There will probably never be an interview with Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul where the “P” word isn’t brought up. That word is Pantera, of course, and despite the fact that his current band is on their fourth album, his first one still looms large over his subsequent ones. When Metal Blast interviewed him, they asked once again about the possibility of him reforming his old band, and while the answer is still an emphatic “no,” Paul put a spin on it:

Do you think a collaboration with Rex and Phil is forever out of the question?
Vinnie: Ah, man, I’m happy with doing what I’m doing here. Like I said, Pantera had 14 amazing years, and without my brother being here to be a part of it, it would be a travesty, man. I’m just not interested in it at all.

Do you think the bad blood that started afterwards can be put to rest eventually?
Vinnie: To me there’s no bad blood at all. It’s like when you get a divorce from somebody, there’s a reason why you got a divorce. You don’t have to stay in touch with that person, you don’t have to fucking see that person, or do anything with them. I’m just not interested.

So he says there’s no bad blood, but likens it to a divorce. We’re not sure we agree with that. if there’s no kids, then sure, you can make a clean break and start again. But if you have kids and share custody of them, then you’re going to have to meet up every now and then. Pantera is still a living, breathing thing, so he’s going to have to talk to his ex-wife, so to speak, every now and then. It’s totally understandable why he might be hesitant to reform Pantera for nostalgia’s sake, given the  bond he had with his brother, though.