Heavier Than Ever: Pantera Lay It Down in New Jersey

Pantera embarked on “The Heaviest Tour of the Summer” over the last couple of months and that show finally came to NJ. Originally slated for July 31, it was moved to last week after the death of Ozzy Osbourne. The band needed a little time after Ozzy’s passing, but on September 8 the band made its way to PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel with Amon Amarth and King Parrot in tow.

King Parrot opened the show, a grindcore band hailing from Australia — they made sure everyone knew was this tour was dubbed “The Heaviest.” I had never heard the band before but you could not take your eyes off of them. Explosive energy across the whole of their set. At one point the singer pointed out people eating burgers in the front row and quipped, “they eat kangaroo in the front row at the shows back home.” Pantera could’ve had their choice of openers, they chose King Parrot for a reason. Old school rockers that made sure to leave an impression.

Next up was Amon Amarth. Last time I saw this band they had a life size viking ship on stage, spewing smoke with glowing red eyes. This time the band had vikings with swords and shields battling behind them. Hailing from Sweden, Amon Amarth mixes Norse mythology with melodic death metal. It was clear that NJ was familiar with the band and the crowd was rocking. Super heavy, and so fun to watch. At one point, a rowing pit opened up on the aisle with the band looking on encouragingly. You cannot help but smile along with everyone else.

Shortly after Amon Amarth left the stage, a lone Zakk Wylde could be seen in the crowd behind me. Running through the audience shaking hands and taking videos, before ending up on stage and ducking behind the curtain. Shortly after, the Pantera logo and marijuana leaves were projected onto it. While this was happening, the screens on either side of the curtain were playing. Old footage of the band, heavy on videos of both Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. If you are reading this, you probably already know that both of these founding members have passed, and you can’t ignore the weight of that. Singer Phil Anselmo wouldn’t ignore that either, but more on that in a second.

The current line up of Pantera includes Anselmo, Rex Brown on bass, Charlie Benante (Anthrax) on drums, and the aforementioned guitar wizard, Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society). Pretty early into the set Anselmo told the crowd that this tour was going on to carry on the legacy of the Abbot brothers, and also Ozzy. Wylde had patches of the late brothers on his cut, and their portraits were featured on the drum set. Wylde also had a long time connection to Ozzy, and Pantera played the last Black Sabbath song before he passed, so it made sense that the tour was also dedicated to him.

Even with the weight of Ozzy’s recent passing and the late Abbot brothers, this was a proper metal show. Complete with pyro, and Zakk Wylde’s long hair constantly spinning, the band played a 16 song set that provided the fans with songs across their whole career. Pantera had disbanded 20 years ago, but it was clear that time had not dulled their edge. This show was a love letter to the fans, for sure.

I know there are some fans that would call this a Pantera cover band, and Anselmo actually mentioned that during the set, but the band sounds fantastic live. Wylde handled all the guitar riffs and solos spectacularly. Benante sounded absolutely thunderous on drums, with Brown running all over the stage playing the classic lines and providing backing vocals. Phil sounded great also, bare feet and clearly having the time of his life. This band knows their history and doesn’t stray far from the sound you remember.