Pantera classics revive the glory days of the vocalist.
Last Tuesday, January 29th, it must have been around 36 degrees Celsius when Phil Anselmo and his Illegals pulled up at the intersection of Lopo Gonçalves and José do Patrocínio. The musician came to Brazil to present his new band, his second album, and a concise setlist, but it was with the monumental classics of Pantera that the vocalist managed to regain the fans' trust.
Phil Anselmo and his crew took the stage promptly at 9 PM. Time seemed to have stood still for the vocalist, who was thin, bald, and physically healthy (those familiar with the vocalist's history know it wasn't always like this). Accompanied by The Illegals, the band started with their own setlist, kicking things off with the heavy "Little Fuckin' Heroes," a showcase of Phil Anselmo's vocal range over unintelligible riffs and tempos. The track, a more intense death metal song than one might imagine, grows quite creatively and ultimately convinces that it has something musically to offer.
The audience received the sound with open arms and cheered the vocalist at the end: “Phil! Phil! Phil!” That Porto Alegre would have a full house for the vocalist of a band as important as Pantera , no one doubted, but it was especially wonderful to see Opinião packed with people applauding such an ignorantly aggressive band. Phil Anselmo showed gratitude at every moment for the audience's devotion, and declared: “The Illegals' music is extreme; I know you don't know it, but it's more extreme than any sound out there.”
Next, with “Choosing Mental Illness,” he would prove the words of someone who roared super-raspy and muffled guttural vocals over an absurd amount of notes, bass drums, and crust, while “The Ignorant Point,” described by Phil as “sinister, hideous, and horrifying,” mixed black metal with grindcore, a sound polluted enough to confuse anyone. In fact, the music of The Illegals, supported by Phil Anselmo, positions itself in this place of questioning, in practice, what is understood by “heavy sound” today for those who come from a classic generation. Although the audience seemed reasonably intrigued by the truculence in the PA system, the crowd in the front rows was enjoying what they saw.
The first song to hint at Pantera's grooves was "Walk Through Exit Only," which had the audience clenching their fists. The choice seemed fitting to close the set of 'original' songs, return to one of the Illegals' albums, and also transition to what, as everyone knew from the beginning, was the most anticipated moment of the night. Phil picked up a crate at waist height, but there was barely time to speculate about tragedies; the reason seemed simply that Phil needed the crate to prop up his leg while singing Pantera.
The opening notes of “Mouth for War” sparked a whole new level of attention and engagement from both band and audience at the Opinião bar. For a second, the sound seemed decibels lower on the PA system: I came to realize, after a moment, that it was because the sound was very well rehearsed and precise. But it wasn't just that: it was the audience's voice that complemented and enhanced the sound from the stage. The fans impressed everyone by singing the song word for word.
No one remained still during the parade of epics: “Becoming,” with simplified versions of the most intricate parts of the timeless Dimebag Darrell, and “This Love,” undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night (but it could have been “Cemetery Gates”). As for the sound at Bar Opinião, whatever anyone says, it was impeccable.
At this point (conveniently, with the audience in the palm of his hand), Phil Anselmo decides to introduce The Illegals, and asks the audience to start shouting the band's name instead of his. Without further ado, the band launches into the ode to gratuitous violence, "Fucking Hostile," although the resulting mosh pit looked more like a game of overgrown children.
Phil announces, without convincing anyone, that “Hellbound” will be the last song of the night. It's during this song that the artist performs a medley of Pantera classics. Here, a transition is seen with the emblematic ending of “Domination” fitting into “Hollow,” which closes the first part of the set. With the applause and shouts of the faithful, Anselmo asks them to raise their hands “who will come if the Illegals return,” in the midst of a campaign for his new band. The band leaves the stage quickly, as if out of formality.
It's the shouts of "Illegals! Illegals!" that bring the band back to play, at curfew, the most appropriate song of all: "Walk," to the obvious delight of the general public. Finally, "Broken" closes Phil Anselmo's excellent show at Opinião, against expectations given the problems that occurred in São Paulo three days earlier.
Overall impressions: Phil Anselmo has put on the sandals of humility and seems to be trying to rebuild his story. He is an artist who belongs to the caste of legends of a genre, of a consecrated vocal style, but who had the unfortunate idea of ruining his image and instilling a general sense of distrust. The artist proves that singing well doesn't protect anyone from being an idiot (as he himself acknowledges in an exclusive interview given to the press of Abstratti, the producer of this show in Porto Alegre), but that any idiot has the right to try to progress and improve. If he remains grateful and respectful to the public as he showed himself in Porto Alegre, and continues making heavy, vibrant, and audacious music as he demonstrated, it is possible that Phil Anselmo will still live days of art, dignity, and respect to be able to pay his bills.
Text by: Rust Costa Machado
Photos by: Daniela Cony
