Pantera and openers Lamb of God and S.N.A.F.U. brought their brands of chugging, screaming metal, and double bass drumming that shook the earth.
S.N.A.F.U. led things off with their brand of thrash punk, full of intense growls and fast playing. The group played closer to the middle of stage, in a way that suggested they’re more familiar with a smaller venue. I could easily imagine them playing with the local metal bands I used to regularly see in Ottawa’s local bars, and fitting right in.
S.N.A.F.U. performs at Scotiabank Arena. Photo: Angelo Marchini
For metalheads, Lamb of God needs no introduction. Talk with a group of metal fans long enough and they’ll start talking about their favourite Lamb of God songs or albums–that’s just the kind of effect they’ve had.
And now that I’ve had the opportunity to see them, it’s easy to see why. There are a lot of bands with somewhat similar styles (groove metal bands, metalcore bands, etc.), but Lamb of God’s music goes the extra mile to stand out. The band emphasizes the loudness and intensity of their sound, from their heavy, chugging riffs to lead singer Randy Blythe’s death metal screams. But the band’s music shows unusual care for musical dynamics: riffs generally sound different from one another, and vocals and guitar riffs have quieter sections.
Lamb of God performs at Scotiabank Arena. Photo: Angelo Marchini
It made me realize that many metal bands struggle with this, and make their music less memorable by being loud or fast all the time. Not these guys.
Opener “Memento Mori” opened their show with a dark, quiet riff and gentler, melodic singing, reminiscent of Metallica’s “One”. Songs like “Something to Die For” showed off guitarist Mark Morton’s talent for unique riffs over some memorable lyrics about empires that send their people to die.
Their fans in the crowd shouted the words to the choruses, as Blythe pointed the mic at the crowd. It was always a funny moment–over a hundred people in the audience clearly knew and sang the songs loud, but you could barely hear their singing over the sound of Lamb of God’s guitars and drums blasting through the speakers.
Lamb of God performs at Scotiabank Arena. Photo: Angelo Marchini
Pantera, an even more classic metal band, was quieter, but only slightly. The show began with a montage of some classic footage of the band members as they were, on footage that, for the most part, was clearly shot decades ago. It showed them playing music and messing around backstage, with lots of scenes of band members doing things like running into walls or smashing things as if they were cast members from Jackass. Combined with the marijuana leaves that spun over their logo after the first song, it reminded one that much of this music was made by young men having fun, even as the more mature members of today walked onstage. Opener “Regular People (Conceit)” opened with a catchy chugging guitar riff and some unpredictable drum lines, as frontman Philip Anselmo growled out at us.
Pantera performs at Scotiabank Arena. Photo: Angelo Marchini
Little details added depth to their sound. Anselmo’s voice is gravellier than gravel itself, even when he was just speaking to the crowd; after all these years shouting at crowds, it would be hard to imagine him singing something gentler. And other original member Rex Brown’s bass sounded so deep and grungy, I had to double check that he wasn’t playing a five-string.
The band had a good setup for their big tour, with two large, professional-looking smoke and fire machines on either side of the drumset. “Becoming” showed these flames and smoke reaching about a metre long, with heat I could feel from the balcony. The song featured one of the band’s slower verses, with some clever guitar effects and a catchy chorus.
Pantera performs at Scotiabank Arena. Photo: Angelo Marchini
“Five Minutes Alone” featured especially gnarly guitar chugging and an impressive guitar solo by guitarist Zakk Wylde. Trippy, metal visuals played onscreen behind the band, as for most of the songs–things like barbed wire, chains, skeletons and prisoners behind bars, reaching out at the crowd. The 3D graphics looked a bit like a PS2 cutscene or a Windows XP screensaver, but they served their purpose to build up an intense mood.
The show featured several touching references to Pantera’s deceased members, guitarist Dimebag Darrel and drummer Vinny Paul. The two are pictured on the band’s bass drums, featured heavily in the band’s opening video montage, and were mentioned by the band more than once between songs. The band played the melodic and moody “Floods” as a montage behind them played clips of the two men laughing, playing music and hanging out backstage. The song and video ended with a still image of the two men smiling at the crowd, to great cheers from the audience.
Pantera performs at Scotiabank Arena. Photo: Angelo Marchini
This was the kind of show where there was a big lineup for the men’s washroom, but not the women’s. Most people were wearing black, but some went for something more “colourful”, like the folks dressed in a banana costume and a Jesus costume in the mosh pit. It was nice to see so much of the metal subculture in one place, bringing a packed crowd to Scotiabank Arena.
Both Lamb of God and Pantera took a few moments to celebrate the fact that they came back to Toronto on the same tour, having just been here to perform last summer. Blythe joked that when people complain on social media about the tour not coming to their town, they’ll tell them it’s because they had to come to Toronto twice. When Pantera asked the audience if the people there would come back next time too, almost the whole place cheered. It was easy to see why.
Find out more about Pantera’s tour here.
Written by Aaron Nava
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