Coal Chamber: All Albums Ranked
You want blazing solos, operatic harmonies, progressive song structures and masterful musicianship? Then don’t listen to Coal Chamber. Coal Chamber are one of the best representatives of nu-metal, grooving their way through 30 years of downtuned riffs, pit-starting energy and catchy earworms. We have ranked their studio albums below, and made this playlist of fan favourites. What do you think? Have your say in the comments, create your own ranking below, and check out some other bands!
A compilation of B-sides, demos, remixes and a live track, ‘Giving The Devil His Due’ feels very much like a record label cash-in, released hastily after Coal Chamber’s acrimonious break-up.
Sadly, some tensions within the band (especially between Dez and Meegs), coupled with arguments around their management, a run of disappointing live shows, and disagreements about their musical direction, culminated in Coal Chamber disbanding in 2002/3 and Dez defecting to his new project Deathride (which then became the absolute powerhouse that is Devildriver). This all came at a time of great change in the music world, where bands such as Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Trivium, Shadows Fall, Children of Bodom, Atreyu and many others were beginning to pioneer a more technical and complex form of metal which would become commonly referred to as ‘metalcore’. Coal Chamber were - perhaps understandably - lumped in with the fading nu-metal scene, and ‘Giving The Devil His Due’, released around the same time as a greatest hits comp (imaginatively titled ‘The Best of Coal Chamber’…), was essentially the label clearing out the closet and drawing a line under a turbulent but frequently brilliant seven years.
The early demos here (‘I’, ‘Oddity’, ‘Sway’, ‘Unspoiled’ and ‘Loco’, plus an early demo of ‘Babbit’ which was sadly never developed further, as it had great promise in the vein of Static-X) are a challenging listen, but intriguing for completists. The other unreleased tracks fare much better, including opener ‘Headstones and the Walking Dead’ (originally recorded for the debut, but not finished at the time, so Dez went back into the studio later to track his vocals), then ‘Save Yourself’ and ‘Anxiety’ which were both recorded in the ‘Dark Days’ sessions. ‘Wishes’ feels a little throwaway, but ‘Apparition’ is intriguingly dark and even features a flamenco flavour in the chorus. ‘Blisters’, released as a standalone song between ‘Coal Chamber’ and ‘Chamber Music’, signalled a step in a more melodic direction and remains a highlight, with an unexpected shift in tempo half way through. The remixes of ‘Bradley’, ‘El Cu Cuy’, ‘Big Truck’, ‘One Step’ and ‘Sway’ aren’t so much remixes as they are alternate mixes that differ only slightly from the originals. In summary, ‘Giving The Devil His Due’ is an intriguing listen for fans, but isn’t a recommended starting point for casual listeners.
Standout Tracks: ‘Headstones and the Walking Dead’, ‘Blisters’, ‘Save Yourself’
A whopping eleven years (and seven Devildriver albums) since releasing ‘Dark Days’ and promptly going on hiatus, Coal Chamber reformed, then two years later released their fourth album proper, ‘Rivals’. The musical landscape had changed a lot since 2002, and nu-metal was arguably at its lowest level of popularity in 2015. In more recent years there has been something of a nu-metal resurgence, but back in 2015 it was very much a dirty term. Therefore, the chances of Coal Chamber winning over some new fans were slim at best. Dez, Meegs, Mikey and Nadja must have known this, because ‘Rivals’ felt very much like fan service. In summary, if you loved Coal Chamber before then you should love ‘Rivals’, and if you hated them then…well, just read this brutal Angry Metal Guy review (0.5 out of 10!) to get a sense of what some critics thought of the new record.
‘Rivals’ isn’t brilliant, but it is perfectly listenable and there are some excellent tracks (especially in the first half), all underpinned by the trademark groove that Coal Chamber do so well. Opener ‘IOU Nothing’ does an impressive job of making an opening riff out of guitar harmonics, not actual notes, and it is a vital, high-energy opening to proceedings, sounding as if no time at all had passed since ‘Dark Days’.
Instrumentally, ‘Rivals’ is quite similar to ‘Dark Days’. ‘Another Nail in the Coffin’, in particular, could easily have fitted on their 2002 album. The guitar and bass work is very familiar throughout the record, though admittedly Mikey’s drumming feels more technically advanced, still grooving and driving but with more dexterity, more elaborate fills and a greater willingness to experiment (the techno beats of ‘Over My Head’, for example). It was also strangely comforting to hear Dez using his ‘Coal Chamber’ voice, rather than sounding too much like ‘Devildriver Dez’.
So, why is ‘Rivals’ at number four in this list, and essentially the lowest-ranking album if you discount ‘Giving The Devil His Due’? Two reasons. Firstly, the first three records are all so good. Secondly, there are too many skippable songs in the second half, namely ‘Fade Away (Karma Never Forgets)’, ‘Empty Handed’ and ‘Wait’. There isn’t anything bad per se, but unmemorable, and unlikely to leave a lasting impression despite multiple listens. Still, it was great to have them back in 2015, and ‘Rivals’ is best heard as an unexpected bonus from a band that most people thought was long dead.
Standout Tracks: ‘IOU Nothing’, ‘Light in the Shadows’, ‘Another Nail in the Coffin’
‘Chamber Music’ is a confusing one. I have listened to this record hundreds of times over nearly 3 decades, and sometimes it feels fresh, exciting, innovative and the best thing Coal Chamber ever made; but other times it feels repetitive, boring, predictable and cheesy. I can only conclude that it depends on whether I am in a 'nu-metal mood’ or not. If not, I judge it for being too simple and formulaic, but if I am in the mood, it blows me away.
Coal Chamber were, quite fairly, viewed as Korn clones on the release of their debut, albeit with a multi-coloured variation on the two-note riff sound. There was a lot of hype for their sophomore album (admittedly mostly by Dez himself), talking about introducing more gothic flavours, with influences from Sisters of Mercy and The Cure. There are certainly moments where Coal Chamber go more ‘goth’, such as on the majestic ‘My Mercy’ (which felt pioneering at the time, arguably paving the way for bands like Slipknot to introduce acoustic songs such as ‘Snuff’ into their records a few years later), the mysterious verses of the bass-led ‘Untrue’, the brooding ‘Burgundy’, and the cover of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Shock the Monkey’ (featuring none other than Ozzy Osbourne).
But, outside of these tracks, the rest of ‘Chamber Music’ is business as usual, just with a bigger range of guitar effects, and Dez’ attempts at singing. ‘Tragedy’, ‘El Cu Cuy’, ‘Tyler’s Song’, ‘What’s in Your Mind’, ‘Not Living’, ‘Entwined’, ‘Feed My Dreams’, ‘No Home’, ‘Shari Vegas’ and ‘Notion’ all follow more or less the exact same structure. Opening guitar, leading into a crushing groove, Dez singing softly over the verse, then kicking into a screamed chorus, then verse, then chorus, then verse, then chorus, then end. Pop music has followed this formula for decades, and it works. The problem with Coal Chamber (and, in fairness, nu-metal as a genre) is when this same structure is used over and over and over again, to the point of being able to predict what comes next.
‘Chamber Music’ is full to the brim of catchy ideas and inventive sounds, but there is very little substance behind the production. Coming back to the point above, this is what makes it such a challenge to review. In the right frame of mind, it is an absolute banger of a record. In the wrong frame of mind, it is a slog.
Standout Tracks: ‘El Cu Cuy’, ‘Shock the Monkey’, ‘Feed My Dreams’, ‘What’s in Your Mind’
Metal is such a broad genre. On one extreme, you have bands like Dream Theater, Opeth, Metallica, Death, Mastodon and many others, making technical music with virtuoso performances, thought-provoking lyrics and emotional depth.
On the other extreme, you have bands like Coal Chamber.
For the record, we love ALL of these bands. There is an itch that Coal Chamber can scratch which few other bands can. Even within the overcrowded nu-metal explosion in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Coal Chamber still stood out - for a range of reasons. Their riffs may be simple, but they DESTROY. Their core sound has so much groove, so much power and directness, and their songs can be so catchy. The lyrics, especially in this debut, are goofy and largely unimaginative, but everything just works.
Their 1997 debut album ‘Coal Chamber’ captured the spirit of other Californian bands such as Korn, Snot and (early) Deftones, but added a cartoonish quality, not only in their hairstyles, clothing and album art, but in the music itself too. This record has a vibrant, clear production that still sounds fresh in the 2020s, and ‘Coal Chamber’ feautures several of the band’s very best songs. Opener ‘Loco’ is their calling card, with its stop-start structure and chant-along chorus. Yes, it is essentially Korn’s ‘Blind’ played at double speed, but it is an excellent introduction to the band. ‘Big Truck’ has a monstrous riff, even if it is a carbon copy of Korn’s ‘Faget’ (see a pattern here..?). ‘Sway’ is arguably the best of the bunch, recycling the lyrics of Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three’s 1984 hit ‘The Roof is on Fire’ and building from a whisper to an absolute pummelling from Dez Fafara. ‘Oddity’, ‘Bradley’, ‘Clock’ and ‘I’ all keep the momentum going, and often still feature in Coal Chamber’s live sets; and ‘Amir of the Desert’ and ‘Maricon Puto’ are enjoyable interludes that suggest that a lot of fun was had in the studio.
Where ‘Coal Chamber’ falls down is in its more lumpen moments such as ‘Dreamtime’, ‘Unspoiled’, ‘My Frustration’ and ‘Pig’. Korn’s debut was buiilt upon the pain of songs such as ‘Clown’, ‘Faget’, ‘Fake’ and ultimately ‘Daddy’, but Coal Chamber never produced anything as lyrically affecting. They do best with short, sharp bursts of aggression, and the attempts to slow down and create atmosphere and depth (under the guise of being ‘spooky-core’) simply don’t land. That said, there are still so many moments on this debut album that make it one of the best albums from the early years of nu-metal, before the genre became overly crowded.
Standout Tracks: ‘Sway’, ‘Bradley’, ‘Loco’, ‘Big Truck’
Combining the raw energy of the debut with ‘Chamber Music’s sonic experimentations, ‘Dark Days’ is the record that has held up the most over the years. There may not have been a big standout from this album in the vein of ‘Loco’, ‘Sway’, ‘Big Truck’, ‘Oddity’, ‘El Cu Cuy’, ‘Shock the Monkey’ or ‘My Mercy’, but as a whole it flows extremely well and doesn’t have any dull moments or skips. Recorded at a time of great tension within the band, there are several stories of arguments, fights, members not showing up, and disagreements about musical arrangements. In some ways, it is a wonder that ‘Dark Days’ was even made at all, let alone that it became their strongest musical statement.
One of the greatest things about ‘Dark Days’ is that Dez sounds utterly monstrous throughout. There is an argument that this is his best ever vocal performance, across every Coal Chamber and Devildriver album. It is like he is gargling blood after crunching a lightbulb. Just listen to the way he growls “Something told me to tell you / Don’t listen to me” in ‘Something Told Me’. He sounds utterly unhinged. There are fewer moments of clean singing like there were in ‘Chamber Music’, together with fewer moments of deviation into 80s goth rock, and it feels as though ‘Dark Days’ was the record when Coal Chamber fully realised their core sound.
Even though the riffs still tend to be simple and the song structures still tend to be formulaic, everything just fits well here. Instrumentally, they have never grooved better than they do in ‘Fiend’, ‘Glow’, ‘Drove’, ‘Watershed’ and ‘Empty Jar’; and when they do break from the norm, such as in the visceral title track and the slow, menacing ‘Rowboat’, the results are spectacular.
Darker, heavier and bleaker than the first two records, this was the album that broke Coal Chamber up, while also signalling the beginning of Dez’ departure and his successful long-term career with Devildriver. The closing track ‘Beckoned’ says it all, calling out the tension between Meegs and Dez: “You're just a fuckup / I'm just a fuckup / We're just two fuckups / At least we're fucked up together / Together, forever…on paper”. Not exactly subtle or eloquent, but hey, this is Coal Chamber. If you want rage, bile and blunt force aggression, this is exactly where to come.
Standout tracks: ‘Fiend’, ‘Rowboat’, ‘Something Told Me’, ‘Drove’, ‘Glow’
