Rex Brown: The Return Of The Cowboys From Hell 

There’s lots to talk about with Rex Brown nowadays. Between the reunion of Pantera — performing for the first time in 22 years, to his constant writing for his solo career, to the signature basses that Spector, Gibson, and Epiphone have released for him, along with his new Morley Signature Old Blue wah pedal, there’s a lot on his plate. But today, as we chat during a rare moment of downtime, the biggest thing on his mind is gratitude. 

“I’ll tell you what man, this is keeping me healthy, it’s keeping me alive, and it’s a blessing. I’m just going to ride this wave, stay in my own lane, do what I need to do, and appreciate all of it. Even though we lost two brothers in this deal, we’re survivors. Philip [Anselmo] and I have been through so much in our lives together, so to be here at this point is just mind-blowing. I never thought I’d see the day, but here I am.”

After years of saying it would never happen, it finally did — and the pioneering metal outfit from Arlington, Texas, has been hitting stages all over the world to sold-out audiences since December 2022. And while much has changed for Rex since he kickstarted the band with the late Vinnie Paul and “Dimebag” Darryl Abbott back in 1981, his love for creating authentic music that is performed meticulously tight is just as intense. A stickler for details, the 60-year-old Rex went to great lengths to get his new bandmates up to speed on the material, just as he took great care in dialing in his tone to match the tenacity he’s always provided. 

As Brown reflects on his musical brothers, you can hear in his voice how their loss still pains him immensely, but his new purpose is to honor the legacy that they created together. And while new music is being rumored from outside the camp, all Brown is focused on now is the performance they put on every night that they step on the stage. Equipped with his new signature basses and a slew of others in his hefty road collection, he has all of the hunger that he did when he first hit the scene. But a new clarity and perspective on his life as a bass player is what he now finds his biggest asset.

How does it feel being back onstage performing Pantera’s music for the first time in over two decades?

Let me put it this way: Who would have thought that 20 years later, with all the shit we had to go through and all of the pitfalls possible that we fell into, and this just magically happened? Philip and I have changed as people, and we’re older and wiser now. I quit drinking ten years ago, and life is so much easier these days. Seeing the enormity of the crowds and seeing the pockets of kids just blows my mind. The gap goes between 12-year-olds to 60-year-olds, and that says something. It’s a bold statement. We haven’t done any press for this thing, because all we need to go do is play these damn shows and prove it. There’s all the naysayers who came to a show and bought a T-shirt, and we’re happy for that. At the same time, it’s more about keeping this legacy alive. Philip and I are just having a blast playing these songs again.

Has the reception been a surprise?

It was one of those unknowns. Going out to the first show, we were basically walking a tightrope. Once we hit the first note and after that first song was done, it was the biggest sense of relief of my life. I can’t even explain it, man. We’d been in a hangar for about three weeks of solid concrete rehearsing. Charlie and I started the September before that, and we ran through 25 songs. It’s uncanny how he plays just like Vinnie. Zakk is Zakk and he’s an amazing guitar player, and [Dimebag’s] are mighty big shoes to fill. For the first shows back, we were flying by the seat of our pants, and now we can control this thing and make it do what we want it to do.

How much did you have to woodshed your parts, and how much was muscle memory?

Listen, this is crazy, but about 80% of the full songs came right back to me. I was always thinking about the riffs in my head, but I knew I would never play them again, or at least I thought. That’s muscle memory. Sometimes I’d have a couple of notes wrong where I’d be off a half-step. We’re also tuning down to C# to help Philip’s voice. Within the first week of rehearsals with Zakk, I was feeling pretty confident.

Once I put that bass on, there’s a focus that comes on. You have a performance to do and you’re only as good as your last note, and you have to do it. It’s a lot of exertion, but when I’m in it, I just let it roll. We want to get it right and tight.

What is it like playing this music at this point in your life, compared to when you wrote it?

There are a lot of things I’ve changed from back when we were angry young men playing this rabid music. We clearly had success with it, but I don’t even want to talk about the years in between, because we’re in a good place now. When it comes to the music, I don’t like to toot my own horn, but we wrote some pretty damn good songs. I stay as humble as I possibly can, and that’s the role of us bass players. Somebody has to keep levelheaded.

Pantera bass parts are fast and relentless. What was it like hopping back into these shows physically?

Once I put that bass on, there’s a focus that comes on. You have a performance to do and you’re only as good as your last note, and you have to do it. It’s a lot of exertion, but when I’m in it, I just let it roll. We want to get it right and tight. You can see the swells when we hit something good — the crowd goes nuts, and that makes us go nuts, too. Not having the Brothers tearing through it with me was weird at first. We grew up together, and I remember every phase of Dime’s guitar playing. But this is beautiful in a different and new way.

Your playing sounds just as tenacious as it ever was.

Bass playing is all in someone’s attack and how they play. I always tell myself that I don’t have to hit the strings that hard, but I always do. I was always trying to keep up with Dime. Enough can’t be said about his playing. I obviously learned a lot and picked up so much from him over the years.

Bass playing is all in someone’s attack and how they play.
I always tell myself that I don’t have to hit the strings that hard, but I always do.
I was always trying to keep up with Dime.

You still seem to use the same heavy attack you always have. 

I play with so much attack that I have to catch myself so that I don’t just beat the shit out of the bass. I’m still trying to keep the tone and the body where I want it. Back in the day you could never hear the bass, no matter what, so I started just beating the strings, and that became my technique, at least with Pantera. My bass playing has evolved since then, where it’s much more solid. I’m not playing with Vinnie and Darryl anymore, so I have to stay as true to the riff as possible. We were angry young men back in the day and we were ferocious. Our shows are still ferocious, but we don’t have to kill ourselves doing it.

How did you come to select Charlie and Zakk?

Charlie was a given. Anthrax always plays in Albuquerque, where I live, so I’d spend hours and hours with him on their bus when they’d come around. In 2019 Phil & The Illegals did a full Pantera set at the Viper Room [in L.A.], so I went and checked it out in Albuquerque, and it was good to hear our music played again — although it was nothing like the real thing. That made me realize that this music needs to be heard again. The reason we’d always say that there would never be a reunion is we were asked that question about 20,000 times over the years, and we were sick of hearing it. Any time we’re in a quandary about a big decision, I always ask Philip, what would Vinnie say right now? That guy loved this band more than anything else.

We were angry young men back in the day and we were ferocious. Our shows are still ferocious, but we don’t have to kill ourselves doing it.

How is it playing in a rhythm section with Charlie on Pantera music?

As a bass player I’ve played with some of the best drummers, and Vinnie Paul was a beast unto himself. That ol’ boy hit the drums harder than anybody I’ve ever played with. I played with Jimmy Bower [Down], and he’s no slouch either. Then I played with Vinny Appice, who is another hard-hitting and simple player who does syncopated, double-foot stuff. To play with Charlie is a dream come true. Charlie and I have been friends for 35 years, but we never got together to do anything. We’ve always sent each other riffs and ideas, but it never lined up with our schedules. He’s become my best friend out here. He rides on my bus and we have a good time together. He’s such a positive cat. And, having to learn how to play like someone else ain’t an easy trick. He almost had to relearn drums to play like Vinnie. And he had it. It’s just about catching this groove.

Vinnie and Dime must be on your mind constantly during shows.

At a certain point you have to shut it off and you don’t know why. It’s because they’re not there. And that’s simply what it is. So to honor them, we work our asses off to get it right. We play every song until everyone is entirely satisfied with it and if not, we go back in the room and do it again. And when we play them live, we fly around and leave everything we’ve got on that stage. That’s how the Brothers would have wanted it.

I’ve seen your bass arsenal for this tour, and it’s extensive.

Yeah, it was hard for me to narrow it down because these songs need different sounds, so I brought a whole bunch of them with me, and I change them throughout the set. I have two storage units in Nashville just full of gear. I didn’t used to be so into the technology, but I got sucked right up into it. Now I want to test a little of everything. Back in the day, me and Dime kept everything simple and played easy rigs. Now I have so much damn shit.

How many basses do you currently have on the road with you?

I usually have five to eight basses out there, depending on the shows and also on what I find while I’m on the road. I’ve got a big collection of Spectors, the old Yamaha BB2000s, and Gibsons, and lots of others. I’m really getting back into my old Fender Precisions (two ‘63’s, a ’72, a ’78 and lots of others). I probably have 60 basses right now. I’ve been picking up used Wal basses lately. And then Jason Newsted had a sale on Reverb not long ago and he had an Alembic 10-string, and I called him up and asked him about it because it’s a one-of-one. I’ve known him a long time and he’s a really good dude, and I decided to buy that off him before the sale even started. 

I love instruments with dings and scratches on them; that’s what Dime and I used to call “character.” If we ever got new instruments, we’d always hit them on the ground or on a post to add a little character, so that they wouldn’t look brand new [laughs].  

You’re bringing out a lot of your new basses, but we spotted some of your vintage ones, too.

When I need a sound, I need a sound. And the older stuff feels so damn worn in and good. I love instruments with dings and scratches on them; that’s what Dime and I used to call “character.” If we ever got new instruments, we’d always hit them on the ground or on a post to add a little character, so that they wouldn’t look brand new [laughs].  

Have you added a lot of new pedals to your board?

I’ll tell you what, the new stuff from Origin Effects is blowing my mind. It gets me that same crazy tone that I got back in the day. The sustain on their double-stacked compression and their pedal modelers is insane. I still keep my wah pedals out front and some of the same stuff I’ve always used. I’m always searching for that tone. Up until about five years ago there were hardly any bass pedals; you had to use guitar pedals and hope they worked. Now everything in the world is at your disposal. I used to use just an old auto-wah, which was a two-dial thing. I recently found these Origin Effects pedals, and we got a set and tried them out, and the Compressor and Super Vintage Bass Rig sound just amazing. They’re so warm and present. I’m using in-ears now, so that changes a lot. I still want to hear the thump behind me and feel it, so I’m using five cabs onstage. But with the gear they make now, kids don’t have to buy a big, heavy 8×10 fridge [SVT cabinet], because they get great bass sound from powerful lightweight amps. I used to just run into a clean Ampeg cab and a dirty one. I don’t want to give all of my tricks away, but I will say that you have to find what’s right for you. 

In the past few years, you collaborated with Gibson and Epiphone to release a series of signature Thunderbird basses. How does that feel?

I couldn’t afford those sons of bitches before, so it’s wild having my own model of them [laughs]. When I was approached to do my signature Thunderbird that I always dreamed of having, which is the gold standard, I found that in taking those out on the road I could get 98% of the tone I was getting on certain songs. Gibsons are one of the most appeasing companies. It’s such an honor to have my own signature Gibson and an honor to work with them. I still love to play those in the studio, but it’s not as feasible to play them live because they’re different woods. I love how they came out and I’m very proud of them.

Spector is also releasing a signature bass series for you.  

I love that Spector sound. Listening to Queensryche back in the day, Eddie Jackson playing Spectors through Eden amps was the sound I always wanted to go for. Nothing else quite sounds like them. I’ve played those since the third [Pantera] record on, and they became my sound. I love the EMG pickups, and once you put the gain structure into your basses, it really does it.  I love my Gibsons, but they don’t sound like the Spectors. It’s something about the woods and the electronics. We have three new designs for Custom Shop Euros and the Custom Shop NS2. I’ve played Spectors since the Far Beyond Driven record and they became my sound. 

How would you say you’ve evolved as a bass player from the start of Pantera?

Just like anything, it’s practice, practice, practice. That was my forte back in the day. I’m one of those stoner procrastinator people, but when it came to music, I got it right. I would never just fill in the blanks. Even now, it’s practice that makes this good. We’re playing all the time together. I tape everything and go back and listen until it’s right. When Charlie joined on, we spent weeks, just the two of us, playing all of this music and focusing on every groove and every beat. Then when Zakk came on, he was in my hotel room every day at noon, and we’d play through everything. Charlie would come and beat on the sofa, and that’s how I taught them these riffs. So really, my evolution has just been through practice and hard work.

I’ve always been very confident in my playing, that’s for sure. I know every triad and major and minor up and down that fretboard. I’ll just sit and play scales to keep my hand coordination where it should be. I like to do all of that on an old fretless Spector 5-string. When I feel like I need to build up my chops, I just sit on that and I’ll play a lot with my fingers. I can still get it, even at my age. 

I had scholarships to some of the best music schools in Texas, and I turned them down because I wanted to be with the brothers in the ’shed.

When you first started playing in a garage in Arlington, would you have ever imagined that you would reach these heights of success?

Not the extreme level that it’s gotten to, but for the successful part I knew I was going to try my damndest to do it. I had scholarships to some of the best music schools in Texas, and I turned them down because I wanted to be with the brothers in the ’shed. With anything in life, if you have a creative outlet, you have to put your stuff out because it’s going to mean something to somebody. That’s what the whole endgame is.

If you could go back to 1981 when Pantera formed and tell your 17-year-old self one thing, what would it be?

Find the right chemistry in the people that you’re playing music with. If they don’t have the same drive and passion that you do, look around and keep looking until you find what you want. And when you find that, work your ass off and work your fingers to the bone for it. When something is meaningful and worthwhile to you, you have to give it everything and every bit of yourself. That’s why we’re having this conversation right now. That’s all I’ve ever known.

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