Aho: Chamber Music

Advantages: A few good tracks
Disadvantages: Most of the tracks are terrible

...Coal Chamber’s self titled debut is a real old mixed bag of an album. The songs are either absolutely fantastic Korn-ish tracks, full of anger and killer guitar riffs (Bradley, I, Loco, My Frustration and Sway) or absolute shout filled noisy rubbish (Oddity, Unspoiled, First, Maricon Puto, Clock, Amir of the Desert, Dreamtime and Pig). The album was made during a difficult time for lead singer, Dez Farara, his wife actually leaving him less than an hour before one of the songs was recorded! But don’t feel sorry for him! Go and buy their second album, Chamber Music instead. It’s much better.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Fantastic undergroun, down-tuned feel
Disadvantages: Vocals not to everyones taste

...and into their later work. As Coal Chamber progressed, their music became more complex, using different instruments and techniques, as well as drawing influence from other areas of music. However, they have never strayed from their metal roots, and so fans of the genre will not be disappointed as the album proceeds through their second and third albums (Chamber Music and Dark Days). 'Tyler's Song', thought of by many as Coal Chamber's catchiest and most melodic track, is track 8, followed by a selection of tracks from Coal Chamber's final album 'Dark Days', certainly a more refined and mature sound than the bands previous works. This 'Best Of' record holds a good selection of songs from across all three albums, and certainly displays how the band progressed from their earliest recordings to their later ones, whilst keeping to the metal genre... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Some interesting stuff going on
Disadvantages: Still the odd dodgy track

...Coal Chamber return with their follow up from their self titled and somewhat patchy debut release with a slightly less self titled and less patchy album known as Chamber Music. The range of styles on this album is much more varied than the first albums ‘grunts and guitars’. While there’s still plenty of grunting and guitars, they are joined by samples, keyboards, strings, singing (!) and a raft of guest vocalists, including Ozzy Osborne joining Dez on a cover of Peter Gabriel’s Shock the Monkey – where do they get these ideas from? Anyway, opening track, Tragedy (Mist isn’t really a track, just a few strings) is an absolute classic, full of aggression and yet still with a tune, something Korn did after Coal Chamber. The previously mentioned Shock the Monkey is another classic, for the same reasons as Tragedy. Burgundy is an altogether... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful