Pantera Brought The Heaviest Tour of the Summer to Jones Beach

"For the Fans, For the Brothers, For Legacy", that has been the motto for Pantera since they made their comeback in 2022. For the past three years, Panter dominated stages across the world, all in the honor of their fallen brothers, founding guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul as well as to preserve the band's legacy. Pantera continued that mission this summer and brought The Heaviest Tour Of The Summer to Northwell at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY along with Viking Metal legends Amon Amarth and Shock Narcotic.

Kicking the night off was the extreme metal band from Detroit, Michigan; Shock Narcotic. Shock Narcotic was formed in 2018 and is made up of Shawn Knight (vocals), Jeff Tuttle (ex. Dillinger Escape Plan, guitar), Don Slater (bass), and Adam Jarvis (drums). The band delivers ruthless heaviness, mixing elements of metal, hardcore and even grindcore to add an extra level of rage to their sound. The band is currently signed to Phil Anselmo's label Housecore Records. If I could describe Shock Narcotic's performance in one word; it's energetic. Slater pounded on the drums with sheer ferocity and Knight delivered raw and raspy vocals. The fans were digging it and were head-banging and vibing the whole time. Tuttle threw everyone some technical riffs and chaotic solos and was head-banging and moving around like crazy, as you would expect from an ex Dillinger Escape Plan member. Shock Narcotic succeeded in getting the crowd's blood pumping and made them ready for the Vikings up next.

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Next up was the legendary melodic death metal band, Amon Amarth. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Amon Amarth has been singing songs about Viking mythology and Viking history through pure death metal since forming in 1992. The band is currently signed to Metal Blade Records and consists of Johan Hegg (vocals), Olavi Mikkonen (guitar), Johan Söderberg (guitar), Ted Lundström (bass) and Jocke Wallgren (drums). Powerful classical music filled the room with anticipation for the band's arrival and as each member appeared on stage, we realized we had come face to face with the "Guardians of Asgaard". Jones Beach was greeted with thunderous guitars from Mikkonen and Söderberg that shook the whole place and I felt the beefy double bass from Wallgren in my chest. The next song "Shield Wall" saw two Vikings making their way on stage to stand on two platforms to raise their shields up high forming the "Shield Wall" that Hegg commanded. Hegg then told the crowd it was time to party like Vikings as it was "The Pursuit of Vikings" and the fans proceeded to party like Vikings would. Johan Hegg is one of the most powerful vocalists in death metal. His Thor-like growls, striking stature and commanding stage presence would make anyone stop what they're doing and pay attention to him. He for sure had the presence of a God whenever he stepped on stage. The performance of "Put Your Back Into the Oar" saw the pit doing the one thing Amon Amarth is known for creating, the famous "row pit" where everyone in the pit would sit down and row their arms back and forth like they are in a boat. Right at the song's bridge, at the command of Hegg, the pit opened up as people sat on the floor and started rowing as Hegg kept chanting "ROW! ROW! ROW! ROW!" After ripping through the new song "We Rule The Waves" we saw the same Vikings we saw earlier return to the stage and battle each other till one emerged victorious during "The Way of Vikings".

Amon Amarth had an incredible stage setup that resembled Norse Mythology and even Valhalla itself. On opposite sides of the stage, there stood two stone statues that resembled Viking warriors and in the middle was this massive drum riser that took the look of a Viking helm with two massive horns. The eyes were LED screens that showed different colors and different visuals that were dependent on the songs. The band stopped for a bit as Hegg wanted to not only thank the crowd for partying with them, but to also take the time to pay tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne who had just passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 76. For anyone who is into metal or even just rock, knows how impactful Ozzy Osbourne was. "OZZY! OZZY!" chants rang through the whole amphitheater as Hegg took a drink out of his drinking horn or "horni/horna" in Old Norse terms. All of Jones Beach joined him and shared a toast to Ozzy and the impact he had on metal and everyone's lives. The fans then joined the band in raising their horns in the air as the next song was dedicated to Ozzy titled "Raise Your Horns". Amon Amarth ended their thunderous set with "Twilight of the Thunder God" which saw Hegg wield a massive Mjölnir and brought it down on the stage to lead the song in. The Vikings from earlier returned and were waving Amon Amarth flags as Hegg's voice roared throughout Jones Beach. Amon Amarth brings more than just heavy, earth-shattering music, but they also bring spirituality and culture to the masses. Playing Heavy Metal and singing songs about Vikings and Norse Mythology is something a number of bands have done but Amon Amarth does it best and their elaborate stage setup succeeds at making it look like you are in Valhalla or in Norse Mythology in general. I've wanted to see Amon Amarth live for some time and honestly, seeing it live in an amphitheater was a perfect introduction for them. They are MEANT to be playing venues like Jones Beach Theater as the sound is 10x more powerful. Hopefully they can headline there sooner than later. I mean, just imagine the production they would have on a headlining show in amphitheaters. I know that regardless, I can't wait to see them again.

The time had come for the mighty Pantera to take the stage. Pantera was formed in 1981 in Arlington, Texas by brothers Dimebag Darrell (guitar) and Vinnie Paul (drums) initially as a glam metal band before finding their identity and establishing themselves as a groove/thrash metal band in 1990 with the release of their landmark album Cowboys From Hell. The band has released a total of nine studio albums (five if you want to view Cowboys as the official debut) and have sold over 20 million records worldwide and have received multiple Grammy nominations. They have also been credited as the band that popularized groove metal which has made Pantera a force to be reckoned with in Heavy Metal in the 90s. At the band's peak, the lineup consisted of Philip H Anselmo (vocals), Dimebag Darrell (guitar), Rex Brown (bass) and Vinnie Paul (drums). After 22 years, Anselmo and Brown have revived the legend following their breakup in 2003. This wa done to uphold the band's legacy, honor the Abbott brothers, and to continue put on shows for their fans. The revived Pantera sees Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne, guitar) and Charlie Benante (Anthrax, drums) filling in the massive shoes left behind by their predecessors.

Pantera pulled out all the stops and played all of their hits including "5 Minutes Alone", "Mouth For War", "I'm Broken", This Love", "Cowboys From Hell", "A New Level" and of course, "Walk". Every member of the band was on point and the songs sounded crispy and clean as ever. Phil Anselmo sang with sheer aggression and and can scream with power and ferocity, and with little to no effort too. As for Zakk Wylde, I mean, there isn't much to say about him that hasn't been said before by many others. He carries the spirit of Dimebag Darrell with him in his guitar playing while also being himself as well. I remember when the rumors of Pantera coming back first came out and that Zakk Wylde was rumored to be part of the lineup and thought, "yes"! I knew immediately just from seeing videos of him playing and seeing him with Black Label Society live that he would be the perfect fit to fill Dimebag's shoes. If you have either seen him play live or listened to his work, be it either with Ozzy Osbourne or his own band, Black Label Society, then you would agree with me that he was the perfect fit and it was clear to me he does what he is known for, with Pantera, but also honors Dimebag. Charlie Benante successfully carried the spirit of Dimebag's brother, Vinnie Paul as well. He had the groove and the power in his playing, something I have known, having seen him with Anthrax. His drum set was on a riser in the back in the middle of the band's amps. He had a massive drum set with two bass drums that had Dimebag and Vinne on each drum head.

Pantera surprised the fans on this run and pulled out some deep cuts that they haven't played since 2001. The best part is that they were all from their 1999 album, the underrated Reinventing The Steel (my second favorite Pantera album too). One of them was actually the song they kicked the show off with, "Hellbound", which is the album's first track. The other two deep cuts they played were "I'll Cast A Shadow" and my favorite song off of the album, "Goddamn Electric". Towards the end of "Goddamn Electric", Anselmo brought out a signature Dimebag guitar known as the "Dean from Hell" and played the songs outro lead and I was shocked at how great of a guitar player he was. I had no idea he played guitar before this and I thought he was fantastic. The band didn't bring out just Reinventing The Steel deep cuts, but also played one song off of The Geat Southern Trendkill that had never been played live before, AND, it's one Dragonball Z fans would recognize; "10's". "10's" is a beloved song among Dragonball Z fans as it was featured in the movie, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, in an iconic scene where the movie's antagonist, Broly, was transforming into his Super Saiyan form. Watching the band perform this song made me think back to that scene again and it felt like I was watching that movie again. Not once did I thought this song would get a live performance and I was glad to be wrong.

The moshing was minimal because of the small pit but that didn't stop the fans from getting a small mosh pit going especially on songs like "This Love". The rest was made up for by sending crowd surfers over the barricade. One part that made me think "I wish I was in the small pit", was the slow, down-tempo breakdown in "This Love". The breakdown is slow on the recording but live, it's 10x slower. The band intentionally slows it down even more because as any mosher would know; the slower the breakdown, the more violent the pit gets and despite the small pit room, the moshers did what they could to unleash their chaotic side in the pit.

Looking out at the crowd, the only thing I noticed was that there were a lot of younger fans in attendance. I got to speak to some of them in the pit and they were beyond excited to see their favorite band. It's great to see that even after all these years, people still love Pantera. The fans followed every command Anselmo made, whether it was putting their fists up in the air, or to sing the words on a song at the top of their lungs. Pantera played two encores and to everyone's shock, they opened their first encore with their haunting cover of Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral". Pantera has two Black Sabbath covers; this one and one for "Planet Caravan" and they are both as haunting as their original versions. I was wondering if they were gonna add either cover to the set following Ozzy's passing and once Wylde played that iconic whammy opening, a mixture of happiness and sadness surged through me. The fans were screaming at the top of their lungs and sang every single word with pure emotion. I looked at the people around me and some were even crying while singing. The LED screens in the back showed visuals of Ozzy throughout the whole song and fans were cheering when they showed a picture of him with Dimebag.

I'm going to take a moment to talk about Ozzy Osbourne because I think it's important to shine light on his impact on Pantera and on music as a whole. Ozzy Osbourne, known as the lead singer of Black Sabbath as well as his solo career had recently passed away on Tuesday July 22nd, at the age of 76. His death shook the whole world and we are all still grieving over it. Ozzy wasn't just a singer, he was a cultural icon and the one who created the genre, Heavy Metal. Ozzy paved the way for generations of metal bands and multiple subgenres of metal and even punk as well. Whether it was direct or not, so many bands we have today would not have existed without his impact and this show would not have happened without Ozzy and Black Sabbath. Just three weeks before his passing, Ozzy played his final show ever in his hometown of Birmingham, England called Back to the Beginning. The show not only saw Ozzy play one last set both with his solo band and Black Sabbath, but also performances from some of metal and rock's most known bands like Metallica, Guns N Roses, Lamb of God, Tool and Pantera. Black Sabbath had a direct influence on Pantera and they are still grieving his death, just like we all are. Whenever Zakk Wylde played a solo that closed a song out, the fans chanted to him "OZZY! OZZY! OZZY!". Ozzy Osbourne was a national treasure and a legend and we will miss him for the rest of our lives.

Anselmo poked fun at the fans and even at the band at times throughout the night and busted the fans chops before the song "Walk". He remarked that the next song was "One a lot of you might have been the first song to have latched onto and said to themselves 'I don't like this'" which made everyone laugh. Zakk then played that song's iconic main riff and everyone lost themselves. Phil belted out the words but gladly stopped to hear the fans yell back at him "RE! SPECT! WALK!". For that renowned chorus, members of the band's crew as well as family and friends came out on stage and grabbed the extra mics that were set up to join the crowd in chanting "RE! SPECT! WALK!" Pantera ended their heated show with the one of the most aggressive songs of the night "Fucking Hostile". The band played the song with sheer speed and aggression and the fans joined them and sang their hearts out.

Pantera truly brought a new level of heat and heaviness to Jones Beach and made this one of the hottest shows of the summer. The band had to reschedule some shows and will be taking a week off as they take time to grieve the loss of Ozzy but will resume the tour this Saturday in Mansfield, MA. This wasn't just an ordinary summer show, given the recent loss, this show was special and had an indescribable energy that was felt by everyone. Ozzy was special to Pantera even on a personal level and they carried his legacy throughout the entire show and put that extra energy and emotion into every single note they played since that massive curtain dropped in the beginning. When this tour resumes, each show will carry that emotion and will now be; "For the Fans, For the Brothers, For Legacy, For Ozzy Osbourne".