It’s not exactly a secret that before Pantera signed to Atco for Cowboys From Hell, they were more of a hybrid of glam and power metal than the groove metal masters they became. What we didn’t know was what big fans of Guns N’ Roses debut Appetite For Destruction they were. In an interview with Detroit’s WRIF, Hellyeah and Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul says that the band covered nearly every song on the album.

“It was huge, man. Before Pantera got a record deal, that album came out, and we covered just about every song on that record, man, and it was before that band blew up. We were such fans of the music. And it took that record about a year before it caught on, and then it caught on. Man, it’s one of my all-time favorite records. To this day,[ the song] “Welcome to the Jungle” you hear it in front of every football game, in front of [every] hockey game; it won’t go away. And that’s a great thing, man, when there’s a song that has that kind of life. And then, of course, they’re back doing it and they’re touring. I saw them the other night at the big, gigantic [AT&T Stadium] here in Dallas, and I thought it was amazing. “

Pantera did a lot of covers back in the day, but they likely didn’t record any of them. If they did, however, who wouldn’t want to hear Appetite For Destruction as covered by Pantera? It’s not clear from the interview whether Philip Anselmo or original vocalist Terrence Lee was the singer of the band when the band covered the songs, but it’d be a blast to hear regardless, even if it’s crappy VHS quality. Paul goes on to say that the “Not In This Lifetime” era tour that just wrapped up is the best he’s ever seen Guns N’ Roses.

[via Blabbermouth]