Concert Review: Heavy Metal Pals Pay Tribute To 'DIMEBAG' DARRELL

Bob Gendron of the Chicago Tribune reviewed Wednesday night's (Feb. 23) benefit show at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom in memory of slain DAMAGEPLAN/PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. An excerpt from his review follows:

"Combining belching staccato rhythms with tongue-twisting vocal snarls, DISTURBED gave a professional if sterile performance that pleased the hometown crowd. The Chicago quartet's goth-plated nu-metal honored brawn over flexible skill and leaned on music loops and synthesizer beats to break up what occasionally devolved into monotonous sludge. Although the pained choruses of power-ballad songs such as 'Remember' fit the memorial mood, the group's premeditated sound and safe approach seemed the opposite of Abbott's in-your-face headbanging and grab-life-by-the-horns persona.

"It took a not-so-secret surprise appearance by Abbott's brother, Vinnie Paul, to kick DISTURBED into higher gear. Joined by fellow DAMAGEPLAN mates Pat Lachman and Bob Zilla, who, like Paul, were playing live for the first time since the tragedy, the former PANTERA drummer led more than performers through the mosh anthem 'Walk'.

"After lukewarm openers SOIL and DROWNING POOL, New York speed-metal veterans ANTHRAX preceded DISTURBED and ripped through a set rich in velocity, call-and-response shouting and double-bass percussion. Old-school thrash signatures had goateed guitarist Scott Ian jumping around like a Boy Scout stomping out a campfire. The decisive moment came when Paul sat behind the trapkit and provided depth-charge explosiveness to ANTHRAX's show-stealing rendition of PANTERA's 'A New Level', honoring the unadulterated passion and steely riffs that were Abbott's legacy."

Read the entire review at this location.