same position and had to play my No More Tears solo, I’d go, ‘It sounds like my buddy playing my solo, and he’s killing it!’”
“It would have his touch,” he emphasises. “You can’t escape that.”
“There’s some songs where there’s a little bit of wiggle room,” Wylde goes on. “When Dime’s doing an ascending lick, or a descending thing, and it’s just him improvising in E-minor or something… that [gives] you a little room to improv. But, the majority of them, you’ve gotta [try to] stick to the Dime solo.”
Wylde has been very firm about Pantera’s tour not being a ‘reunion’. He’s aware he can never fully emulate Dimebag’s sound, so tends to label it a ‘celebration’ of Pantera’s legacy. Just last month, he told The Mistress Carrie Podcast that the tour is “just a testament to what the fellas created” and is certainly “not Pantera”.
Pantera will be hitting California’s Aftershock Festival this October, before embarking on their first UK headline tour in over 20 years in 2025. Tickets are available now.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
