MUDVAYNE & COAL CHAMBER – Brisbane, Australia 14th February 2024

admin February 15, 2024 Concert Reviews

What’s the old saying, “Everything old is new again”? Love it or hate it, you simply cannot deny the impact of that ever-polarizing genre, Nu-Metal. For many, this bill is a “Dream Team” matchup of two of the very best from this category. And judging by the Sold-Out sign, ALOT of people have been eagerly awaiting its return.

My recollection of that era takes me right to Coal Chamber. When I first heard a song about a “Big Truck”, I laughed at the absurdity of it. Then I played it again…and again. I was in hook line and sinker. Visually, they were a sight to behold too. I mean, Dez had a face tattoo… in the 90’s!

Their Soundwave 2012 appearance I remember with mixed emotions. Excited, as they were finally here in Australia and in front of me, but ultimately a little disappointed, as they fell victim to the dreaded “festival sound”. I came tonight hoping they could right those wrongs.

Straight out of the gate, it was like Mike Tyson hitting in his prime. Loco/Fiend/Big Truck. Bang bang bang, thank you very much. Any sound concerns I may have had were immediately squashed. It sounded massive and concise. Dez Fafara’s vocals are in spectacular form. Mike Cox looks like a demented toy drummer who can’t seem to get enough water poured on him. Bassist Nadja Peulen held down the bottom end beautifully, while looking elegant in the process.

The space and powerful simplicity of “Rowboat” was this reviewer’s personal highlight, and as an illustration of how simply crushing tone guitarist Meegs Rascon’s live sound. Set closer “Sway” has everyone chanting and exploding in unison. Well and truly worth the wait.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 18 years since tonight’s headliners were last in Australia as part of the Big Day Out. Hitting the stage with “Not Falling”, the magnitude of what we were about to witness was immediately evident. The intensity of the guitar attack alone required that you momentarily had to adjust your perception of what you thought was coming. The addition of a touring guitarist who can also do vocals added a level of power which took things to the next sonic dimension.

Chad Gray, dressed like a mentally unbalanced clown who could have easily played the lead role in a Rob Zombie slasher movie, sounded on point and powerful. The subtleties and differences in his vocal approach were evident too. No easy task in the context of a bombastic metal show. “World So Cold” was beautifully haunting in its dynamics.

It’s no surprise that the set was “L.D.50” heavy, and each track played from that benchmark album was met with even more enthusiasm. “Death Blooms” simply slays. Of the tracks played from their latter catalogue, “Dull Boy” gets the MVP award in my book.

I did take the opportunity to get closer to bassist Ryan Martinie side of the stage so I could better see his bass prowess up close. I was curious whether the technical nuances of his playing would get lost in the whole presentation and was shocked that they were not. “Dig” was the perfect illustration of this fact.

Drummer Matthew McDonough was as technically precise as you’d expect from the guy whose job it is to anchor the whole sonic barrage. The finale “Happy?” was more than appropriate judging by the smiles I saw on the punter’s faces as they were leaving, that’s exactly what they were.