Coal Chamber ended quite abruptly back in 2003, their very public disintegration a sign that things were not at all right. With their original line-up reformed, Coal Chamber have released their latest album ‘Rivals’, front man Dez Farara stating that a lot of metal sounds the same these days and for Coal Chamber, ‘it’s like that movie 300, it’s us against the world’.
Opening track ‘I.O.U. Nothing’ is a bone shaking, heavy weight metal tune, with Coal Chamber’s distinctive tone and Farara’s hellishly brilliant vocals crawling under your skin like a insatiable itch. It is certainly the stand out track on the album. The chorus is a raucous affair, clinically polished to provide a syncopation that is industrial and raw, and it is only a shame that the rest of the album doesn’t quite match up.
‘Bad Blood Between Us’ starts with a heavy, doom style break down, the chugging guitar perfectly complimenting the throaty, roar of Farara. His vocals sounding mature and positively demonic, as he shouts “it starts to unravel”, amidst a devilish beat and a brutal onslaught of noise.
‘The Bridges You Burn’ has a ridiculously heavy intro, dropped to a level similar to Korn, but surprisingly precedes a relatively commercial sounding chorus, followed by some spoken word vocals before the chorus tears in again. It is an interesting and nuanced style change from previous albums, and perhaps nods to greater audience reach, and more mainstream metal fans.
‘Another Nail in the Coffin’ has some insane riffs and drum parts, the song returning to the chugging that is synonymous with Coal Chamber, and the shouty vocals of Farara, versatility not required here. Farara’s vocals are unrelenting and rarely ease up, they reach for the jugular and tear you apart. There are some weird lyrics such as, “Like the winds of December each moon, I remember it”, which would seem more fitting in the Twilight Saga, but generally this album seems to ‘do exactly what is says on the tin’.
Farara stated that “whether people know us or not, I think when people hear this record, they’re gonna hear something refreshing”. This statement is sort of true in that its new and no one has heard it, and it most certainly carries the previous chugging brutality and Goth overtones that initially brought Coal Chamber to the fore. However, If you don’t like this niche form of metal, there is little room for compromise with ‘Rivals’, the style of the album very obvious and lacking any huge variety.
‘Fade Away (Karma Never Forgets)’ sounds very much like a Soulfly style entoutage, Farara even using the word ‘rise’, seemingly Max Cavalera’s favourite and most often sited word, complete with an appropriate roar and spoken word overlays.
‘Rivals’ is the new favourite album of Mikey Cox, Coal Chamber’s drummer, him stating that he’s “totally addicted to Rivals”. If Coal Chamber were your thing back in the day, then you’ll probably agree, whether or not the album is strong enough to attract new fans remains to be seen.
DAVE BULL