Roadrunner Records has been around for 25 years. And that means it is time for a party, and this year the Roadrage tour was hitting the Netherlands once again. This time it was with Trivium, 3 Inches of Blood and Still Remains. All three bands have just released their debut album on Roadrunner so it was the perfect opportunity to promote their albums in a not to crowded Melkweg, Amsterdam.

The first band that was playing this night was Still Remains, they started 20 minutes ahead of schedule and that wasn’t a smart move, with a half empty venue they started their set in complete darkness, the lights didn’t shine up front so it was not a great show to look at. Actually all three bands weren’t using the front lights, I just can’t find a reason why not to do that, the audience want to see you guys!!! But the set of Still Remains was short but powerful, the keyboard guy was running around whenever he didn’t play and the band was enjoying the show the played, too bad the audience didn’t participated in this joy. Maybe because most of the Dutch Crowd was visiting Unearth and Lamb of God in Tilburg. After a short 30 minuts of being on stage the band left the stage and it was time for 3 Inches of Blood to put their gear up.

After a short amount of time this band started their set, and wow did they impress me once again. I have seen them before on this years edition of the Dynamo festival but my god these are great musicians and they sure know how to play a great show! The two vocalists are using the same tone, but one is singing and the other one is screaming. Because they are singing in the same tone it looks like one singer is using two singing lines. And that sounds pretty cool live!



The set list included some older songs of previous albums but Deadly Sinners was the closing song of this band. If you ever get the chance to see this band live, do it. Maybe they sound awkward on CD but they will amaze you on stage!

Finally, Florida's Trivium took the stage in their "stage outfits". Fortunately their sense of fashion wasn’t an issue for the playing of the band. These guys are TIGHT! I forgot the exact set list but most tracks of Ascendancy got played. I hoped for a song or two from From Ember to Inferno but it seems that wont happen anytime soon. The band opened with the track Rain, and again I can understand why everyone thinks so highly of this band. But on the other side, Matt Heafy's goal is world domination. I can see it happening.

The band also played some parts of Maiden's The Trooper, Metallica's Master of Puppets and a short part of Pantera's Walk, which got alot of cheers from the crowd. The crowd itself was a bit tame overall, although I spotted a few Trivium fans. Which is a same, because these guys could easily play to a much larger, 1000+ crowd. Like they did on Rock am Ring a few days earlier.

Even though there was a small crowd, the band showed enough enthusiasm to get a small pit going on. I think a lot of people who went to the Roadrage tour without knowing any of the bands walked away, impressed by Trivium.