In June, we looked at 2 albums out of many that would help create the basis upon one of the biggest musical genres of the 90s would be born, and in July we looked at the band that for all intent and purposes gave birth to Nu Metal. To end the month, and this spiritual successor to my look at the 1990s from last year, I wanted to take a look at bands in the subgenre that didn’t have as much spotlight shone their way. Groups that, while certainly good in their own right, maybe didn’t have as much presence as more established groups. That’s a little ironic for this first review, as the band in question definitely did have the spotlight on them for a little bit, and said light went away almost as quickly.....or did it? In any case, here’s my review of the self-titled debut of Coal Chamber. Let’s begin!
Background
In the early 1990s, Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón in Los Angeles would form a band called She’s In Pain, based off of a love for Goth icons Sisters Of Mercy. After putting an add in the newspaper, they managed to acquire bassist Rayna Foss and drummer Jon Tor, who would be replaced not long after by drummer Mike Cox. According to Foss, at the time the band was called “Coal”, while Rascón wanted to call it "Chamber". Eventually, everybody decided to put both words together, and things were complete.
In late 1994, Fear Factory co-founder Dino Cazares was championing a demo tape by Coal Chamber, which was causing a huge local stir with gigs at The Roxy Theatre and Whisky a Go Go. This eventually lead Roadrunner Records to offer the band a contract, and they immediately accepted. Sometime later, Fafara would drop out of Coal Chamber suddenly due to disagreements with his wife about the band. By spring of 1995 he would re-unite with the group, but ultimately the marriage was done. Ironically, this gave him & the rest of the group a revitalized sense of energy, and by the end of 1995 they managed to regain their deal with Roadrunner, and on the 11th of February in 1997, their self-titled debut was released.
Coal Chamber would go on to gain some acclaim upon release. It would sell 100,000 copies in 1997, with 3,000 being sold a week toward the end of the year. Chronicles of Chaos writer Adrian Bromley compared the self titled album to Korn and Deftones, stating that he had “a hard time telling these bands apart”, but noted their strong sense of groove at the same. In his review for the 2005 CD/DVD reissue, Allmusic reviewer Johnny Loftus labelled "Loco", "Sway" and "Oddity" as "classics of a late-'90s L.A. metal scene that included Korn, Deftones, Fear Factory, and System of a Down". Further in the review he’d go on to say that “Coal Chamber couldn't keep it up for a whole album -- Jay Gordon and Jay Baumgardner's enveloping production couldn't hide the limitations in Dez Fafara's lyrics, or the unimaginative two-note guitar riffs. But it's still an interesting listen, especially in relation to what they did differently from their peers. Fafara often sounded like a mascara-eating hybrid of Perry Farrell, Peter Murphy, and Phil Anselmo, and the band's bludgeoning, 'when in doubt, amplify it' approach was kind of endearing”.
The self-titled debut would also receive some modern praise as well. It would be in Metal Hammer magazine’s 20 best metal albums of 1997 list, in 2021 it would be put on Revolver Magazine’s 20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums, and just last year in 2022 it would be placed at number 15 on Kerrang!'s "The 21 Greatest Nu-Metal Albums of All Time" list.
Basic Description
Intense Groove.
I’ll be repeating this statement a little later, but Coal Chamber’s debut release doesn’t differentiate itself from many of it’s Nu Metal brethren. Many of the beats are the same, many of the rhythms are the same, and so on. So, if the album isn’t all that different from others like it, what sets it apart? Well, like I said above, it’s the intensity and the groove that set’s Coal Chamber apart from most other groups in their style. The band really does amp up their music, and it can get you pumped up pretty quick. Then there’s the groove side of the music, and all I can say is that it’s nothing short of gorgeous. The guitar & bass slide in silky smooth, and the drumming comes along for the ride without any issue. It’s definitely some to listen to, so give it a go!
Best Track
Loco is absolutely the best thing on here! As the album’s opener, it shows off the record’s identity in spades, and then some. Every bit of instrumentation is on point: from the drums, to the guitar, and to the bass, the energy is intense, and the grooves from it all are so thick, you could cut them off like a piece of cheese. Dez Fafara’s vocal are pretty special as well, as somehow it just syncs up to the instrumentation when it comes to speed practically without fault. Again, this track is just perfect as the opener to this record!
Loco
Worst Track
As much fun as this self-titled is to listen to, it also doesn’t do all that much different when you compare it to what other Nu Metal bands were doing at the time. Outside of the greater focus on groove & the more intense energy of the songs, a lot of the various beats & rhythms sound and feel similar to what bands like Korn and System Of A Down were doing in 1997. Fortunately for Coal Chamber, they would definitely diversify their sound on the subsequent 2 records, and even in 2015......but that’ll be for another day.
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, click on the link below:
Coal Chamber
Overall Impression & Rating
Coal Chamber was a lot of fun to listen to. Yes, it doesn’t differentiate from it’s Nu Metal brothers all that much, yet it’s emphasis on groove & intense energy still manages to give it an identity all of it’s own. Even nearly 30 years since it came out, the record still has a sizable following behind it, and I’m now one of it’s devout followers. I may not always want to listen to it, but whenever I hear one of it’s songs in my head, I won’t refuse it at all!
Coal Chamber gets a 9 out of 10 out of sheer enjoyment, but a 7 out of 10 in terms of practicality.
And that was a look at Coal Chamber’s self-titled debut. It definitely wasn’t the most amazing debut, but it was a fun one all the same. Well, we got the final review of the Summer of Nu in a week or two, and it’ll be on a band from the other side of the world’s interpretation of Nu Metal. See you then!
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