All over the country, there has been one metal band that will always be looked upon with equal respect – American thrash/groove metal band Pantera.
With tribute shows taking place in Delhi, Mumbai and even Chennai over the years, it is about time Bengaluru’s metal bands show their allegiances as well.
It is a different matter that this tribute comes on the heels of Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo’s politically incorrect actions on January 22, at Dimebash, the annual tribute show held for slain Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell. Bengaluru bands Cheisrah, Black Regiment and Chase Em Wolves are unfazed by the negative publicity (Anselmo has since apologised for his actions) and want to put on a show for fans.
Says Cheisrah drummer and gig organiser Amarjeet Singha, “Phil shouldn’t have said what he did. I don’t support any of that, no one would. But in our case, the show is focused on Pantera collectively, not someone’s personal, racist views. It’s a Pantera tribute, not a Phil Anselmo tribute.”
Indeed, it’s about remembering the band’s legacy on a tribute night. Cheisrah vocalist Imon Nirvan says, “Pantera was the only thing in the early 90s which was not grunge influenced. Although there were many other bands who weren’t, Pantera is synonymous with the 90s.”
The Black Regiment’s vocalist Abhi Jain, who cites Pantera’s seminal 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power as his favourite, says “They were and still are the most badass groove metal band that ever existed. They had music for everyone. Every element you seek for in a band was there, whether you talk about throat ripping vocals of Phil, Dimebag’s finger breaking guitar solos, or the Vinnie (Paul) and Rex (Brown) duo with groovy yet monstrous drums and bass and in your face lyrics.”
Organised by Bengaluru event firm Bohemian Live, formed by Cheisrah drummer Amarjeet Singha, the Pantera Tribute on February 3 at the Humming Tree will include all the hits divided amongst three bands. There are the must-hear songs such as “I’m Broken”, “5 Minutes Alone” to the crushing signature Pantera tracks “Mouth For War”, “Slaughtered” and “Walk”, among a total of 15 songs. Says Singha, “It covers all song types of Pantera. I coordinated among all the bands and asked them to submit the songs they were covering. One or two songs were clashing but I sorted it out amicably so that no song gets repeated and all the bands got what they wanted.”
With weeks of preparation behind, Singha says jamming on the Pantera hits have been fun. He adds, “Since we knew the songs, learning didn’t take much time. As far as drums go, it’s highly groove-oriented and fun to play. I have been told by my guitarist that scales used are kind of tricky and solos are obviously tough to play. But we will be pulling it off and hope to do justice to the legends.”
The Pantera Tribute by Cheisrah, The Black Regiment and Chase Em Wolves takes place at The Humming Tree, Indiranagar on February 3. Entry fee is Rs. 200.
