Pantera: Heavy-Duty Shaking at the Civic : POP AND JAZZ REVIEWS

“This ain’t no (expletive) alternative show! We’re the (expletive) heavy-metal band,” Pantera’s singer Phil Anselmo bellowed to the sold-out Santa Monica Civic Auditorium crowd on Saturday.

With 90 minutes of thundering double-bass drums and six-amp stacks spewing guttural sounds that literally shook the hall’s floor, the band set out to prove Anselmo’s claim--and generally succeeded. As a frontman, the shorn and tattooed Anselmo has the ability to mesmerize and incite a crowd. This evening, however, numerous beers seemed to take its toll, rendering him a sloppy host.

Still, the band’s pure power is undeniable and generally unshakable, with the brother team of drummer Vinnie Paul and magenta-bearded guitarist Dimebag Darrell anchoring Pantera with trademark ultra-heavy grooves and fluid riffs.

Although the quartet’s third album, “Far Beyond Driven,” recently and surprisingly entered the Billboard album chart at No. 1, Pantera’s new material is discernibly heavier than previous efforts, and Anselmo’s vocals have taken a commensurate turn, drawing much from the growly, throat-searing death-metal approach to singing.

KISS’ Gene Simmons dropped in to sing and play bass on a rousing version of the KISS classic “Cold Gin” before Pantera concluded its aural onslaught with “Primal Concrete Sledge,” a title that sums up the group’s timeless if merciless brand of macho musicality.

Pantera plays tonight with Crowbar at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica, 8 p.m. $19.50. (310) 458-8551.