After releasing a brand new record this year, Coal Chamber came to the Melkweg in Amsterdam to show that this band still got it. Although it would be a very intimate setting, the band still brought three support acts: sOil, Diablo Blvd. and Blood Runs Deep.

When I walked in the venue Blood Runs Deep already played but seeing this little amount of people and almost nobody looking enthusiastic, I think I didn’t miss a lot. So I started with our Belgian friends Diablo Blvd. These guys are well-known in Belgium but still need to work very hard in other countries. Seeing them on a stage this small, instead of the Main Stage on Graspop was quite weird. Nevertheless they gave the same amount of energy as the bigger shows and played really tight. They had to convince the crowd the first few songs to step up a little, but everybody got more into it after the set passed by. It was good to see that these guys got more and more applause after every song, because they really deserved it.

After this really good warm-up it was time for the first headliner in my eyes, sOil. This hard rock/nu-metal band have already proven in the past that they are a very solid band and with the return of vocalist Ryan McCombs they got a very good frontman. Ryan is a guy that just let your heart melt away, the big smile on his face, enjoying every moment, every word that the crowd screams, it just gives you goosebumps all over to see somebody living his dream and enjoy this set so much. The band furthermore also really seemed to enjoy this intimate setting and played very tight as well. All the songs were perfectly followed up by the next one until the band reached one of their most known song, “Halo”. For this song Ryan stood on the floor instead of the stage where the other band members were. After this massive sing-a-long it was time for the grand dessert, a magnificient cover of Ram Jam’s “Black Betty”. It was an amazing show and got everybody pumped up for the headliner.

While the room filled up even more, it was finally time for Coal Chamber. Beginning with their biggest hits “Loco” and “Big Truck” is quite dangerous because there is a chance that the rest of the set will disappoint the people that only know these songs. But nothing of all that was true, the band grew up a lot and you could see on every detail that the band got a lot more experience. The rest of the evening was filled up with a very tight set full of nu metal music and every band member showed that they would gave it all. Although drummer Mike Cox needed water every song and gave more than he could, he kept going. Also with the spit battle he had with guitarist Miguel Rascón. Songs as “I.O.U. Nothing”, “Fiend”, “Clock” and “No Home” were played and a good mix of old and newer songs were played, although it was mostly from the first two records. Lead vocalist Dez Farfara proved once again that he knows how to act on stage and Nadja Peulen also knows how to share your own energy with the crowd. All the band members proven that they are at least a little bit crazy, but this is only better for the whole act of the evening. His growls still reminds me of his time with DevilDriver of course, but it was amazing to see and hear these growls with Coal Chamber finally. After 15 songs the set already came to an end and the time just flew by.

Very awesome evening with, as far as I’ve seen, good bands only. Now let’s all pray that the ego’s go well in the future and that we can enjoy this band for many more years!