Much has been made of the re-emergence of seminal ’90s-dominating groove metal juggernaut Pantera. Many have called it a soulless, tasteless cash grab that tarnishes the memory of its late founders, the Abbot brothers, that is, original sticksman Vinnie Paul and original axeman Dimebag Darrell. Others have referred it it as a mere tribute act that has no claim on the name. However, there were those, like me, who saw it as a chance to finally see one of their favourite bands live given that they’d missed the chance first time around. After all, whilst the brothers may be gone, this newly revived Pantera still has the presence of Rex Brown on bass and, most prominently, the vocalist that put them on the map back in the day, the one and only Phil Anselmo. Whatever can be said about his more…outspoken moments (and I might say quite a bit another time), the bloke is undoubtedly a key part of Pantera package, not to mention one of my favourite vocalists.
All that accounted for, grabbing myself a ticket for the London date (the last of the tour and, incidentally, the 30th anniversary of the album that got me hooked, Vulgar Display of Power) was a fucking no-brainer.
This new 2.0 reiteration of the band had sturdy support in the form of crossover-thrash heroes Power Trip and Aussie grindcore berserkers King Parrot. The latter kickstarted the show with a pot-bellied, arse-bearing set of optical as well as sonic obnoxiousness, as manic in its aggression as a Tasmanian devil. “We’re the first Australian grindcore band to play Wembley,” noted frontman Matthew Young, “and probably the last.” That said, as much as I found the set more memorable for the overall sound and onstage antics than any particular songs, I did appreciate the likes of ‘Dead End’, ‘Hell Comes Your Way’, and set closer ‘Fuck You and the Horse You Rode in On’ for being discernable, in the latter’s case, anthemic.
Next up came Power Trip, their brand of chuggy, bellowy crossover thrash being more up my street. I hadn’t heard *of* the band, let alone heard it, prior to original, much-esteemed frontman Riley Gale popping his clogs, but going by this live set, Seth Gilmore makes for a more than respectable replacement, bounding and bellowing around the stage with the energy and aggression his predecessor’s legacy demands. Both he and the rest of the band nail the likes of ‘Soul Sacrifice’, ‘Hornet’s Nest’, ‘Drown/Crucifixation’, and the malevolently anthemic ‘Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)’, giving them the live honouring they deserve (notably, no one bitches about current-day Power Trip being a “tribute act” as they do in regard to the headliner). Full kudos to them for also putting the breaks on the brutality to address serious injuries in the pit. Hopefully, it won’t be long till they’re back in the UK for a headline tour in a more intimate dive of a venue.
Finally, after a wait of about half an hour (and roughly 23 years prior to that), the big billowing Pantera curtain fell to the grinding juggernaut sound of ‘A New Level’, fulfilling a decades-long wish. From there it was a succession of much loved bangers from their back catalogue—’Mouth for War’, ‘Strength Beyond Strength’, ‘Becoming’, ‘I’m Broken’—with me singing along to the lyrics all the way. Even the bald, belligerent bellend in the audience who inexplicably tried to headbutt me and burst my eardrums with this singing (though not without pushback) couldn’t dampen my vibe. We also got some slower numbers on the setlist, like the ever popular breakup anthem ‘This Love’ (good but not as mighty as deep cut ‘Shedding Skin’, which failed to show up for the party) and the excellent ‘Floods’.
In regard to the Abbot brothers’ replacements, sticksman Charlie Benante (last seen at the Eventim Apollo with his other famous band, Anthrax) and prolific axeman Zakk Wylde did a perfectly respectable job at filling the boots of their fallen comrades, Charlie doing an especially nice job of replicating Vinnie Paul’s machine-gun drumming for the outro of ‘By Demons Be Driven’ (played as an extended outro to ‘I’m Broken’) and Zakk nailing those classic riffs, notable examples being the breakdown of ‘Domination’ and the industrial whammy riff of ‘Becoming’. Amongst other things, a great tribute to the siblings, arguably more so than the videos played during ‘Floods’.
Phil himself sounded as robust as ever, navigating between mournful melody and bellicose brutality with the same ease and aplomb as on record. As well as on the aforementioned numbers, he did a sterling job on ‘Cowboys from Hell’, the blistering set-closer ‘Fucking Hostile’, and, of course, ‘Walk’, the band’s most popular track, testified by assorted members of the support bands plus none other than Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, taking to the stage to help Phil sing the chorus.
In sum, a milestone gig that united fans old and new, both acknowledged between songs by Anselmo. Whatever the future holds for this iteration of the band, I’m here for it.
~MRDA~
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