Mudvayne + Coal Chamber

Festival Hall

After an absence of well over a decade, Mudvayne and Coal Chamber this week hit Australian shores for a much anticipated tour.

Melbourne’s Festival Hall became the epicenter for Nu Metal fans, the line up spanning several blocks as fans dressed in black eagerly awaited the show to commence. The crowd pack themselves in as tight as possible, a few faces painted sweaty bodies pressed together in anticipation.

Bursting out onto the stage with braided hair, Dez Fafara shows the crowd exactly why the band are the pioneers of Nu Metal. The sound is loud, pounding and the mosh pit spills out into the pit. Nadja Peulen is captivating on bass, red hair flowing, hitting the notes perfectly.

Powering through the hits Big Truck, Drove, Dark Days and Not Living the band keep the energy and momentum going the entire set. Fafara is energetic, pacing the stage like a wild animal never stopping to draw breath. The crowd are enraptured, bodies and objects flying haphazardly through the air in a frenzy.

After a short break Mudvayne arrive to a chant, the excitement in the room is palatable.  Mudvayne are musical alchemists of sorts, blending death metal, jazz, fusion, progressive rock, and world music making it hard to categorize their sonic experimentation. Ryan Martinie on bass absolutely captivates the audience with his heavy notes and scintillating  energy. Playing Monolith, Not Falling, Death Blooms, Fish Out of Water and finishing with Dig, Mudvayne are captivating to watch, Festival Hall fukk to the brim with die hard fans.

Whilst the band have only just re-united after a long hiatus, they put together a tight show that is a flawless display of music that has united fans, leaving  everyone hoping they will be back again soon.

Words and images by Amanda Lee Starkey