Pantera postpones U.S. tour until next year

Pantera, who last month unveiled its plans to kick off a U.S. tour next week, has announced that it is postponing the road trip until next year because frontman Phil Anselmo has broken two ribs, according to a press release that the band issued on Tuesday (10/31). The tour will now begin in February, the statement said.

Anselmo broke his ribs after he "slipped and fell," according to the group's management. Information about new and rescheduled tour dates and instructions for people who already purchased tickets to the original shows will be forthcoming, the band's statement said. The tour was originally set to kick off in Biloxi, Miss., on Nov. 7, and had dates scheduled until Dec. 9.

"We all just spoke with Philip, he feels terrible and it's just humanly impossible to sing with two broken ribs," said drummer Vinnie Paul via the statement. "All four of us just want him to heal quick so we can get the hell on the road. We know that all of our fans were eagerly awaiting the tour and will be very disappointed, as are all four of us. It was an accident and it couldn't be helped. We have every intention of hitting all the cities that we were going to play on this leg of the tour."

Pantera's latest album, "Reinventing the Steel" (Elektra), was released in March. "Avoid the Rain," a previously unreleased Pantera track, will be included on the soundtrack for the forthcoming film "Dracula 2000," according to the band's management. The disc is set for release on Dec. 5, while the film is scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 22.

Read SoundSpike's recent interview with Phil Anselmo and Vinnie Paul.