Coal Chamber - Coal Chamber

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

...Coal Chamber have been influenced by a strange variety of goth, hip hop and hardcore, all of which come across in this very well chosen 'Best Of' album. Since their forming in LA back in 1994, the band have stayed at the forefront of nu and underground metal, describing themselves as 'spookycore'. Their originality has remained unchallenged, and this record certainly portrays all of these traits. This record is part of 'The Roots of Roadrunner Records Series', and opens with the blistering track 'Loco' (still remaining my personal favourite Coal Chamber song). It moves on through a hypnotic mix of underground, down-tuned riffs and bass lines, the drum and bass pumping throughout. Famous track 'Sway' (many know it as 'The Roof is on Fire') appears as the fourth track, before the album moves on from the bands debut album... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: all classic tracks
Disadvantages: The white noise at the end of the CD - why?

...In a similar move to Coal Chamber, Korn return with album that has melodies (Yes that does say melodies) on it and the results are good, beating Coal Chamber’s Chamber Music. Without a doubt it’s Korn’s best album to date, with tracks like Falling Away From Me, Trash, Somebody Someone and Dirty it leaves Korn’s other releases behind. The Hip Hop element that was present on their previous release, Follow The Leader has gone and has been replaced by more complex arrangements of the songs and I prefer it. I liked the Hip Hop thing as well, but I this is better. There are a few things about the album I don’t like. Wake Up is a good verse spoiled by the rest of the song and the white noise that takes the places of the secret track on the normal version of the album is annoying. If you own no Korn albums, start here.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

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

...Coal Chamber have been influenced by a strange variety of goth, hip hop and hardcore, all of which come across in this very well chosen 'Best Of' album. Since their forming in LA back in 1994, the band have stayed at the forefront of nu and underground metal, describing themselves as 'spookycore'. Their originality has remained unchallenged, and this record certainly portrays all of these traits. This record is part of 'The Roots of Roadrunner Records Series', and opens with the blistering track 'Loco' (still remaining my personal favourite Coal Chamber song). It moves on through a hypnotic mix of underground, down-tuned riffs and bass lines, the drum and bass pumping throughout. Famous track 'Sway' (many know it as 'The Roof is on Fire') appears as the fourth track, before the album moves on from the bands debut album... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

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: 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