It was almost exactly ten years before this shows when I saw Coldrain for the first time: in late October, back in 2014, when they played in Vienna, at a small, approx. 250-300 capacity hall, opening for their buddies, Crossfaith. I think that was their second time in Europe? They were certainly still at the very early stage of their international career, gaining momentum with Crossfaith’s help. Fast forward ten years and many EU tours and now it is them helping out a young band, Noisemaker, making its first steps in Europe. The Sapporo-based band was added to the line-up (along with French group Revnoir) a couple of months after the tour’s initial announcement, making fans who are into Japan’s unique loud rock scene, rather happy, as Noisemaker’s been one of the most prominent up-and-coming acts of that scene in the last couple of years.

While Coldrain visited Europe many times, this was their first time visiting Hungary and it was pretty interesting seeing them on my home turf. They attracted quite a diverse crowd: there were a lot of hardcore, metalcore and metal fans of course, and also a lot of younger people, who knew them thanks to their anime works, plus some of old-school J-Rock fans, ones that’s been following the Japanese rock scene for well over a decade, since the times it first hit Europe’s shores. And the venue itself was a spot called Barba Negra, where this smaller hall has a capacity of approx. 800 and I am just guessing here, but I think around 400 showed up that night? So, it was not at all a sold out show, but still, we had a pretty decent amount of people.

And it was a pretty cool crowd by the way, that was very active even during Noisemaker’s show, which served as the opening act of the night. They did not play a lot, only six tracks, but they put together a very decent setlist. Their music is quote diverse, their kind of rock is usually even more melodic than Coldrain’s (who aren’t the heaviest band out there either), closer to alternative rock actually, with just a bit of punk / hardcore touch, but for this tour, they picked their most lively and uptempo tunes, ones that were perfect for a party rock sort of show. And the audience just loved it. I am not so sure how many were already familiar with the band, but based on the reactions, they definitely made everyone happy and certainly gained quite a few new followers that night. The French group Revnoir was up next with their melodic take on metalcore. I saw the band’s name here and there a couple of times, but never actually heard their music except for the few tracks I listened to a day before the show. And while some of those were more pop-rock with just a bit of growling, for the concert, they picked the ones that were more like ones you would expect from a metalcore band. So, their approach was similar to Noisemaker, highlighting the harder side of their music and it actually worked. They were definitely not the most original sounding band ever, but they were quite decent, better than what I expected based on those songs I listened. Also, they were obviously pretty huge Japan-fans, but that’s not surprising, knowing that they are French and France got hooked on anime and all things Japanese in general long, long time before anyone else in Europe really took notice and they have a very deep rooted appreciation for the country’s pop culture ever since.

And then it was finally time for the main act, Coldrain. Their sound, that can be probably best described as post-hardcore (with the hint of a lot of different music styles, from metalcore to alternative rock and punk) did not change much since they started back in 2007, but still, it went through some ups and downs throughout the years. However their recent EP, Optimize and the latest album, 2022’s Nonnegative were amongst their best and songs from those made up most of the setlist: they played all five tracks off Optimize and also five from the album, only including one or two at best from their earlier releases. 2013’s The Revelation was the big survivor in their setlists, that was by far the earliest track and also, the only one they also played at that show in Vienna ten years ago. But even with some early fan-faves missing, it was a very solid selection, that did a pretty good job at showcasing the band’s diverse sound. But still, something was missing for me. From what I remember from the Vienna show, it was already a good, very convincing performance, full of energy and passion. And since then, they became an even more professional band, which did a great job performing a set of great songs with strong stage presence and all that you would expect from such a pro-act. But somehow it lacked the enthusiasm and the energy, that was at full display at that gig ten years ago… or during Noisemakers short performance. Of course obviously nobody can expect the same sort of high level energy at each and every show from a band that played countless concerts each year for nearly 20 years, but still. But it is probably just me being too picky and I am sure this was not something anyone else from the audience noticed. Also, besides all this, it was a superb night with excellent performances from all three acts.

Noisemaker

Something New
Change My Life
MAJOR-MINOR
Supernatural
LAST FOREVER
NAME

Coldrain

FREE FALL
PARADISE (Kill the Silence)
INCOMPLETE
The Revelation
REVOLUTION
Cut Me
DIGITOLL
Boys and Girls
Uninvited (Alanis Morissette cover)
Bloody Power Fame
Rabbit Hole
MAYDAY
CHASING SHADOWS
* encore
OPTIMIZE
ENVY
VENGEANCE