If you're concerned about wars, climate change or the rising cost of living and need to expose the villain, Tuesday night's brutally satisfying Pantera/Lamb of God double at the Videotron Center is for you.
As the main course of this first metallic evening of the year in Remparts' homeland, Pantera brilliantly fulfilled its mission, which was to make people forget that the last time the group was at the Colisée in Quebec was in March 1995, by offering a powerful concert performance during the last concert of a winter tour.
The expectations, if they still existed after three decades, have been fulfilled.
First, we quickly established that, despite the controversy that erupted when the Pantera reunion was announced, guitarist Zakk Wylde and drummer Charlie Benante were talented and legitimate replacements for departed brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott after a hiatus of more than 20 years represent, and perfectly complement the original members, singer Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown.
Pantera thrilled his admirers on Tuesday evening in Quebec. Photo Pascal Huot Agency QMI
At 55, Anselmo hasn't lost much vocally over the years and he's proven to be an excellent crowd leader, as well as providing great publicity for the group that opened the evening, Snafu, with whom he wears the sweater wore.
combat force
Another important detail that caught the eye or ears is the joyful success of the Pantera discography; the albums Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven, which were generously served by the Americans, have lost neither their appeal nor their impact.
To be convinced, you had to see the spectators, who despite the time-consuming ticket sales were ultimately numerous, raising their fists, shouting the words and colliding on the floor.
Satisfied metal fans. Photo Pascal Huot Agency QMI
Walk, the song that everyone knows, even those who don't know who Pantera is, above all, gathered the troops in a fabulous community.
A man a few rows away from us summed up the audience's satisfaction best when he let out a thunderous “Pantera, tabarnac…”
Everything has been said.
nostalgia
There was a lot of nostalgia in the air. In addition to reimagining 1990s metal classics like Mouth For War, This Love, A New Level and Cowboys From Hell, Pantera used the big screens to showcase numerous archival footage from its glory years.
During Floods we were able to see the group's two great late members in action on stage, backstage at concerts or fooling around in the hotel. The crowd appreciated this simple but meaningful tribute.
Phil Anselmo was delighted with this meeting with the Quebecers and promised to come back, and it ended with the usual “olé, olé, olé”.
There is clearly a market for Pantera in Quebec.
Lamb of God: intense
We can't wait, it seems. Since May 2022, Lamb of God has come to Quebec three times, each time the Virginia group plays essentially the same songs and each time the metal fans cheer.
Randy Blythe from Lamb of God. Photo Pascal Huot/QMI Agency
Like at Parc de la Francophonie last summer, Lamb of God didn't mess around with the puck. From the start, Memento Mori, powered by drummer Art Crux's dizzying playing and Randy Blythe's furious vocals, set the stage on fire with efficiency.
The intensity did not decrease over the course of the one-hour concert. “I couldn’t think of a better place to end the tour,” the singer said ahead of the release of Ditch.
Or was it ruin? No matter, the pleasure of creating ever larger circle pits was there.
Lamb of God ended its performance with Redneck's dedication to Dimebag and Vinnie Paul, a gesture that reminds us of the metal community's ability to stick together.