"Pantera" @ Copenhell 2023
Confidence and power. And crowd surfers.
Much has already been written and said about the "reunion" of Pantera – a reunion so formal that I'm taking the liberty of putting both that word and the headline's band name in quotation marks.
As you should damn well all know, the reason for this is that Pantera's two lost founding members, drum god Vinnie Paul Abbott and guitar god "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (2 x R.I.P.!), were irreplaceable. Both were uniquely innovative in their respective playing styles. They were not only decisive in putting Pantera on the global metal scene in the '90s; they simply neither had, nor still have, anyone above or on par with them on said entire scene.
That being outta the way, their replacements, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Black Label Society axe wielder Zakk Wylde are doing a damn fine job in respecting their tragically deceased friends' original creative manifest. And I've especially been worried about the latter since he has a tendency towards both drawn-out solos of certain… masturbatory qualities, but also giving defenseless Black Sabbath songs his signature pinched harmonics treatment when playing with Ozzy.
Anyway, any possible complications – ethical, musical, or culturally-hereditary – are forgotten as this reunion incarnation of the band commences on a series of orchestrated ass-beatings, starting with a brutal "A New Level" and a "Mouth for War" as close to the original as humanly possible. And the crowd, as per the old adage, goes wild. And any metalhead from my generation will know why.
Because, shit. Those songs didn't only ignite my affection for Pantera, giving the band status level 'favorite' with me in the late '90s; they also became my gateway into a vast new world of awesome, unimagined musical aggression, impiety, and darkness. Of confidence and power, as those lyrics go. And even today, and even under these circumstances, they're as catchy and hard-hitting as ever.
Like the rest of the band, Anselmo's been taking rehearsals seriously. Sure, his 54-year-old throat has long passed the point of having known better days for a matter of decades, but he doesn't only scream and shout recklessly like on the group's '97 live album. The man actually sings (whenever that's relevant, of course) – and he's never too hoarse to ruin anything.
Not even in an otherwise distorted "This Love". Or, in contrast, in that nothing short of beautifully rendered cover of Sabbath's "Planet Caravan", during which the large-screen displays show footage of the late Abbott brothers from the band's legendary home videos back in their heyday. And I take the opportunity to grab a cigarette and let my tear ducts do their thing.
Because dammit, I fucking loved this band. Whether you like it or not, they were the biggest metal phenomenon for an entire decade. They were the Iron Maiden of the '90s. They changed my goddamn life, and like hundreds and thousands of other fans worldwide, I woulda given my left testicle to make them settle their differences and just get back in that damn studio already.
4-string universal constant Rex Brown was always the one to attract the least attention to himself. But being the longest-remaining band member and closest mediator between the estranged Anselmo and brothers Abbott back in the day, he shines with a stronger light tonight. His stoic equilibrium is almost tangible down here by the stage. And it's almost as if his obvious gratitude and joy of being able to play these classics are reflected in the songs themselves.
Bangers like "I'm Broken", "5 Minutes Alone", and "Becoming" virtually resurrect, vitalizing us by the thousands, compelling one crowd member after the other to surf said crowd down towards the front. In fact, that part's almost getting a bit too much at one point when you wanna be as close to the stage as possible.
But holy shit, we're having a good time. Moshing, singing, shouting, headbanging, and mimicking along with those little drum details and guitar fills that made the difference back then – and still do. The live sound, of course, can't very well emulate legendary producer Terry Date's dry, fat multi-dub production. But it hardly matters. Because we're connecting – on and off stage, and across the security pit. And that's what it's all about.
The biggest criticism on my part is the choice of songs. Sure, at least half of these are mandatory – and granted, crowd-bashers "Cowboys From Hell" and especially "Walk" (featuring one bespectacled Chuck Billy on stage) are perfectly irresistible in all their goofy, lowbrow majesty. But I have to hereby make it known that Pantera's creative pinnacle is, and obviously remains, 1996's criminally overlooked "The Great Southern Trendkill". And while the band does treat us with a "Suicide Note Pt. II" as frantically white-hot as ever, one or two tracks from "Vulgar Display of Power" ('92) and "Far Beyond Driven" ('94) could've easily been substituted by "War Nerve" or at least "Drag the Waters".
Anyway. I had my doubts about this whole thing, and I hardly need to explain why. And there will always be setlist miss-outs. So I'll still be looking back upon tonight with joy and relief – shit, with confidence and power – for many years to come.
Rating: 5 out of 6
Genre: Groove metal
Venue: Copenhell, Helvíti Stage
Date: Thu., 15/6/2023
Setlist:
- A New Level
- Mouth for War
- Strength Beyond Strength
- Becoming (w/ "Throes of Rejection" outro)
- I'm Broken (w/ "By Demons be Driven" outro)
- Suicide Note Pt. II
- 5 Minutes Alone
- This Love
- Yesterday Don't Mean Shit
- Fucking Hostile
- Planet Caravan (Black Sabbath cover; w/ "Cemetery Gates" intro)
- Walk (feat. Chuck Billy)
- Domination / Hollow
- Cowboys From Hell
Encore: - Use My Third Arm