Drummer Charlie Benante breaks down the Pantera classic “Walk” in a new video for Drumeo (watch below).
Benante, the longtime and still current drummer for Anthrax, joined Pantera in 2022 as part of the legendary metal act’s revamped reunion lineup. He’s had the difficult task of filling the shoes of the band’s late drummer, Vinnie Paul.
The veteran metal drummer begins his analysis of Vinnie Paul’s drum parts in “Walk” with the intro fill, which comes in after the first rounds of guitar riffs. The subtle complexities of the rhythm section become immediately apparent when Benante plays — for example — the opening fill slightly fast, showing that it doesn’t work.
“It sets up the groove a lot better, for me, if I don’t rush into it,” he said before playing it at the correct speed.
It’s one of the many wrinkles of Paul’s playing style that Benante has emulated as part of Pantera’s touring lineup. He also stresses the importance of locking in with bassist Rex Brown (“Rex knows the song better than anyone”) as the arrangement moves into the verses.
“I leave this area of the kit open so I can see Rex,” Benante said, pointing to a window in his drum hardware that leaves stage right visible. “Him and I are always looking at each other, locking in.”
As for the rest of Benante’s kit, the drummer broke down his Pantera tour arsenal in a separate feature for Modern Drummer. The utter excess of breakables, skins, and hardware is obvious, as Benante is surrounded by cymbals of all sizes, rack toms, a gong drum, multiple floor toms, a snare, double kick drums, and side kick drums. Whew.
“I grew up in a time when drums were big, everything was big,” Benante said before listing some of his inspirations such as Keith Moon, Alex Van Halen, and Neil Peart.
“This is kind of an homage to Alex Van Halen,” said Benante of his kit.
Get Pantera Tickets Here
You can catch Benante playing his drum kit in person with Pantera at the Sonic Temple and Aftershock festivals, as well as on the band’s upcoming support dates for Metallica this summer. Get tickets here.
Benante is also expected to release a new album with Anthrax later this year. The thrash veterans will also be playing Sonic Temple, as well as the Welcome to Rockville and Louder Than Life festivals.
Watch the Drumeo and Modern Drummer clips, including a longer Drumeo video in which Benante discusses and demonstrates his drumming in both Anthrax and Pantera, below.
