Customer Reviews

Coal Chamber

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Straight out of a Toystore from hedes come one of the most original bands I've come across since Korn. But I am not going to turn this into a who-copied-who issue. Coal Chamber is it's own entity, from the throat slashing "Loco" to surreal of "Pig"Coal Chamber has their own identity that are cemented in songs of failed relationships and innocents lost. This Cd is a trip through the dark crevices of the mind that few bands try to immatate but fail to compare.This is just one of things that can't be explained , it has to be heared and felt. There is a secret track at the end that is a well desered grasp of fresh air. On it, you can hear the voices of Jonathan Davis, Jay Gordon, Elijah Blue(deadsy), and famed producer Ross Robinson.

their debut album has to be one metal's greatest recordings! from the heaviness on "unspoiled" and "big truck", to the stranger songs such as "pig" and "loco".i would reccomend this album to people who like nothingface, slayer, soulfly, or korn.

This cd is just too good to explain. Every moment on here is pure genius. O.K., sure, it is repetitve and the lyrics aren't THAT clever, but hey, I like it a lot. And that's all that matters. The guitar riffs on here are reminiscent of early KoRn. And the lyrics take on a Black Sabbath vibe. They really have something here, dont be fooled by cynics, just listen to what you want.

This is one of my favorite Cd's! All of the songs are interesting... I especially like the songs Loco, Oddity, Sway, and I. If you like Korn, you'll like Coal Chamber. This Cd is filled with awesome roaring vocals and fast-paced guitars. Each song is unique, making it fun to listen to. I am looking foward to their next Cd... I hope they come out with one soon! Oh, and this is great to listen to while playing 3-D shooters(like Quake2) on your computer!

I was so suprised when i heard this cd. I'm into mostly gothic and industrial music. I never liked korn or any other bands that coal chamber has been grouped with but I love them! Each song has a different vibe all together and it flows very well. The guitars are awesome and the lyrics are great. The memebers just all work together. I would recommend this if you like bands like korn. It's got substance that many of the reviewers seem to leave out between the all caps "they kick butt" and the explainations between korn and coal chamber.

I got this cd when it first came out but haven't bothered to write a review until now. The reason I am writing this review is because I don't want all the people who are thinking about getting this cd to be tricked out of buying it by god boy. He says that Coal Chamber is antichrist, but they aren't. He claims that they cuss more than Korn, but they don't. He wrote that all of the songs that he had listed, had the F word 3 times. "First" doesn't even have the F word in it. I don't know how he figures that when he read the lyrics. "My Frustration" & "I" only have the F word once. "Loco" & "Bradley" only have the F word twice. The lyric booklet will tell you the same thing. God boy also said that Coal Chamber is antichrist because at the beginning of "My Frustration" when he says "When have I ever been around when God showed how to make a happy home". First of all, those aren't even the lyrics. What he says is "Where was I when God had shown, how to make a happy home". And second of all, how is that antichrist. If you look in the cd's booklet, all of the band members thank god, I don't consider that antichrist. In a recent interview with Circus magazine, Dez (the singer) said that religous people come up to him and call him satanic. He replies "Makeup and piercings aren't the work of the devil," and then he tells them to look at the sleeve of the cd, "but they are all to ignorant to understand," he says. How come everyone says that Coal Chamber sounds like Korn, they aren't anything like Korn. This is a great cd that everyone should buy. I can't wait for Chamber Music to come out. The songs on it are really cool.

Coal Chamber's s/t debut is an album that right from the start grabs you and won't let go until you have released every last bit of your energy in an attempt to emulate the intensity that pours forth from the music. Unfortunately, the band gets lumped in the same category as other supposedly copycat bands following in the footsteps of Korn. This is not true since Coal Chamber has been playing together for nearly as long as Korn, their cd just came out a couple of years later due to certain circumstances. So whoever says Coal Chamber is a copycat band is wrong since they are actually another of the pioneers of the nu-metal sound.

Coal Chamber's music on this cd is a dark and heavy groovecore with a bit of gothic influence mixed within or as I like to call it spookycore. The music is dominated by some really thick bass, accompanied by spooky guitar riffs and aggressive drums. The only bad thing is that the music is kind of basic, not too much experimentation but it has enough of its own sound to call it original. It's easy to get caught up in the beat and just mosh until you drop of sheer exhaustion.

The music is accompanied by the schizophrenic rantings of Dez. As a vocalist I would rate him as one of the top vocalists out there due to the incredible sounds that he is able to create that really complements their music. As a songwriter however, the lyrics seem thoughtless and almost childish with a lot of choruses that are just meaningless phrases repeated mindlessly over and over. Improve the songwriting and this band will become something really special.

A good cd that contains some really great songs. "Loco" is the song that garnered the attention of the masses but songs like "Bradley", "Oddity", "Sway", and "Big Truck" featuring catchy phrases and melodies and are steeped in mosh-heavy moments quickly became fan favorites. "First" is a really cool song that has an almost emo-core Deftones sound to it and is a kind of preview to their next album. Some of the other songs just do not seem to have the energy and intensity of their more popular songs.

Overall, this band has great talent and a distinct sound if you would only really listen. Incredible live performance, and a band who as they mature will blossom into one of the forerunners of the nu-metal age. Other spookycore: Society 1

Coal Chamber's 1st album is absolutley outstanding. It stands out from all of their other albums because of its raw, explosive, groove-oriented vibe. This album gives me an adrenaline rush like few albums can. Kicking off with "Loco", Coal Chamber explodes with a sonic mess of downtuned guitars with heavy distortion backed up with Dez's frantic, mindless lyrics. "Loco" sets the tone for the entire album. Each song pretty much follows the same pattern, with a spooky, groovy bassline with Dez speaking/singing like a mental patient, slowly building up until finally exploding into an intense distorded groove with Dez repeating ridculous phrases over & over again. Coal Chamber isn't exactly a band you listen to for insightful lyrics. It's all about their explosive sound. Here's how I rate the tracks:

Loco 10/10 - One of the best mosh-pit songs of all-time.
Bradley 9/10 - Awesome, groovy song.
Oddity 9/10 - Classic example of CC's ablilty to build up & release their sonic fury.
Unspoiled 8/10 - Very good song.
Big Truck 8/10 - Kind of over-rated, but still a fun song.
Sway 10/10 - Awesome song! Amazing live.
First 8/10 - Cool spooky-core vibe. More chilled out.
Marticon Puto 7/10 - Cool, brief little distorded skit.
I 9/10 - Incorporates nearly all aspects of CC's sound. Fast, intense part, slower chilled bass playing, jam out to close the song.
Clock 9/10 - Very fun song. Have to jump up & down to this one.
My Frustration 9/10 - Great steady, down-tuned riffs.
Amir of the Desert 6/10 - Amusing, nothing more.
Dreamtime 8/10 - Creepy, spooky-core vibe.
Pig 8/10 - Nice closer for the album.

A lot of people's complaint with this album is that it supposedly sounds too similar to Korn. However, it is important to note that Coal Chamber formed in 1994, the same time Korn put out their classic s/t album. Because of Dez's marrital problems Coal Chamber couldn't put this album together until 1997. So Coal Chamber simply had bad timing, but the strength of this album certainly stands on its own, and should be considered as one of the pioneering albums of the so called "nu-metal" movement along with Korn's s/t, Deftones-Adrenaline, etc... This album represents a time when "nu-metal" was still raw & original and not water-downed & corrupted by all the countless #s of pathedic, generic garbage that has taken over the heavy scene. So buy this album. It's insane & one of my personal favorites of all time.

COAL CHAMBER are probably the best modern heavy groove band around for the simple reason that they are more honest then most. Despite their ludicrous image and self-depreciating antics, this band have a distinct naive charm. There can be no denying that their style of music is perhaps a little juvenile and immature but their simplistic grooves can really blow you away at times. LOCO, BRADLEY, ODDITY, BIG TRUCK and the extremely personal UNSPOILED are prime examples of modern groove at it's 'creative' peak. They may be lousy musicians individually but their music is fairly exciting. Recommended.

Coal Chamber has been a favorite of mine for years, and, in my opinion, this is their best CD. The opener, "Loco", got me addicted to this band. Think of it as Korn on speed. "Sway", another title track, has the infamous "the roof is on fire..." opener to it and is a great track as well. "Big Truck" tends to take on Korn's direction with its mellow points at first, and then exploding right towards your face. "Oddity" takes sort of a hip-hop beat with it, while "Clock" explodes right into your face. Recommended for those who like alternative metal but want to dig deeper.

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