The surviving members of the iconic metal group Pantera will be going on tour next year.
Frontman Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown are the only surviving members from the original line-up, and the pair will take Pantera on the road next year according to Billboard.
Music agent Peter Pappalardo, who has worked with the likes of Megadeth and Meat Loaf, will help handle the tour, and told Billboard “we are thrilled to be working with such an iconic band and bringing their music back to the fans."
Pantera will reunite, sans two original band members.
Guitarist Dimebag Darrell was murdered on stage in 2004, while his brother, fellow co-founder and drummer Vinnie Paul passed away from heart disease in 2018, leaving only Anselmo and Brown in the original line-up.
There is no word on who will step in to replace Dimebag and Vinnie Paul on guitar and drums for the tour, but Blabbermouth have put together a case for Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde joining up with Pantera, pointing to their long-standing relationship with band members.
At this stage there have been no tour date announcements, or indeed if the new iteration of Pantera will hit Irish shores, but there will be a captive audience of metalheads waiting for them should they ever return to Ireland.
Pantera were among the biggest draws in metal in the 1990s with hits like 'Walk' and 'I'm Broken' helping them break through with the masses.
Their 1994 album 'Far Beyond Driven' is regarded by critics as the heaviest album to ever hit number one on the American album charts, and their 1992 album 'A Vulgar Display Of Power' regularly features in best metal album lists.
The original iteration of Pantera was marked by in-fighting and disputes, with the band splitting up in 2003 after tensions between band members simmered over.
Fans are split on the reunion, with one Twitter user saying "they should tour as "Phil & Rex plays Pantera", because without Dime and Vinnie well... it is not possible."
Another said the reunion would have made sense 10 years ago with Zakk Wylde filling in for Dimebag on guitar, but the reunion "doesn't make much sense" without the Abbot brothers.
