In a new interview with Guitar World, producer Sterling Winfield discusses the making of Pantera's final album, Reinventing The Steel. He talks about the genius of Dimebag Darrell, the album's upcoming 20th anniversary reissue, and why the band's music stands the test of time. Read an excerpt below:

Guitar World: What did you learn from working with Dime?

Sterling Winfield: “The biggest lesson was 'Keep it simple.' Don’t be afraid of mistakes. Dime made mistakes all the time. He was down there playing stuff he had written the night before and killing it, but he made mistakes just like everybody else. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Whatever it is, just try it.

"There are sounds on these records that we could never duplicate because he had ten pedals plugged into a floor unit and there was no way we could redo it, but that’s the beauty of it.

"The rest of it, the psychology of Dime, had nothing to do with recording or technicality. It was don’t be afraid to say what’s on your mind, be honest with yourself, and be a good person. Be nice. He was so nice, even when he didn’t have to be.”

Guitar World: You mentioned that being involved in this project was cathartic. How did you work through your emotions? Grief is so personal, yet at the same time, society tells us to suck it up and move on.

Winfield: “It can come back and gut-punch you, for sure. For me, the catharsis came in the happiness of things like hearing Dime’s voice again and hearing the guys play. It was a release, like somebody flipped a switch on the time machine of memories. Vinnie and Dime were the glue of this whole thing, the musical heart of this band and any band they were in.

“I didn’t think I would ever get to be immersed in these tracks again. I didn’t think I would ever hear Vinnie’s drums isolated or Dime’s guitar playing – listening to his leads and what a killer guitar player he was.

“It’s very emotional for me. I’m not weeping, but a tear comes to the eye and I mist up a little. But overall, it makes me smile. They were such down to earth, good guys who didn’t get caught up in their own hype, and to me, that’s the best part.

“That’s the positive lasting energy that they carry into the universe, and goddamn right it’s OK to get emotional about this, because I’m very passionate about all of it! That whole ‘Be a man, buck up’ shit is for insecure machismo assholes. Fuck that. Have a good cry if you need to. Do whatever you’ve got to do to get some kind of release.

“My release comes in archiving decades of material that I have from the guys.

“Hearing all of that stuff again for the first time in so many years is an amazing feeling. It’s a very positive emotional outlet to go back and listen to these tracks again, and to look at all the notepads and silly drawings that Dime did on them.

“I’m so happy to have been a part of it, so blessed. It’s emotionally uplifting for me. To think that I got to do this with these guys, that they let me into their world – what a privilege.”

Read the complete interview at GuitarWorld.com.

Pantera’s final opus, Reinventing The Steel, represented a recommitment to everything the band loved about heavy metal. Released in 2000 at the peak of nu-metal’s popularity, the album’s back-to-basics approach flew in the face of the trend and served as a potent reminder of the enduring power of primal metal. Pantera’s swan song turns 20 this year and Rhino will celebrate with two new versions that feature an unreleased mix of the album by longtime producer Terry Date.

The first is Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition, a three-CD set that includes a newly remastered version of the original album and a selection of rarities. A major highlight is the new mix by Terry Date, the legendary producer who was behind the console for the band’s previous four landmark albums: Cowboys From Hell (1990), Vulgar Display Of Power (1992), Far Beyond Driven (1994) and The Great Southern Trendkill (1996). The set will be released on October 30 and will also be available through digital and streaming services.

Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition will also be released as a double-LP set on silver vinyl that features the new Terry Date mix on one album, plus eight rare bonus tracks making their vinyl debut on the other. Limited to 5,000 copies, the 180-gram audiophile vinyl collection comes in an embossed, foil jacket and will be available on January 8.

Philip Anselmo, Dimebag Darrell, Rex Brown, and Vinnie Paul had already earned a #1 album and several Grammy nominations by the time Pantera began recording Reinventing The Steel in 1999. The album would prove to be a celebration of the skull-rattling strain of metal the quartet had cultivated through the years with songs like, “We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time”, “Goddamn Electric” and “I’ll Cast A Shadow”. Certified gold and embraced by fans and critics alike, the album would unexpectedly become the band’s last.

The three-CD and digital versions open with an unreleased mix of the album by Terry Date, who had been helping Pantera perfect its piledriving sound since 1990. Date - who likes Sterling Winfield’s original mix of the album - says he was initially apprehensive about remixing Reinventing The Steel for this reissue. Eventually, he agreed knowing that diehard fans would be curious to hear his take on the album. He says, “…I’m just trying to remember what we used to do as I’m going through this stuff. But the riffs and performances are strong. It’s just classic Pantera.”

The CD and digital collections also include a newly remastered version of the original album, which was co-produced by Darrell, Vinnie, and Winfield. It’s joined by radio edits for singles (“Revolution Is My Name”, “Goddamn Electric”); covers (Black Sabbath’s “Electric Funeral” and “Hole In The Sky”, Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever”); soundtrack contributions (“Avoid The Light", “Immortally Insane”); and previously unreleased instrumental rough mixes for every album track.

Pre-order here.

Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition 3CD tracklisting:

Disc One: New Terry Date Mix
“Hellbound”
“Goddamn Electric”
“Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit”
“You’ve Got To Belong To It”
“Revolution Is My Name”
“Death Rattle”
“We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time”
“Uplift”
“It Makes Them Disappear”
“I’ll Cast A Shadow”

Disc Two: Original Album Remastered
“Hellbound”
“Goddamn Electric”
“Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit”
“You’ve Got To Belong To It”
“Revolution Is My Name”
“Death Rattle”
“We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time”
“Uplift”
“It Makes Them Disappear”
“I’ll Cast A Shadow”

Bonus tracks:
“Goddamn Electric” - Radio Mix
“Revolution Is My Name” - Radio Edit
“I’ll Cast A Shadow” - Radio Edit
“Goddamn Electric” - Radio Edit

Disc Three: Bonus Tracks

Non-Album Tracks & Covers
“Avoid The Light”
“Immortally Insane”
“Cat Scratch Fever”
“Hole In The Sky”
“Electric Funeral”

Instrumental Rough Mixes
“Hellbound” *
“Goddamn Electric” *
“Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit” *
“You’ve Got To Belong To It” *
“Revolution Is My Name” *
“Death Rattle” *
“We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time” *
“Uplift” *
“It Makes Them Disappear” *
“I’ll Cast A Shadow” *

Reinventing The Steel: 20th Anniversary Edition 2LP tracklisting:

LP One: New Terry Date Mix
Side One
“Hellbound”
“Goddamn Electric”
“Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit”
“You’ve Got To Belong To It”
“Revolution Is My Name”

Side Two
“Death Rattle”
“We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time”
“Uplift”
“It Makes Them Disappear”
“I’ll Cast A Shadow”

LP Two: Bonus Tracks
Side One
“Avoid The Light”
“Immortally Insane”
“Cat Scratch Fever”
“Hole In The Sky”

Side Two
“Electric Funeral”
“Goddamn Electric” - Radio Mix
“Revolution Is My Name” - Radio Edit
“I’ll Cast A Shadow” - Radio Edit

* previously unreleased

"Immortally Insane" (remastered):

“Revolution Is My Name” (2020 Terry Date Mix):

“Death Rattle” (2020 Terry Date Mix):

“We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time” (2020 Terry Date Mix):