Pantera/Anthrax Show Gives Fans A Heavy Dose Of Metal

Pantera/Anthrax Friday, Nov. 21, Convention Center

Friday’s sold-out metal-fest at the Convention Center is an indication that, even though metal is widely ignored and disrespected, it is alive and well in Hessian Central, Spokane.

Pantera’s legion of die-hard fans turned out in droves to see their hard-drinkin’ heroes deliver their annihilistic anthems and test their mettle in the bone-crunching mosh pits.

And deliver they did.

The Texas quartet’s style of low-end crunch and punishing fast-paced blitzes whipped their fans into a frenzy. They bashed through an atomic set of classic tunes like “Walk,” “Five Minutes Alone” and “This Love” with furious fervor.

Most of the Pantera fans who showed were male, shirtless, heavily tatooed and apparently crazy. And if you needed any verification that the mosh pits were dangerous, all you needed to do was check out the men’s room.

Dehydrated fans swarmed around blood-stained sinks trying to catch a glimpse in the mirror of their fat lips or their freshly broken noses.

And, thanks to the non-acoustic design of the Convention Center, most of the music was mushed into a cacophony of thunder, but that didn’t seem to bother the fans much.

I was delighted to see the old school antics of Anthrax. Here’s a band that dared to be distinct and different by releasing the mock-rap classic “I’m the Man” and by joining Public Enemy on a blazing rendition of “Bring the Noise” long before rap was fashionable.

Its set was tight and direct, peppered with old Hessian favorites you used to crank in high school like “Among the Living” and “I am the Law,” as well as newer tracks like “One ” and “Only.” Anthrax has carved out a 15-year career with virtually no radio airplay and no mainstream market for metal videos.

Metal took a nose dive in the late-‘80s and early ‘90s. Pantera, Anthrax and a handful of other bands have been able to survive the death of metal’s gravy train by remaining driven to satisfy their fans and by staying true to their style.

Friday’s show satisfied Spokane’s fix for skull-crunching heaviness … at least for a little while.