Anselmo writes, "When it came to Pantera, he was deadly serious. But there was a tongue-in-cheek perfection depending on the mood of what we were writing. When I first joined the band, it felt like I was the 'new guy' all the way through Vulgar Display of Power, with the Abbott brothers peeking over my shoulder, picking at my lyrics, which drove me bananas. I remember when we recorded 'Cemetery Gates,' at the end of the song where I'm hitting the wailing high notes and he's matching me with his whammy bar, that was competition - who can outdo who. And of course he'd hit this crazy high f***ing note that there's no way I could. It made him feel awesome for that five or 10 minutes, but later it was always, 'F***ing great job, man.'

"When it came to Pantera, he was very particular, and when it came to pushing anyone, whether it be me, Rex or anyone, he could push you, but he was also a great motivator. And he was always working towards the best for whatever particular song we were working on. He'd get the best out of everybody.

"If he were still alive, I'd damn well know him, because of our love for each other. He was one of my best friends on this planet, and best friends - especially those with strong personalities and integrity - butt heads sometimes. But we always found a compromise. I know for a fact that we would've made more music together. There would've been more Pantera tours. There would've been more albums.