Probably one of the most underrated bands in Nu-Metal, Coal Chamber broke up not long after this album was released, and vocalist Bradley ‘Dez’ Fafara went on to do vocal duties for the Speed/ Death Metal band Devildriver. Coal Chamber’s third album, Dark Days, however, could hardly be considered Nu-Metal. With a combination of Heavy Metal and Jonathan Davis (Korn) vocals, heavy gothic riffs, and sinisterly dark lyrics, Dark Days is by far Coal Chamber’s best and heaviest album.
Although Coal Chamber can never compare to Devildriver, they still managed to deliver some fast and heavy tracks before their breakup. Here are my track reviews:
“Fiend”, the first track on the album, begins with a heavy bass line and creepy sampling followed soon by heavy guitar riffs. The song then lights up just a tad bit as Dez Fafara comes in with his psychotic growls and screams. For the most part, this song is very catchy, and good opening track for the CD, but not the best by far. (3/5)
“Glow” starts with a slow drum and bass line with some sampling as well, but then slowly goes into a mellow gothic riff. Dez Fafara then comes in with his half-talk half-growl style of singing before he goes into a deeper, faster growl in he chorus. This is a good track, featured on The Scorpion King, however, it has a major flaw that, as most Coal Chamber songs have, it’s very repetitive. The difference that this song has from the other songs that tend to repeat themselves, this song just isn’t as catchy as the others. (3/5)
“Watershed”, the first really catchy track on this album, begins with quiet riffs that last for only a few seconds before blowing up into a very catchy guitar riff. Dez Fafara’s vocals fit perfectly with this song as he combines softer growls with his heavier ones. You’ll be left singing “Watershed! Watershed! You’ve made your bed!” over and over again in your head by the time this song is finished. (4.5/5)
“Something Told Me”, the first song I ever heard from Coal Chamber off the Resident Evil soundtrack, begins with a slowly increasing high pitch noise before it blasts into yet another catchy riff. Dez Fafara keeps a very steady yet slightly mono growl throughout the entire song. Overall it is one of the better tracks on this album. (3.5/5)
“Dark Days” starts with a very dark bass line that slowly builds it’s way to a very heavy riff after about 30 seconds with Dez Fafara snarling in the back ground. In this song, Dez Fafara’s vocals go back to the styles similar to ‘Chamber Music’, but still delivers his fierce growling during the chorus. Truly a song for the sick-minded and psychotic by nature. (4.5/5)
“Alienate Me” begins with a less distorted sound of white noise before it goes into a fast guitar riff with a steady drum buildup. Dez Fafara’ vocals once again seep in and out of his older and newer styles, but this song doesn’t have neither grasp or a catchy tune to really support itself on this album. (1.5/5)
“One Step”, probably the most catchiest song along with ‘Watershed’, ‘Drove’ and ‘Beckoned’, begins with a slowly ascending guitar riff followed by a steady drum beat and topped off with Dez Fafara’s psychotic vocals. However, the only thing that makes this track cathy is the chorus and Dez’s vocals. Probably the most musically inclined track on this CD. The remix from ‘Giving The Devil His Due’ is so much better. (2.5/5)
“Friend?”, the second best song on this album only next to ‘Beckoned’, starts off with a very smooth bass line followed by a heavy guitar riffs and Dez’s hellish laughing. The song then lights up a bit so Dez Fafara can jump up and down on his vocal range in a very psychotic style of talk-growling. He then goes into a very Black Metal-like growl for the chorus. (5/5)
“Rowboat”, probably the most Nu-Metal sounding track on this album, begins and ends with very quiet bass lines and samples. The lyrics are absolutely dreadful on this song, but at least they are not original lyrics of Coal Chamber. Dez Fafara, if anything, doesn’t go to his full potential on this track either. The only real upside to this track is the awesome guitar riffs that come in and out throughout the song. (1/5)
“Drove” blasts immediately into a very heavy and catchy guitar riff. Dez Fafara goes back to his insane vocal style. Halfway through song, Dez Fafara actually starts singing! And very well at that. But after about 25 seconds of his dark clean vocals, Dez fafara goes back into his sinister growling. The only downside to this track is that it one of the most repetitive on the album. (4.5/5)
“Empty Jar”, is very similar to ‘Alienate Me’, the only difference is it isn’t very catchy at all. The lyrics are better on this track then most, but Dez Fafara’s vocals hardly stand out at all on this track. Not much else to say about this one. (1/5)
“Beckoned”, the best song on the album, begins with a very ‘black circus’ sound using creepy samples and a very distorted bass line. The guitar riffs are extremely catchy on this track, and so is the chorus (if you don’t mind almost constant use of the f-word). The song finally ends the album with a slowly fading white noise and Dez whispering “Together... forever”. Has a very dark and gothic feeling throughout the whole track. (5/5)
Pros:
-- Very catchy riffs and vocals
-- The guitar riffs and bass lines are very well written
Cons:
-- Very repetitive at several points on the album
-- The lyrics are slightly cheesy
-- Some occasional overuse of sampling
Overall it’s a pretty good album, and chances are you’d like whether or not you like the older Coal Chamber stuff. Overall album rating: (3/5)
