How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money
Advantages:
Some interesting stuff going on
Disadvantages:
Still the odd dodgy track
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
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 different matter – guitars and grunting are hardly to be seen on this track, it verges on being electronica. A final honourable mention goes to Notion and that pretty much is all the great tracks. Some of the others are good, some less good and some good in parts. Overall it’s a vast improvement on their previous work and a pretty descent album. I’m looking forward to their next album to see if they can keep improving.
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Chamber Music -
With the opening line "Cynics and Christ-like hypocrites / How they stick to you like
... more
glue", it's pretty obvious where Coal Chamber are going on their second album. They know which side their bread is buttered, and after the success of their self-title...
