Frank Bello has doubled down on his praise for the Pantera reunion. Featuring his Anthrax bandmate Charlie Benante along with Zakk Wylde and original members Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo, the reunion has proven controversial, however Bello fully supports it, as he reveals in a new interview with eonmusic.

Frank’s comments came as he was promoting the Then I’m Gone EP, and the subject of Pantera came up when eonmusic asked the bassist whether Anthrax’s new album - the follow-up to 2016’s For All Kings would arrive in 2023.

Said Frank; “What I can tell you is we’ll know, when the record's done; it's got to be right for us, and when we know what's right, it'll be it'll be done. Plus, we also have some other things; Charlie's playing in Pantera next year, so we're going to give him space to do that and let them do that, which is cool."

Asked about how he you feels about seeing it for himself, given the long history between Anthrax and Pantera, Frank continued; “Well, you have to realize, Anthrax and Pantera were family. It wasn't just friends hanging out; that was very much a family. I mean, we shared Thanksgiving dinners in Dallas with Pantera; it was Anthrax, and just the bands and crew. We lived with each other, so it was so very close. So you have to understand, to even think right now that Dime and Vinnie are passed, I don't put it in my head like that; I always think they're right here. I have to keep that right here because they're our brothers. I mean, honestly, they were very, very close to us.”

Eonmusic then asked how he feels about the choice of lineup for the celebration, he said; “When this thing came up, and I heard that they wanted Charlie, I said “yes, of course.” Obviously Charlie is the guy. And Zakk, because as a fan, to see these songs played right, and with respect, and as a tribute, the guys that they have in that band are the guys that I want to see."

He continued; “And I'm talking as a fan who stood on a lot of side stages for Pantera, seeing them kill every show. There’s a lot of videos with me on the side with Rex, doing shots with Rex during the show. So I know exactly what I'm going to be seeing and I'm excited that they picked the right two guys. Zakk and Charlie are going to kill it, I think. I'm really excited. I want to see it, and I think it's a celebration. There's a younger generation that's never seen Pantera, and it's all about the songs, man. Those songs deserve to be heard live, and I think it's going to be a great tribute done right. Phil, Rex, again, family. So I just think it's positive for metal, and I think people are going to love it.”

Read the entire interview at eonmusic.

Pantera''s confirmed live dates are listed below:

December
2 - Texicoco, Mexico - Hell & Heaven Metal Fest
6 - Monterrey, Mexico - Monterrey Metal Fest
9 - Bogotá, Colombia - Knotfest Colombia
11 - Santiago, Chile - Knotfest Chile
12 - Santiago, Chile - Movistar Arena
15 - São Paulo, Brazil - Vibra São Paulo (with Judas Priest)
18 - São Paulo, Brazil - Knotfest Brazil

May
26 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Armeets Arena
27 - Bucharest, Romania - Metalhead Meeting Open Air Festival
30 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
31 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer

June
2-4 - Nürburgring, Germany - Rock Am Ring
2-4 - Nürnberg, Germany - Rock Im Park
5 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
10 - Sölvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
12 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2 Arena
13 - Berlin, Germany - Verti Music Hall
15 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Edel Optics
22-24 - Oslo, Norway - Tons Of Rock

August 
4 - East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium (with Metallica)
11 -  Montreal, QC - Stade Olympique (with Metallica)
18 - Arlington, TX - AT&T Stadium (with Metallica)
25 - Inglewood, CA - SoFi Stadium (with Metallica)

September
1 - Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium (with Metallica)

November
3 - St. Louis, MO - The Dome at America’s Center (with Metallica)
10 - Detroit, MI - Ford Field (with Metallica)