VOX: Reinventing The Steel is your first studio album in a while - did you guys feel like you had to reinvent things?

Rex Brown: Well, we took a look at what we were doing and decided to fuckin' reinvent things in some ways, while still sticking to the fuckin' metal that we've always been about. It's also a play on words. And we did want to reinvent things in a weird fashion.

VOX: "Death Rattle" is a great song - what's it about?

Rex: It about all kinds of shit. It's really just whatever Phil was thinking about at the time. It's pure fucking metal, man.

VOX: What do you see as the biggest difference between Reinventing The Steel and The Great Southern Trendkill

Rex: We wanted to put out a straight-fuckin'-on, cut-the-fuckin'-fat-off, fuck-the-trendy-shit, hard-ass-fuckin' Pantera album. Trendkill was more eccentric; Steel is fuckin' balls out metal, man.

VOX: What's it like being in Pantera? It seems like a travelling fun house.

Rex: It's a fuckin' blast, man. I can't even describe it…all I can say is I'm so fuckin' hung over I can barely hold the fuckin' phone, man. Maybe that's as close as I can get to tellin' you what it's like.

VOX: Where do you see rock music heading?

Rex: Aw, man, we don't even look at it. We don't follow what's going on out there. People are always saying "Heavy metal is fuckin' dead," but we just keep fuckin' doin' it the Pantera way, see? It's just us doin' what we do. We know that some of the bands out there have opened up some doors and helped get more radio time for metal bands, but we're doin' fine. People say metal's dead, but we keep selling records and tickets, so those people are full of shit, man. Those people are just looking at the trendy fuckin' shit that's out there.

VOX: What kind of gear do you use?

Rex: Spectra basses. As a matter of fact, there are some new models coming out and the ads will be out there soon. I also use Ampeg amps.

VOX: You have a really committed and passionate fan following - how important is that to you?

Rex: The kids fuckin' get it man, and that's what it's all about. It's obviously really important and we wouldn't fuckin' be where we are without them. Without them, we wouldn't be able to do it.

VOX: Are you at all into the Internet - do you see it as an important medium for the band?

Rex: It's pretty important as far as getting the information out there and being able to get it as many people as possible. I'm on every once in a while. I'm not some fuckin' pro, but I can sure find my way around the Internet.

VOX: Are you guys looking forward to Ozzfest?

Rex: We've toured with Ozzy since like '97. He's been a big supporter all along the way and he has a great camp, a great group of people around him. We know it's going to be lots of fun.

VOX: What can we expect from you in a live show?