Rex Brown Talks Pantera Secrets!

Rex Brown stopped by the Guitar World studios to talk about some cool Pantera stuff that not a lot of fans know, plus his relationship with Dimebag Darrell.

[@guitarguru.3572]

He played so tightly in the pocket at times that you almost forgot that he was there. Rex is a powerhouse of a bassist. One of the greatest foundational musicians I’ve ever seen.

[@sukottoshinobe7360]

Easily one of the most underrated bassist. But of course it’s not easy standing out in a band playing with all those guys. Pantera was a machine they were all the shit

[@mofomartianp]

His bassline together with Dime's Regular People solo is one the best things in metal ever.

[@Powermad-bu4em]

Always dug his tone. It was fat with a growl and just enough top end. Not overbearing.

[@smkxodnwbwkdns8369]

He was an average bassist

[@jeffrasmussen7462]

Dime called him full meal deal Rex, because he didn't contribute or fuck all,just collected paychecks

[@mattmoves5920]

I think we need a movie about Pantera

[@tyguy4809]

Right!! I'd love to see Rex and Phil sit down and reminisce about there debauchery whilst being apart of the greatest band ever known to man... Pantera!

[@18jk]

Theres already 3. Watch em go...

[@succulentstan]

@@18jk No like a movie about their biography. Kinda how motley crue did with the dirt

[@waylonh11287]

The Behind The Music episode of theirs is really good!

[@hijinx7505]

@@succulentstan I’d love to see a bohemian rhapsody style movie if they ever made a pantera movie

[@OlaEnglund]

Rex!

[@ironz18]

Ola Englund Like Dime said "Vulgar Display of fucking liquor!"

[@yonatanlutzky4836]

Ola!

[@d.1565]

Seriously that's all you have to say? KZbinrs...

[@Joker-qy2fv]

Ola Englund 🤘🏽OLA🤘🏽!!!

[@ronaldwaynevanzant3985]

D. Corso ok how bout go fuck yourself? GETCHA PULL!!!!🖕😂🖕

[@AliceInPantera]

Rex is like Batman. The dude carried the weight of the world on his shoulders but you could never tell. Cheers to all my bassists (and drummers) out there 🍻

[@AnubisXII]

Rex. One of the tragically underrated.

[@smkxodnwbwkdns8369]

No

[@Jay-jn3sl]

@@smkxodnwbwkdns8369 yes

[@Jay-jn3sl]

@Hal Colombo Go ahead, put on the face paint 🤡

[@jesseolson3142]

I wouldn't say underrated Pantera was huge. They were so good they got me into metal. In high school when I 1st heard Fucking Hostile my 1st full metal song, I listened to I loved it. Hooked

[@jesseolson3142]

@Hal Colombo Who are you? Do you play Bass? Literally Millions of people will disagree with you.

[@just4h00ts5]

The talent pantera had with dime in the band was far beyond given

[@adityakuttus]

*driven

[@shigeon2668]

*driven

[@ermonski]

Pretty much having all that talent brought them to a new level of confidence and power. Such power.

[@joshuatraffanstedt2695]

Far beyond driven

[@paulmildner6093]

Nice one

[@Glass_Caskets]

Pantera was one of those bands that was able to have huge sound with only 3 instruments live.

[@loknloll]

Grave Bodybag. 2 instruments. And one Dimebag

[@vasquesdecarvalho92]

So simple and yet so heavy and groovy. One of a kind. We miss them!

[@auralfury]

so true..some of the best bands are just 3pc.......motorhead, rush, the police..... etc.

[@snoopcat9351]

@@auralfury black sabbath

[@MatChew75]

Well one of the reasons why is cuz Rex didn't have the freedom to go outside the box which I think is kind of b******* you know he was a good bass player and they should have given him a little more freedom in that band set of making him play the exact same thing the guitars did I know it provided for a heavier sound but they should have had another guitarist if they wanted that. Cuz you know they basically tapped Rex's potential and I know that he resent that that was something he was not happy about. But you know what can you do it ended up working out I would say

[@schjonicus]

I could listen to Rex talk about Pantera all day

[@skinnybigstuff1040]

Rex is great.

[@catjudo1]

Rex Brown always seemed to Pantera what John Paul Jones was to Led Zeppelin: an extremely competent musician who contributed more to the sound than most people knew that stayed a bit more in the background than the other three members. He did the same thing with his other bands too, and with his solo album it's more "hey listener, let's chill for a while and grove to some good music" rather than "LOOK AT ME! I'm the big star at the head of the game!" Seems like a nice guy there too, with bright eyes that show that he's up for a good joke and an entertaining story.

[@benparsons4979]

Damn, that "I miss him dude" right at the end hit deep

[@aliray1165]

I miss him dearly....yep was what he said

[@snr2707]

Maybe he should have played with him the couple years before dime and bro had to move on. They tried to keep the P going.

[@aliray1165]

Jason Erwin there will always be regrets.

[@ryanatorryanson9535]

@@snr2707According to Rex’s book, Dime & Vins dad (Jerry) was extremely involved in the bands personal stuff, and was telling Vin to ignore Phil all together, even when he tried to contact them & work things out. Vin then convinced Dime to do the same. Rex knew the truth about what was really going on, and sided with Phil. According to his book anyway.

[@snr2707]

@@ryanatorryanson9535 very interesting. Welp..goes to show you never know the true dynamic and ins-and-outs of others personal relationships. Either way, it’s a tragic story.

[@jaymz_rg1003]

Ha! I knew it wasn't just regular power chords. Most tabs are wrong. I feel validated after all these years. Thank you, Rex, for clearing this up for the world. Rock on, brother.

[@austinmoser5056]

EnteringAeons lol ya u can hear that they aren't just normal powrchords

[@luckydominguez2654]

The tabs i´ve seen for the song don´t ever have the regular power chord

[@johnmatyasz9962]

enteringaeons very intetestong!

[@jaymz_rg1003]

I think anyone will tell you that figuring out chords on a super high-gain distorted guitar isn't always the easiest, especially, with Dime's tone, lol. Even people with perfect pitch (which I don't have) might have trouble figuring it out. There are numerous tabs (online, mostly) that have this backing riff either tabbed as power chords or wrong inverted chords. But yeah, I always knew it these were the chords. It's just nice to have verification from one of the band members.

[@jaymz_rg1003]

Lol, don't worry about it, brother. This is the internet, after all.

[@ryanknight1350]

I met him,nice guy,asked for his autograph and didn't even have anything for him to sign,he pulled out his Marlboro pack and called for a sharpie from the bartender and I was set

[@maciek_p]

Was the pack empty, or did You get some free smokes from Rex?

[@joshreaps8542]

Liar lol.

[@melgibsonfan9082]

BOOT TO THE KOOLS

[@Ivogrape]

that is so cool!

[@eliaskarasik194]

Awesome autograph

[@sergejkrynycky728]

Funny how they call CFH their first album. :D

[@5tonyvvvv]

Because CFH was there first true album, just Brutal.. Yes they were a 80s hair band before Phil

[@uraharakisuke101]

Cowboys From Hell isn't their first album

[@Skuldug]

To be honest the first 4 albums would have been pretty good with proper sound quality especially power metal

[@RobbieFitzgerald]

5tonyvvvv they were still hair metal when Phil joined

[@Skuldug]

Robbie Fitzgerald power metal was more speed metal than glam That's a weird sentence

[@godtoHrD]

Rex Drugs and Rock n Roll

[@bencooper1764]

Rolax

[@christian43663]

🍁🍁🔥🔥

[@BluesManSteele]

Those chords almost sound like hangar 18

[@zomambik]

my first impression too

[@rickyhorton1129]

hangar 18 also has some of the same chords as the call of ktulu from metallicas ride the lightning album. a song that dave mustaine co wrote.

[@xuxushushu]

True

[@toolmoo1]

It goes back further than that...Kashmir?

[@rickyhorton1129]

schehrazad will you marry me? haha

[@TheManwithafan]

Holy fuck that's actually a huge revelation

[@Arkansauce76]

TheManwithafan Absoutely! I've read Rex's book and knew Dime got really good really fast but had no clue about Rex arranging the songs. Truly fascinating shit. Dime was such a world class talent guess I always assumed it was all 100% his riffs/key changes etc.

[@stonethecrow80]

always thought Rex is a very underrated bass player. And I was sure those songs were teamwork songwriting. That's Pantera's highlight

[@nobodyhere4860]

+stonethecrow80 Rex is a badass bass player! Any musician would would say he was much more than just a solid Bassist.

[@billaddison399]

I've always rated Rex highly. A quiet acheiver. I think his position in the band was often overlooked, and it was unfortunate that he got caught in the middle of the Pantera implosion. And to bounce back from alcoholism the way he did, it's a credit to him.

[@unicornsteaks6769]

I always thought Rex's bass often made Pantera sound like they had two guitars, but i didn't know it was because Rex recorded some rhythm with Dime.

[@georgemccune5466]

That and dime layered his guitar tracks heavily. I think on some of the later songs it wasnt uncommon for their to be 8 or 9 guitar layers tracked.

[@MyName-cj4em]

To me, Rex always seemed like the unknown or forgotten part of the band because he was SO In time with Dimebag and I Don't think he got the Credit He Deserves to do what Almost No One Else Could Have Done and That is SURVIVE Pantera and write The Most POWERFUL Songs in Musical HISTORY !!!!!!!!!!!

[@momomono795]

Unknown !!!! Common man , anyone with muscal ears can easily listen to Rex's sound in pantera's songs. It's not metallica or Slayer or Megadeth (I am a huge fan of Slayer And Megadeth )where bass line and tunes are just hidden by copying the guitar lines most of the time. Rex's was essential part of Pantera's sound.

[@jesseolson3142]

No, he just didn't like to be all in the spotlight. He really opened up last few years. He barley ever talked in interviews in his book he even said he would just put shades on and sit behind the guys and let them talk. Even in the 3 home videos Rex don't say much man. He just liked to Jam not talk and act famous

[@jesseolson3142]

@@momomono795 People who actually listen to the music get it. I'll listen to the lyrics then just listen to the song again and tune out the lyrics and listen to the band and Pantera was tight like a machine. Some songs actually sound like a machine running in tune

[@mwhitelaw8569]

Right there with ya brother Miss em both Keep rockin' Rex

[@dougfunny2347]

0:42 he was about to do the solo lol

[@elmochacho3]

No he wasn't.

[@ronfigg1]

I miss you too Dime!!! 😥😢

[@koosh6876]

Ron Figg i hate that i was born in 2001 and dime died in 2003 i wish i could have meet him so bad he is my fucking idol

[@ninevoltromeo]

Koosh, Dime died 12/8/2004.

[@koosh6876]

Tommy Pogue i always thought it was 2003 i must have read it wrong

[@ninevoltromeo]

Definitely 2004.. I remember the day very well, sadly. I had just seen Damageplan the week before in New Jersey.

[@koosh6876]

Tommy Pogue ill have to check it up to see when it was when did damageplan come out ive never hears of thay album im a big fan of cowboys from hell, reinventing steel,and great southern trendkill

[@trendkill3333]

Rex was such a key part of Pantera, amazing musician!

[@kevinzurvalec3621]

I love Rex!!! “And I miss him dearly”. As we all do. Vinnie too.

[@Impuritan1]

That's a man with some hurt deep down inside.

[@etherealcatholic5711]

Aphelion I see it too,theyre a very sad story. Someone should make a movie about the Pantera family starting with Vincent Darrell & Rex as teenagers.

[@iskanderammon6405]

Aphelion I think Rex had a serious medical issue not too long ago...pretty serious

[@WorthlessDeadEnd]

@Ethereal Catholic, I don't think the fans would approve of _anyone_ portraying their idols in any role, no matter how big a budget. Even if they get A list actors to do it, they'll never be satisfied with whomever were to hypothetically get the roles. It's probably still too soon, especially after Vinnie's death.

[@stateofchrysalis5483]

Didn't he have treatment for cirrhosis or something similar?

[@metatronatra]

State Of Chrysalis pancreatitis

[@nuclearskull]

We ALL miss him dearly :(

[@CyTheVi5099]

Most solemn condolences to the best bassist, Rex brown. your combined contributions with master dime and master vinnie will never be forgotten. not as long as I live.

[@TheRocknrolla12]

My Goodness....how it must have felt to play in Pantera. You Sir is a legend

[@lowfrequency1180]

1:51 Rex makes a great point here about not always doubling the guitar. In that section of Cowboys from Hell, the bass is playing on the upbeats while the rhythm guitar accents the down beats. He only doubles at the end of the riff. It grooves hard. Genius

[@kranberryjones1449]

I know exactly which part you're talking abt

[@morgellon7877]

Rex and Vinnie Paul could really swing, but you only ever get to hear that under Dime's guitar solos. While Dime was soloing, Rex was often soloing as well; they would just freewheel with Vinnie keeping everything from flying apart. Really would have been cool if Rex had not doubled so much, but honestly I wouldn't change anything they did.

[@saviofreire19]

I always pointed that out to my friends, the guitar behind the cfh solo sounds badass 🚨

[@1337million]

It goes so well with the solo, it's almost unbelievable! On it's own it is just a riff, but with the solo it is pure badassery

[@topfloorstudio2684]

I always did too and those chords seem to sustain forever I thought.

[@zacharyfloydjohnson]

Yooo I did the same thing !!!

[@HeyStripes]

best part of the song imo

[@6nosis]

I thought he won that guitar that he played on CFH ....yeah he won so many contests he wasn’t allowed to enter them anymore that’s also why he started playing Randall.

[@MrWuWatt]

I honestly believe that when Dime came out of his room, a new guitar player, he had a spirit inside him from the other side. That's how it was possible. Dime was a Angel, god I wish Pantera ruled this earth for an eternity. Pantera was one of the best creations in HISTORY, period. I proudly turn it up in traffic to this day, and not just the radio tunes the hard ass shit. The Steel.

[@jimmygray4525]

Rex Brown is an amazing musician.

[@mariovomhof2775]

Exactly, and I feel like he did more for Pantera than most people think.

[@GW4PCITY]

i wish this was an hour long

[@ryankaylor3524]

I love that part under the solo! It takes the song the that higher level...It improves the solo drastically

[@TenFalconsMusic]

. Hearing Rex talk about Dime will never, ever get old...

[@Garbagejuicewaterfall]

Life long fan here . Love you Rex !

[@memomartinez8867]

Mr.Rex Brown. You still bad ass man. Love you.🕨🕩🕪🎼🎵🎶♩🎸

[@The.Original.Potatocakes]

Rex, you are still the best bass! We love you!

[@nobodyhere4860]

I love this guy! More people need to support Rex and his music!

[@LambOfLucifer]

Can people stop crying about Pantera having 4 previous records? They were basically kids ffs. You don't just go in a studio day 1 and produce a masterpiece, define/invent a genre, master your own sound and tone do you? They started out small, did covers and began to learn to write tunes. They did what 99.9% of all other musicians did, they emulated thier idols of the day! As other bands emerged playing heavier music, they became fans and thier style changed. By the time Dimebag met Slayer, and the more hardcore Mr Anselmo joined the band, they took on a dangerously heavy style. They proved they were awesome on CFH, then totally changed the entire genre forever with VDOP. Then they became increasingly aggressive and heavier with every album thereafter, refusing to ever compromise or sell out.

[@riffermadness96]

But being a huge PanterA fan myself i've always enjoyed their pre CFH albums too!

[@MatheusSouza-xz4gq]

fuck you

[@troywilson4694]

LambOfLucifer you mean after Phil was done doing roadie work for Exhorder, he brought a cassette over and said "we need to sound more like this."

[@b_08_amitkumarsahu90]

Abhishek Sharma hey boy me too nice to see a pantera fan from india😉

[@KTF0]

Those albums were actually pretty good. The vocalist was meh, though. The solo in Power Metal is amazing. Contrary to popular belief, those albums doesn't really sound like hair metal music, it sounded like Priest.

[@Rob_Cary]

The riff that comes right after that solo is one of my favorite riffs of all time. So good

[@kranberryjones1449]

Those damn galloping drums underneath the riff also absolutely hypes me up everytime

[@bigdbigooo7829]

I love Rex we only have Rex and Phil left. More interviews

[@electricfil]

Thank you a lifetime for those words Rex. So much love and respect. Hearing that riff played by you felt better than hearing the whole song played by anyone else on the entire planet. CFH!! RIP DIME! we All miss you brother 👑🍺🧨

[@TheRealJonnyLaw]

Love you Rex! You were my idol growing up!

[@michaeljamesyvnvsh-records9446]

Thank u Rex. Dimebag really is special

[@bt6135]

Pantera. There has been nothing in the last 20 years that even comes close to those dudes. Seeing them live was a game changer for me. Ive been to some really great shows since the demise of Pantera. But nothing comes close to these dudes in their prime. Pure brutal awesomeness that just can’t be put into words. 🤘🏻

[@TGG239]

Agreed, Slipknot is the only band currently that has simpler aggression and balls like PanterA

[@patrickmayersr9623]

Thanks Rex, always true,great insight to your past and the great times you lived.......😶....old fan.

[@FourHorsemen-k2y]

Dimebag was the epitome of genius when he shouldered his axe !

[@setheast2773]

What Rex said in this video was exactly what I had picked up on years of listening to Pantera and playing a long growing up and high School and learn how to play the drums bass guitar.... Rhythm... I notice how Rex would go back and forth and his playing with compliment Vinny on drums and then go back to complimenting dimebag as he played. I learned a lot from this band when I was younger I kind of felt like I grew with these guys just a little age difference

[@M_D93]

15 years after I discovered Pantera, I learn new things. Now I learned that Rex does rhythm guitar in the studio.

[@DayInTheLifeOfAl]

…and I miss him dearly. Just made me tear up. How do you reconcile such a sad ending for a great, God bless Dimebag!

[@Abner_Devereaux_Jr]

I'm so thankful I got to see Pantera twice during the Great Southern Trendkill era

[@claytonicForce]

Enjoyed that. Thanks for posting it

[@proctorul]

We all miss him dearly. Kudos, Rex.

[@OmniscientVirtuosity]

The only time Ive actually been stoked to see an “Ad”

[@longtalltexan63]

Had the pleasure of opening for them. Rex played my bass on one tune. Still have that bass. Wish I had them sign it!

[@filsolano5465]

I’m just here on the 9th of December 2020, @ 12:30 remembering while having a few drinks in his memory. Rest In Peace Dime!

[@Corey-wx8jj]

Dick I miss dime, had the privilege to see the reinventing the steel tour in Detroit, they were fucking amazing, but you could tell that Phil was battling his demons. None the less incredible show, 🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@Corey-wx8jj]

I meant to say FUCK

[@ikon8275]

Ahhh, that's how Dime got so good, he spent a summer learning from Randy Rhodes.

[@Glazeman]

His dad was a musician and Diary of a Madman combined the best guitarist of all time.

[@secretRBRman]

lol this is the only reason why i subscribed to guitar world! i wanted to hear rex's wisdom

[@maxbeale8186]

Rex is so cool; a true Texan Metal God

[@rickferrante686]

rex your great bass player

[@vortexofmetal2415]

R.I.P. Dime

[@shephrd296]

The guitar behind the cowboys from hell solo just made it that much better

[@richardcarchia7037]

Now Cliff, Dime , Randy , Dio is making heaven Rock!

[@MrWilander88]

grooving to Vinnie

[@ikon8275]

Talk about a superhero group!

[@ugursarac]

Dr. Emmett Brown plays guitar :))

[@KoheiNonGrata]

When this riff hits 88mph...

[@theunholinesswithin70]

Actually, I think he looks more like Armand Assante.

[@LeonardusDCLXVI]

William deFoe.. Haha!

[@notsure1135]

Uğur Saraç Willie Nelson dressed like Tom Petty!

[@hoshblahfirethorn1659]

Kid Rocks Great uncle..haha

[@Glamosapien]

still lookin cool as fuk

[@TheReedPark]

....''I miss him dearly'' we all do...

[@nps1016]

Great story, I didn’t know he backing guitar parts on Cowboys, unless I missed it in the credits all these years later. If you read Rex’s bio, he knew Dime and Vinnie along time before Pantera was formed and he witnessed Dime’s change of style. Thanks for the post...R.I.P. Dime and Vinnie.

[@360Pros]

"and I miss him dearly" - Amen, brother.

[@rastapastrychief]

LOVE ya'll - cheers from Plano - forever DIME & VINNY

[@morteparla6926]

Rex Brown is the forgotten Pantera member. I never hear his name or see him credited for anything, which is stupid. He had some damn good bass lines

[@richiefarrell4726]

Yep some super fast basslines, always with a great tone. Huge part of the overall sound

[@taylorjeremy71]

And tone. His bass tone was revolutionary.

[@ramosel]

We all miss him Rex, but you must feel it so much deeper.

[@Neurotripsicks]

A lot of people dont give Rex much credit which is absurd. His style accented Dimes leads and rhythm extremely well and wouldn't have sounded the same without Rex.

[@joshperry7236]

I always heard these parts and never new they were played by rex, awesome

[@ErebosTalia]

Much Love Rex !!!

[@Strik.9]

Nice shout out to Rhodes' pioneering style. Lot of pinch harmonics and you can hear how it influenced Dime. Cool revelation.

[@kaseycarling1739]

that guitar tone is godly

[@d9or7n]

That guitar tone sucks ass are you joking? 😅

[@_SliK_]

Why can’t this be like 5 hours, I want to know everything😂 PanterA fuckin RULE🤘🏼🥃🤘🏼

[@cankatdx]

It sound like megadeth hangar 18

[@nitaigauranga3849]

Very similar

[@crystalclaycomb5492]

Also the pre chorus to looks that kill

[@SPNKr16]

Ironically CFH was released 2 months before RIP.

[@ricardosilaban]

Kashmir by zeppelin

[@redrum567]

Thanks Rex, much appreciated \m/

[@christophercm4995]

thanks to you I learned to play the bass you inspired me

[@pantera89]

And a lot of people forget that the 90s was a dark shit time for metal in general, there was no Maiden or Priest or Thrash, and even Death Metal was barely even out from the underground, Metallica went slower so Pantera went faster and kept a lot of Metal fans fed in a time when there was no hope...I miss you Dime and Vinnie! Pantera Forever! \m/

[@erisiticaalusta5166]

Rex did say he goes along with the drum but we have seen from live that he does backing for dime during solo... Like domination for example, the live and the studio version will have different bass line coz he couldn't swap guitars for rhythm during live... Anyway one of my favourite bassist ever... We love you Rex, stay healthy live long ❤️

[@davidmish6218]

I don’t think Rex gets enough credit for his role in pantera

[@josephrhodes6231]

2:50 he wasn't joking, R.I.P dime ,vinnie and randy

[@TheDmanMA]

best 1 -2 combo in Metal...they had something special.

[@mikeys7536]

If you listen to “where you come from” Rex is playing right along with dime. I never sat back and just focused on Rex’s base line until after I saw this video. That’s how they got that sound that just kicks your ass. Pretty cool. I can only imagine how much Rex misses his brothers. 🤘

[@rymarshtate]

It's great to hear Rex's perspective on things. He's such a good bloke, and a true dark horse. His baselines were such a big element to the Pantera sound. Perhaps something that doesn't get acknowledged enough, but does he give a fuck about that? He doesn't seem to, which adds further evidence to him being a straight up fucking legend.

[@thetriumphofthethrill2457]

He's looking good. Nice to see him doing well.

[@CHlEFFIN]

My favorite part of the song along with the solo outro which is heavy as fuck!

[@tysoncott7402]

I celebrate this bands entire catalog almost daily, i was a freshman when CFH came out and liked it ok, VDoP is where my true love of them begun.

[@nitaigauranga3849]

Very talented musician.

[@altare2527]

I'm so happy to have on of Rex's used picks in my phone case.

[@McBasterson]

Altare I have one also.

[@chrisridenhour]

Went to sleep last night watching a Pantera documentary. Had a dream there was a reunion and they gave me a bass to play with the band but I started to panic because I didn't know how to play the songs lol

[@russianbear6384]

Such a great bassist

[@Sandman60077]

I've heard meany times about how Dime locked himself in his room for a few months and then emerged a guitar monster, but I would love to know exactly what he was doing.

[@Mephilis78]

I think it's easier, as a right handed player, to learn from an lefty. If you are facing eachother your guitar and theirs kind of line up, and you are seeing bith fretboards from a really similar angle.

[@pplrstrange]

Thank you sir

[@edgargonzalez1161]

Rex tossed his hat at me at a show back in 98 in McAllen Texas. I still own that Pantera hat!