Pantera • Amon Amarth • King Parrot • August 20, 2025 • Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Reviewed by Eric Miles
Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
It’s 9:00 pm on a hot August night, and an amped up and diverse audience are greeted with a sombre and moody synthesized soundtrack as the lights go dim. A monstrous banner facade with the band’s logo in massive red lettering is hanging from the rigging, completely shrouding any view of the heavy metal icons as they take to the stage. It is clear who the hardcore and veteran fans are in the audience as they recognize the eerie musical interlude. On all 3 amphitheatre screens, the masses are treated to raw home video footage of the band’s original members in their earlier years. The editing is rough and dizzying as the video rapidly cuts between each of the 4 young men in their prime partying, rocking out, and goofing off. Two of the four young rockers are brothers. Both of them are now gone.
While the video ignites cheers and celebrations from fans, particularly whenever the brothers were shown, it also evokes a haunting mood in conjunction with the gloomy musical score. Sadness and bitter sweetness envelopes the masses as they pay homage to their fallen heroes. It is then that the acoustic 12-string melody of ‘Suicide Note, Part 1’ kicks in. The audience erupts with adoration, and singer Phil Anselmo declares in his deep, distinctive voice, “Cheap cocaine, dry inhale, the pills that kill and take the pain away.” The haunting southern rock, power ballad continues as the banner still blocks any view of the band. As the song concludes, the banner drops and PANTERA blasts into their fan favorite grindcore track, “Suicide Note, Part 2.” It is then that a nearby fan howls, “We are all going to die!”
Pantera are amongst the forefront of heavy metal bands of the last 40 years. With a hugely dedicated and rabid fanbase, and millions of albums sold, Pantera would go on to sell out arenas, packed with fans screaming the lyrics to every song, despite their very minimal airplay on FM radio. Pantera are widely considered by metal fans the band that kept the genre heavy and extreme throughout the 1990s. While other metal icons such as Metallica and Megadeth slowed down the thrashing at the time, possibly having been inspired by the Seattle sound of the earlier part of the decade, Pantera, consisting of Phil Anselmo (vocals), Dimebag Darrell (guitars), Vinnie Paul (drums), and Rex Brown (bass), pushed the genre to the extreme with each album getting heavier and more aggressive, while still maintaining technical and precise rhythms and melodies.
Despite their success, Pantera had their extreme lows. With internal struggles in the band worsening, and ultimately the untimely and tragic deaths of the Abbott Brothers, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, a Pantera reunion was but a distant dream. It seemed no one could fill the shoes of the band’s genius guitarist and extraordinary drummer. After the show on August 20th, in West Valley City, it is safe to say that Pantera are alive and well with Zakk Wylde (from Ozzy Osbourne & Black Label Society) on guitar and Charlie Bernante (from Anthrax) on drums. Veterans Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown have returned, and they sound as tight as ever.
King Parrot
Before Pantera took the stage, Australia’s King Parrot delivered their own share of grindcore zaniness with raw but technical precision. Anselmo, himself a fan, was seen to the side of the stage, rocking out and singing along.
Amon Amarth
Stockholm’s legendary Amon Amarth brought their distinct and flavorful Viking, melodic death metal sound to thunderous applause, with all the Scandinavian theatrics they are known for. Viking warriors took to the stage with sword and shield, Thor’s hammer Mjolnir smashed into the stage, and even the treacherous Loki made an appearance. Frontman Johan Hegg never failed in delivering his familiar guttural growls and roars, resembling his voice from the original album recordings with near exactness.
Viking metal anthems, “Guardians of Asgard”, “Shield Wall,” and “Raise Your Horns” assaulted the audience’s ears. Hegg even got the majority of the audience in the pit to sit on the ground and “row” their Viking boats as they played their fan favorite, “We Rule the Waves.” This has become a common tradition at Amon Amarth shows. Videos of these “row” pits have trended extensively online for the last several years. Hegg extended his gratitude to the fans, as well as to Pantera for “playing with these legends!”. Amon Amarth closed their set with arguably their most iconic track, “Twilight of the Thunder God.”
Pantera
Cut to Pantera’s incredibly emotional opening, the band reigned supreme! Salt Lake City’s show was the beginning of the second half of the band’s extensive tour. To open with “Suicide Note, Part 2”, arguably the band’s most extreme and raw song, the audience was engulfed with bone-crunching guitar riffs, bombastic bass stomping, and machine gun drumming. Anselmo’s vocals ranged from his distinct, frantic, high-pitched screams to his usual guttural roars. The 57-year-old metal legend’s performance proved why he is still one of the genre’s most revered and often imitated vocalists. To maintain the physical endurance a Pantera song requires vocally at his age is not only impressive, but damn near spellbinding. And he never loses his touch throughout the show.
After the song closed, Phil Anselmo exclaimed to the audience with adoration, as well as with his usual machoistic bravado, “Everything we do, we do for Dimebag and Vince!” The crowd, of course, cheered and applauded. It was clear (and has been for some time) that Anselmo wishes he could have resolved his differences with the Abbott brothers. Some members of the audience were visibly misty-eyed and moved by the vocalist’s reverent salute to his former bandmates. Anselmo then followed this call for adoration with, “And absolutely to the greatness of Ozzy f–king Osbourne!”
Just over 6 weeks prior, Pantera had performed at Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning” concert for their final performance. Two weeks following that, the world lost the Godfather of heavy metal, Ozzy Osbourne. Zakk Wylde was Ozzy’s lead guitarist for over 35 years. So the emotions on stage were felt by the audience as fists were raised high to honor and respect the rocking dead.
Zakk Wylde was the obvious choice to fill in for Dimebag Darrell on lead guitar. The discipline and dedication Wylde has to imitate and perform Dime’s signature guitar tone, as well as to switch between Darrell’s technical riffing and shredding solos so fluidly, portrays his utmost respect for the legendary guitar wizard, as well as showcasing his incredible talent and skill as a musician. To the naysayers who say that there is no Pantera without Dime or Vince, put the brakes on that dismissal. Indeed, we all wish the Abbot brothers were still with us and reuniting with Anselmo and Brown. But this is a tribute tour to Pantera and to the Abbott brothers. Pantera is alive and well with its current 4 members, honoring their legacy with the utmost reverence.
Charlie Benante from Anthrax fills in for Vinnie Paul on drums with near perfection. Bernante even went out of his way to change his drum kit setup to match the original drummer’s. His drumming was tight and clean, with all the usual 4/4 time signatures, powerful grooves, and closing fills that Paul was known for. Respect and adoration is clear.
To top it all off, Rex Brown is returning on bass, an original and founding member of the groove metal icons. Brown is finally getting more recognition as his skills as a bass player are top-tier. Bass musicians often get overshadowed by the vocals, lead guitars, and drums in metal music, but as a longtime fan, it’s been satisfying that Brown is being acknowledged as the carrying force of the band, and always has been.
Pantera kicked into “Hellbound” from their last album, Reinventing the Steel. As Wylde’s opening riffs assaulted the crowd, Anselmo screamed with high-pitched praise, “Happy birthday, Dimebag!” This was followed by arguably the loudest cheers of the night. Seeing the tribute band perform on the legendary guitarist’s birthday created a more emotional and bonding experience for both the band and the audience.
Pantera’s setlist was jam-packed with classic fan favorites like “5 Minutes Alone”, “Becoming”, “Mouth for War,” and “This Love.” The band even treated the audience with some deeper cuts such as “10’s” and “I’ll Cast a Shadow.” One thing their performance showcased was the absolute brutal, raw energy that Pantera evokes when performing live, never slowing down or letting go.
“This is a damn good crowd,” exclaimed Anselmo to the audience in his distinct baritone voice. And it was. It was also diverse in age. Extremely. This is another testament to heavy metal and why it reigns above other genres of music as far as fandom is concerned. The show was nearly sold out by the time Pantera came to the stage. One of its defining features was the radical difference of age amongst the rabid audience. From older metalheads in their 70s to little rockers in their single digits, Pantera melted everyone’s faces.
Pantera closed the first part of their set with their groove metal anthem, “Cowboys from Hell.” Then followed with a 4 song encore. The band began with “A New Level”, and then dived headfirst into their most popular track, “Walk.” The audience exclaimed with Spartan warrior energy and bravado, the iconic chorus, along with Anselmo, “Respect! Walk!” Heads were banging and hair was flying. They then followed with a combined medley of “Domination” and “Hollow”, which has become a staple at their live shows. To close the performance, Anselmo asked the audience to scream and yell with him as they jammed into the fast-paced thrasher, “F–king Hostile.”
Pantera’s legacy is intact and glowing, radiant. Their performance on August 20th, 2025, is an unwavering confirmation of their skill, power, and sheer raw talent. The groove metal masters bring anthems that fans can rage to, sing to, and bond with one another.
Society, it seems, has always had a condescending and critically skewed view of heavy metal in general, whether consciously or unconsciously. The genre attracts a wide range of persons and evokes all kinds of emotions. People don’t understand it, don’t respect, or are downright frightened by it. These unsubstantiated perceptions, fueled primarily by hysterical media outlets, are especially directed towards the genre’s fans. Prior to the band taking the stage, I engaged in a friendly and engaging conversation with a gentleman who had been a fan of Pantera since the 80s.
As we bonded over what our favorite songs were, as well as the ups and downs of our lives, he opened up and declared that the song, “Suicide Note, Part 1” was what got him through his daughter’s tragic death. I could see the emotion in his eyes as he tried to hold back. When the haunting synthesizer kicked in and the lights went dark, the crowd roared with applause.
When the 12-string acoustic guitar began, followed by Phil Anselmo’s powerful baritone voice, I looked over at my new friend. As he sang the emotionally raw but also hopeful lyrics, he tried to restrain the tears in his eyes. I remember patting him on the shoulder as I sang with him. He never looked at me with his misty eyes, but he smiled. This is what heavy metal is all about: bonding and conquering one’s trials and struggles. And no band in recent memory understands that more than Pantera.
