Search - Coal Chamber :: Chamber Music

Jennifer S. (redcherry67) from N CAPE MAY, NJ
Reviewed on 1/5/2008...

if u really like metal this cd is great if u like to try something new

William E. (unholyblackdeath) from GRAPEVINE, TX
Reviewed on 12/22/2007...

Pretty decent goth album. Nothing special. The best track is "Shock The Monkey" with Ozzy. I liked them better when I was in high school.

Lindsey J. from CHAMPAIGN, IL
Reviewed on 4/15/2007...

my fave by Coal Chamber, highlights are Ozzy's appearance

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Matt F. from LE CLAIRE, IA
Reviewed on 8/21/2006...

"Shock the Monkey" cover with Ozzy is worth the price of admission.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

The Music of all Music

Damian Gunn | I am everywhere | 01/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is the first goth/heavy/rock album I ever purchased. I was on vacation with my family and I was in Sam Goody just listening to the CD's they had displayed and I grabbed the headphones and hit play and soon my mind was flooded with the song "NO HOME" and my eyes got wide and my ears felt like they were in heaven and I decided right then and there that I no longer liked the pop crap I had been listening to and that this was my new favorite form of music so i threw down the N'Sync CD my parents promised me and I grabbed this one off the shelf and said "I changed my mind, I want this" and here I am today still listening to this AMAZING album. This was and is by far the best of the three Coal Chamber albums because it shows the diversity in talent of this band. As of now they have split and Dez has formed a new band in DevilDriver and has resorted back to his old roots of mindless bantor, which at times works but this album showed so my promise for these guys. Starting this off heavy with "TRAGIDY" which followed the eerie opener os "MIST" they broke off my favorite Coal Chamber song ever "EL CU CUY" which sports amazing riffs and brilliant lyrics behind Dez's signature growl. I can't help but chant "kill the man become the monster" everytime I hear this amazing song. "UNTRUE" is another great song about a cheating mate or GF or whatever with lyrics that speak truth behind crushing riffs it's one of my favorites. "TYLERS SONG" is sweet yet brutal and thats what makes it brillants...it was also used on the Scream 3 soundtrack and so it may be more widely known because of that. "WHAT'S IN YOUR MIND" starts off with the Shining type vocals, talking backwards until BOOM it breaks into brutal riffs and constant screaming and is just freaking nonstop brutality! "NOT LIVING" is one of my favorite of the album, a song used for the Bride of Chucky soundtrack, it fits well and freaking rocks. I love the verses, the way Dez sings them and then the chorus which is catchy and easy to sing along with...the bridge is freaking awsome. Coal Chambers tries their hand at a Peter Gabrielle classic with the help of Ozzy Ozborne on the song "SHOCK THE MONKEY" and they do alright, but they don't particularly knock it out of the park, thats for sure. "BURGUNGY" starts the softer side, more melodic side to Coal Chamber and it works with Dez's baratone voice that booms next to the eerie soft riffs that show these guys have diverse talents. "ENTWINED" is one awsome song along the lines of Not Living that just serves up my favorite side of th Chamber, their melodic brutality! "FEED MY DREAMS" has my favorite bridge on the whole album where it's just freaking heavy riffs and Dez is going in and out of baratone vocals to more high pitched vocals...it's awsome..."MY MERCY" is back to the melodic soft side with female vocals along with Dez's and then we have the "NO HOME" and I have to say it's still freaking amazing! Still one of my favorites so just "Shut Up!" hahahah... "SHARI VEGAS" is my least favorite on the album and the only one that I skip over. Just too, I don't know, not cool. "NOTION" was the first song I heard by Coal Chamber played on the radio and I blasted it and screamed "I know this band, I have this CD" and I have to say that this song kicks so my (...) it's freaking awsome. It's easily a highlight and although the lyrics are quite simple the riffs and the brutality behind them make up for it. I love it. And that brings us to the epic closer, the one song that closes the chapter that was Coal Chambers BEST ride..."ANYTHING BUT YOU" and I have to say that this song defines what I miss about Coal Chamber..the lyrics were deep and meaningful, the riffs were unique and brutal while they still held to a form of melodicy that kept them from being contemperary and mainstream. This song is one of the best rock songs because it proves without a doubt that Coal Chamber could have and should have been on the top of their genra."

Some good ol' nu-metal

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 02/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not only is "Chamber Music" far more dynamic, diverse, mature, and accessible than Coal Chamber's self-titled 1997 debut, it is also doubtlessly the band's finest hour. Vocalist Dez Fafara (who would, four years after this album was released, dissolve Coal Chamber to focus on his side project Devildriver) delivers both vocally and lyrically, here. His singing style is usually far less snarly and repetitive--he even sings (yes, sings) on some songs (like "My Mercy")--and, as proven by such tracks as "Tyler's Song," his lyrics are solidified. Plus, guitarist Meegs Rascon is clearly a better musician than he was two years ago (he pulls out some pretty good riffs, here), and there are even some occasional keyboards sprinkled on, as well.



Aside from the eighth track, an almost laughable cover of Peter Gabriel's "Shock The Monkey," there isn't one bad song on here. Many of the songs, like "Tragedy" and "What's In Your Mind," are rooted in downtuned guitar bluster and Dez's arresting vocals, and they also have several strong, almost irresistible hooks. It should be clear to any real music fan that--from the almost thunderous, churning riffs of "Untrue," to the atmospheric, synth-y track "Burgundy," to "Entwined," which is an almost wall shaking assault of grumbling guitars and raging vocals--this is a solid album through and through. Other highlights are the crunchy "My Mercy," the distorted guitars and maniacal vocals on "Shari Vegas," and "Notion," which features some guest scratches by Limp Bizkit's DJ Lethal.



Coal Chamber have been disbanded for a while now, and it's doubtful anyone will be talking about them in a few years time. But this is still a good album! Even though the band released a Greatest Hits album in 2003, and "Chamber Music" doesn't feature their hit 2002 single, "Fiend," one could still make the case that this record is like a "best of" compilation for this band. If you like heavy stuff, it's here for you, but there is also a somewhat melodic and experimental side to several of these songs. This record is essential for all complete nu-metal collections, and it's also recommended if you have Nineties nostalgia."