Coal Chamber (album)

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Coal Chamber
Studio album by
Coal Chamber
ReleasedFebruary 11, 1997 (1997-02-11)
StudioNRG (North Hollywood)
GenreNu metal[1][2]
Length49:22
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerJay Gordon, Jay Baumgardner
Coal Chamber chronology
Coal Chamber
(1997) 		Chamber Music
(1999)
Singles from Coal Chamber
  1. "Loco"
    Released: 1997

Coal Chamber is the debut studio album by American nu metal band Coal Chamber. It was released on February 11, 1997, by Roadrunner Records and contains the single "Loco". The special edition of the album contains the bonus tracks "Headstones and the Walking Dead", "Big Truck (Hand-On-Wheel Mix)", "Pig (Demo)", "Sway (Demo)", "Unspoiled (Demo)", and "Loco (Demo)" (all of which are available on Giving the Devil His Due). The DVD features two of the band's concerts, a live video of "Loco", and the music video of "Loco".

It has been certified gold by the RIAA, with an excess of 500,000 copies in the United States and is the band's most successful album.[3]

Three singles were released on the album: "Loco", "Big Truck", and "Sway". "Loco" and "Big Truck" were released in 1997, while "Sway" was released in 1998. "Loco", "Big Truck", "Sway", "Oddity", and "Clock" were released on their greatest hits album.

Background[edit]

Coal Chamber formed in Los Angeles during 1993. Guitarist Miguel Rascón described their formation as "your typical how the band formed story. I placed an ad, Dez answered it, then Rayna, then Mike. It's not that I formed the band, but the ad was the seed that started it all."[4] Connections they had to Fear Factory and producer Ross Robinson would help them get signed to Roadrunner Records.[4] Prior to releasing the album, the band were already known in heavy metal circles for performing at the inaugural edition of Ozzfest in 1996.[5]

Music and lyrics[edit]

The album's sound has been compared to Korn and White Zombie.[6] Regarding potential comparisons to Korn, Rascón stated in an April 1997 interview "We take it as a compliment. Korn's a great band. People have to compare us to something, I guess. We also get White Zombie and Marilyn Manson a lot."[4] The song "Sway" includes the line, "the roof the roof the roof is on fire we don't need no water let the motherfucker burn burn motherfucker burn", which is taken from the song "The Roof Is on Fire" by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three.[6]

About the meaning of the song "Loco", Dez Fafara explains: "That's about living in Los Angeles and just wanting to do something different. And having a persona around myself where people think I'm a little nuts, but really I'm crazy for music. I was living in Los Angeles, trying to come out of that environment after it was totally devastated by hair metal and everything else. No one was going to clubs, there was no real scene in Los Angeles until bands like Coal Chamber and Deftones came out of LA. So that's what 'Loco' is about".[7]

Promotion[edit]

A music video for the single "Loco" was directed by Nathan 'Karma' Cox in October 1997.[8] Cox, a longtime friend of the band, would go on to direct videos for bands such as Disturbed, Linkin Park and Queens of the Stone Age in the early 2000s.[9]

To support the album, Coal Chamber toured heavily throughout the entirety of 1997, sharing the stage with artists such as Anthrax, Danzig, Downset., Faith No More, Grip Inc., Helmet, Machine Head, Pantera, Sevendust, Soilent Green and Type O Negative.[10][11] In the summer of 1997, they performed at Ozzfest, their second consecutive appearance at the festival. The touring cycle lasted up until mid-1998, after which the band began focusing on a follow-up.

Release, reception and legacy[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Chronicles of Chaos5/10[12]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[13]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[14]
In Music We Trust9/10[15]
Kerrang! (1997)[16]
(2011)[17]
Ox-Fanzine[18]
Rock Hard4.5/10[19]
Select[20]

The album had sales of over 100,000 copies in 1997, selling approximately 3,000 copies a week towards the end of the year.[8] On December 21, 1999, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying the album had shipped in excess of 500,000 copies.[3] However, Nielsen Soundscan, which tracks album sales, reported that it had sold approximately 448,000 copies by March 2002.[21]

Coal Chamber received mixed reviews upon its release. Chronicles of Chaos writer Adrian Bromley compared it to Korn and Deftones in his March 1997 review, remarking that he had "a hard time telling these bands apart."[12] However, Bromley noted a difference with Coal Chamber was the band's strong sense of groove.[12] Kerrang!'s Mike Peake considered the album "the biggest, meanest, heaviest noise [...] in months", though noted it was "not perfect—it's hardly what you'd call new, and it does lack the production punch of something like Demanufacture".[16] AllMusic's Steve Huey criticized its riffs and felt that it wasn't very original.[6] Johnathan Selzer of Melody Maker acknowledged that whilst Coal Chamber could be accused of being "copyists" of Korn and Sepultura, the elements taken from those artists (and others) were all "means to an end" and that the album ultimately "rocks".[22] Ollie of In Music We Trust singled out Dez Fafara as the album's star quality, calling him "a born frontman" and "proably what has made me so addicted to this album."[15]

Retrospective reviews remain similarly mixed. In his AllMusic review for the 2005 CD/DVD reissue, Johnny Loftus labelled "Loco", "Sway" and "Oddity" as "classics of a late-'90s L.A. metal scene that included Korn, Deftones, Fear Factory, and System of a Down." He goes on to say "Coal Chamber couldn't keep it up for a whole album -- Jay Gordon and Jay Baumgardner's enveloping production couldn't hide the limitations in Dez Fafara's lyrics, or the unimaginative two-note guitar riffs. But it's still an interesting listen, especially in relation to what they did differently from their peers. Fafara often sounded like a mascara-eating hybrid of Perry Farrell, Peter Murphy, and Phil Anselmo, and the band's bludgeoning, 'when in doubt, amplify it' approach was kind of endearing."[23] In a 2011 retrospective review for Kerrang!, Paul Travers wrote that although Coal Chamber ultimately did not experience the same level of commercial success as their contemporaries, "for a brief time, at the dawn of nu metal, they were right there at the vanguard of a brand new sound that was—whatever hindsight might have to say about it—big, brash and utterly exciting."[17] A 2014 retrospective review on the Rock Sound website states "There is a deeply unsettling sense of awareness from the band, a coldness that stems from knowing damn well that the music they're producing fills a gap in the market, nothing more [...] 'Loco' fails to spark anything more than a knowing sigh as its two-note riff wheezes in, announcing the grim 45 minutes to follow."[24] The review also criticizes the track "Amir of the Desert", claiming it presents the band "[trying] their hand at some casual racism [...], complete with a 'comedy' indian accent that even the cast of Mrs. Brown's Boys would wince at."[24]

Accolades for Coal Chamber
Publication List Year Rank Ref.
Kerrang! 100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die 1998 99
[25]
666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die! 2011 N/A
[17]
The 21 greatest nu-metal albums of all time 2020 15
[26]
LA Weekly The 10 Greatest Nu-Metal Albums 2016 9
[27]
Loudwire The 50 Best Nu-Metal Albums of All Time 2020 35
[28]
Metal Hammer Top 20 best metal albums of 1997 2020 N/A
[29]
The 50 best nu metal albums of all time 2022 23
[30]
Revolver 20 Essential Nu Metal albums 2021 N/A
[31]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Coal Chamber

No.TitleLength
1."Loco"4:15
2."Bradley"3:04
3."Oddity"3:19
4."Unspoiled"2:59
5."Big Truck"3:31
6."Sway"3:35
7."First"4:12
8."Maricon Puto"0:46
9."I"3:49
10."Clock"2:59
11."My Frustration"3:59
12."Amir of the Desert"0:44
13."Dreamtime"3:43
14."Pig"8:27
Total length:49:22

Special edition[edit]

A special edition of the album was released by Roadrunner in 2005. The package includes the original album with six bonus tracks along with a bonus DVD featuring the "Loco" music video and two live concerts. The concerts are live at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles in 1996, which was included in Kerrang!'s 100 greatest gigs of all time,[33] and live at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco, 1999.

Bonus tracks on special edition[edit]

No.TitleLength
15."Headstones and the Walking Dead"3:27
16."Big Truck" (Hand-On-Wheel Mix)3:32
17."Pig" (Demo)3:21
18."Sway" (Demo)3:30
19."Unspoiled" (Demo)3:38
20."Loco" (Demo)3:38
Total length:70:28

Personnel[edit]

Coal Chamber

  • Dez Fafara – lead vocals
  • Miguel Rascón – guitars, backing vocals
  • Rayna Foss – bass
  • Mike Cox – drums

Additional personnel

  • Jay Baumgardner – production, mixing
  • Marina Chavez – photography
  • CIEL – design
  • Monte Conner – production (2005 reissue)
  • Giulio Constanzo – art direction (2005 reissue)
  • Nathan "Karma" Cox – additional vocals on ("Clock")
  • Amir Derakh – engineering, mixing
  • Laurie Es – additional design (2005 reissue)
  • Kevin Estranda – production (2005 reissue), photography (2005 reissue)
  • Jay Gordon – production, mixing, additional vocals on ("Oddity" & "Maricon Puto")
  • Steven Hartong – assistant production (2005 reissue)
  • Ted Jensen – remastering (2005 reissue)
  • Eric Levy – additional vocals on ("Sway"), additional percussion on ("Maricon Puto")
  • Lisa Lewis – mixing

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 447,892[21]

Release history[edit]

Release history for Coal Chamber
Reigon Label Format Date Catalog # Ref.
United States Roadrunner
February 11, 1997 RR-9913-2 [3]
United Kingdom March 17, 1997 [38]
Various CD + DVD September 20, 2005 168 618 118-2 [23]
Round Hill LP February 9, 2024 TRCR-113 [39]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Weinstein, Deena (2015). Rock'n America: A Social and Cultural History. University of Toronto Press. (January 27, 2015)
  2. ^ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Coal Chamber – Coal Chamber". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Coal Chamber – Interview | Lollipop Magazine". April 1, 1997. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  5. ^ "20 Years Ago: The First Ozzfest Kicks Off in Virginia". Ultimateclassicrock.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Coal Chamber at AllMusic
  7. ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". www.songfacts.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "The Band: Coal Chamber". Angelfire.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  9. ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". Songfacts.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  10. ^ "Coal Chamber's Concert & Tour History | Concert Archives". Concertarchives.org. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "Coal Chamber's Concert & Tour History | Concert Archives". Concertarchives.org. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c Bromley, Adrian (March 16, 1997). "CoC : Coal Chamber – Coal Chamber : Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  13. ^ Popoff 2007.
  14. ^ Strong 2002.
  15. ^ a b Ollie (November–December 1997). "Coal Chamber: Coal Chamber". In Music We Trust. No. 3. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Peake 1997.
  17. ^ a b c Travers 2011.
  18. ^ Vollmer 1997.
  19. ^ "Coal Chamber". Rock Hard (in German). Vol. 118. February 25, 1997. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  20. ^ Phillips, Tom (April 1997). "New Albums". Select. EMAP. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk.
  21. ^ a b Blabbermouth (March 30, 2002). "Metal/Hard Rock Album Sales In The US As Reported By Soundscan". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on October 30, 2002. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  22. ^ Selzer 1997.
  23. ^ a b "Coal Chamber [CD & DVD] – Coal Chamber | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  24. ^ a b "Revisiting Records #2: Coal Chamber – 'Coal Chamber' – Blogs". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014.
  25. ^ Fafara & Peake 1998.
  26. ^ Law, Sam (June 17, 2020). "The 21 greatest nu-metal albums of all time – ranked". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  27. ^ Distefano, Alex (September 10, 2016). "The 10 Greatest Nu-Metal Albums". LA Weekly. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  28. ^ Lemeshow-Barooshian, Rae (January 1, 2020). "The 50 Best Nu-Metal Albums of All-Time". Loudwire. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  29. ^ "The Top 20 best metal albums of 1997". Metal Hammer. Future plc. December 2, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  30. ^ Hobson, Rich; Everley, Dave; Hammer, Metal; Alderslade, Merlin (April 1, 2022). "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". Metal Hammer (loudersound). Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  31. ^ Revolver Staff (November 8, 2021). "20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums". Revolver. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  32. ^ "Coal Chamber: (Title unknown) from Coal Chamber". HiddenSongs. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  33. ^ Kerrang! Archived December 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Kerrang! 100 greatest gigs of all time, cited August 3, 2008
  34. ^ a b c "Coal Chamber – Coal Chamber". Official Charts Company. March 29, 1997. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  35. ^ Anon. (August 8, 1998). "Billboard's Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 32. p. 80.
  36. ^ "Loco – Coal Chamber". Official Charts Company. July 4, 1998. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  37. ^ "American album certifications – Coal Chamber – Coal Chamber". Recording Industry Association of America.
  38. ^ Anon. 1997.
  39. ^ wookubus (January 20, 2024). "Coal Chamber's First Two Albums Set For New Limited Edition Vinyl Release". Theprp.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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