To say that tonight has been a long time coming is something of an understatement. Performing their first headline European tour in 25 years, the excitement of having Pantera back is so palpable you can practically cut it in the air.
Pantera
OVO Arena Wembley – 25 February 2025
Words: Kahmel Farahani
Photography: Robert Sutton
Tonight, the support comes from the hardcore squawking of King Parrot and the down-home Groove Metal stylings of Power Trip. The latter is particularly impressive, and the Texas natives play to a practically full house.
Power Trip, who played Bristol Marble Factory the night before, end their set with the break-neck jam Manifest Decimation and leave to big applause. As they take their final bow, the giant Pantera banner drops to cover the stage, and the anticipation reaches giddy levels.
As the curtain falls, the crowd surges forward. The brutal buzzsaw riff of A New Level kicks off the set tonight. Phil Anselmo looks and sounds nothing short of extraordinary. At 56, Anselmo’s voice is just as ferocious and captivating as ever.
Rex Brown is still the king of the heavy groove on the bass. If Pantera does have a “secret ingredient”, then it’s surely Brown’s sinewy bass riffs that propel songs like I’m Broken and Becoming.
Zakk Wylde is not only the perfect fit for Pantera, but his stage presence is mesmerizing. He rips through 5 Minutes Alone and This Love, shredding like his life depends on it. He not only plays the entire set with style but makes it look easy, as only the greatest players can.
Charlie Benante is a force of nature behind the drum kit and watching him pound through I’m Broken and the outro of By Demons Be Driven while the wall of fire and pyro blasts behind him is a sight to see.
Tonight’s show at Wembley Arena is the band’s final show of a European tour and the band are in a mood of celebration.
Phil Anselmo fist-bumps all the camera operators and thanks all the fans, new and old. He shows a real and endearing gratitude to the crew and all the fans gathered here tonight. If there was ever any doubt that the band’s music had successfully crossed generations, seeing the hordes of young fans attending their first Pantera should put that to rest right away.
Tonight’s setlist draws mainly from the band’s famous Vulgar Display Of Power and Far Beyond Driven albums, but there are still some surprises in there. The biggest treat may just be the addition of the fan-favourite deep-cut track Floods.
Haunting verses alternate with a ten-ton chorus, and Zakk Wylde plays the chilling guitar outro solo with a photo montage of the brothers on the big screens. It is a truly beautiful moment and one that will surely linger in the hearts of the fans assembled here in Wembley tonight.
Tonight, the crowd in the standing room is a surging sea of fans bouncing off each other and often flying head over heels towards the front. The energy is off the scales, and when Zakk strikes up the iconic riff of Walk, everything goes flying.
It is not just in the crowd that the joy and excitement is overwhelming. A mob of the opening bands, along with actor and metalhead Jason Momoa, run onstage and sing the chorus with the band. Momoa is clearly having the time of his life and he is not the only one.
“This is incredible man,” says a smiling Phil Anselmo gazing out over the heaving crowd, “I know I’m old and shit, but I still feel like a young fan listening to Judas Priest for the first time.” It’s followed by a stunning Domination and Cowboys From Hell. 
Taking a brief break while the crowd chant for more, Pantera swiftly return.
The band plays encore that starts with a fantastic and all too short tease of Mountain’s classic song, Mississippi Queen, before launching into a crushing Revolution Is My Name.
“One More?” asks a determined Phil Anselmo, raising his hand, “One more.”
“There is something we haven’t played, I’ll say that. Everyone in this motherfucking place should know this song…. And if you don’t, by the time you leave here you abso-fucking-lutely will. Everyone take a deep breath, two aspirin and call me in the morning, do ten push-ups and crack your knuckles – starts like this…”
Fucking Hostile is perfect, with the most intense and chaotic mad dash for the finish. Fans are flying in the mosh and the whole arena is united singing along. The ultimate blend of Hardcore, Thrash, punk and Groove Metal ends the night on the best note, with Zakk Wylde ripping through the solo while the rhyme section grabs like a vice.
Phil Anselmo absolutely screams the final line with all he has.
Smiling, Anselmo leads the audience with a final sing-along, “And she’s buying the stairway to heaven.” With a mic drop and a final bow, it’s all over.
In a gig that perfectly balances respect and love for the past with a celebration of the timeless power of their music, Pantera proved they are still untouchable.
