Seven, five, four.

No this is not a dyslexic countdown, rather the number of members involved in three tribute bands who will be hitting the stage in Mount Maunganui next month.

Kron, and its five members, Blacktooth, with its four members, and Eyeless, which has seven members, are recreating the music of metal icons KoRn, Pantera and Slipknot.

Guy Higginson, who plays in Christchurch-based Kron, says they have tried to recreate the exact elements from these bands they grew up listening to, from guitar tones and drum fills to sometimes costumes and live versions of songs.

But the New Zealand bands have also added their own element to make each set unique.

Guy says the shows are 'never going to be identical obviously but that's not why we're doing it”.

'It's paying respect to the bands we grew up listening to and it's pretty wicked doing it! We have a great bunch of dudes in these bands with a massive amount of talent and experience from a myriad of different bands across NZ.”

Guy says they have already performed a few shows in the South island, with most of them being sold out.

He says people are asking them to come to all corners of the North.

'So we chose the Mount after hearing good things from other bands and our mates in Eyeless (Slipknot) live there and nearby so we thought they'd be a perfect fit for these shows. Plus it's a chance for us to get out of Christchurch and get amongst it up there!”

And from the news around the water cooler suggests, or the posts this reporter has read on social media, the show is not one that should be missed.

For many metalheads, Pantera, KoRn and Slipknot have played an integral part in shaping how they perceive metal music.

And this is no different for Guy.

'Personally I drew a lot of influence from the 80's and 90's music ranging from death metal to punk but Korn and Pantera were always stand out for me, hands down pioneers in their respective genres!

'Although 'nu-metal” is often laughed at even by us, we don't care because it's still awesome to play and the crowd bloody loves it.

'We don't get many massive bands here, especially in the South, so it's another opportunity to put on these shows and live vicariously through the music,” says Guy.

'On another note there are some other great tribute bands around the country too that we've played with. The first one being Sabotage Theory (Rage Against The Machine), Tone Def (Deftones) and Alice Would (Alice in Chains) to name a few.”

Tickets to the Mount show, which will be at Totara Street on May 18 and 19, are available at https://www.cosmicticketing.co.nz/event/show/5395

A few door sales will be available so get your tickets early. There'll be some classic metal hits being played through the night between bands, says Guy.