Zakk Wylde revealed that he and Dimebag Darrell Abbott never jammed when they were spending time together. Even though they respected each others’ abilities, the close friends preferred to focus their energies on partying, the Black Label Society leader told Guitar World in a recent interview.

Asked if he and late Pantera guitarist Dimebag had traded licks in private, Wylde said, “No. Why would we do that? Let’s see. We could be at an Irish pub somewhere laughing our asses off, or we could be working on writing some new music. Hmm. I think we’ll be at the Irish pub! Seriously, man, there was no time to jam. They live in Texas; I was out in California. Whenever we got together it was just to have a good time. … We’d make each other cry, we’d be laughing so hard. But every time we got together it was always hilarious – nothing but pure comedy. And sometimes we caused mayhem.”

Wylde said that when they started "hanging out, of course, we drank. But most of the time drinking with Dime would be over the phone. We talked on the phone all the time for several hours just drinking away." Asked what powered the pair’s close connection, Wylde replied, “It was a combination of everything. Between the playing, the drinking, how we matched our stilettos and our fishnets with our eyeliner and our rouge – all the typical stuff that brings fellas together!”

The guitarist is currently touring Europe with Pantera in place of Dimebag, with Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante replacing Dime’s late brother Vinnie Paul Abbott in the band. The road trip returns to North America in July.

Pantera Live in Texcoco, Dec. 2, 2022

Reunion/tribute tour kicked off at Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Mexico.