I mean it’s alright. Guitar tone on the album is great. It doesn’t win any prizes for originality because it was too late. Not that they were not there on the cusp of nu metal with deftones and korn et al. Although as the 94 demo tape showed they were more influenced by fear factory than anyone else. Their image makes more sense for an industrial band right? But someone made a call in the studio to make this album more Nu than industrial. Then it came out too far after their peers and as a by product they looked like copy cats. I think this is where a lot of the hate comes from.
Yeah, although they were early in the scene, they got their record deal late, and their sound was probably different that what they originally wanted. I know Dea looked up to White Zombie.
It came out in 97. No one other than Korn and Deftones had released an important nu metal album yet. It came out before Three Dollar Bill Y'all, Sevendust, Get Some, (hed) pe, SCIENCE, even Around the Fur. They were a Korn ripoff at the Ozzfest level before anyone else was.
Yes but I’d say coming after peachy was the death blow. And although your right about it coming before the aforementioned albums. sevendust is 2 months later. Snot is 3 months. Limp bizkit 5 months. Hed pe is 6 months. Incubus 7 months. Around the fur 8 months.
But if the album had have been released the year they first got signed early 1995 and not when they where signed the second time. Time might have been a touch kinder.
As far as sounding like a korn rip off, I’m in two minds about it. Although they purposely didn’t go with Ross Robinson producing. They used fieldys bass rig to record the album. Jonathan is on the Hidden track.
they got slack for sounding like a korn knock off back in the day, like i actually remember being in 8th grade, and people were either team korn or team coal chamber, and i was 100% team coal chamber. BUUUUUT... if you actually listen to this album objectively... it doesn't even fucking sound like korn lol. korn would employ the low end riffs as intros, and sections in the middle of their songs, but would otherwise take a far different approach during the rest of their songs, with their weird squeels and sound fx. but coal chamber were using the low riffs in their own way, using their white zombie influence to create more groove and bounce to them.
When I went to see these guys in the 90's we went with a friend who was actually the most into them, and they somehow lost their ticket. They were inconsolable and didn't have money for another one.
I noticed that Miguel, the guitarist with really distinctive red hair at the time, was chatting to some roadies, so I approached him and explained my friend's situation. Honestly, he literally listened, stopped his conversation and asked me to wait a minute while he went inside the venue.... Then came out with a spare ticket, and told me my friend's name would be on the guest list..... Needless to say they were over the moon to find this out!
I just wanted to tell people this little story as they weren't a big band at the time, but really did everything for their fans.... No matter what anyone thinks of someone's music, the ability to be a good person when you don't have to is a beautiful and superior quality.
Thanks Meegs.
I had the opposite experience with Meegs. Got on the bus and never came back, haha.
But I did get Rayna to sign my JNCOs since I didn't have any CC merchandise yet (first tour). She was like ooookkkkaaaayyyy...
I still have their “livin’ la vida LOCO” shirt from their tour with slipknot and machine head from the late 90’s. What’s funny is that I have no memory of their performance bc I think Slipknot blew my mind apart.
Same. I saw that tour and alipknot and machine head came out and blew the doors off so hard that CC were so outclassed that it barely remember their show at all.
Solid album, just a little basic. They were very intense live on this tour though. That's what sold me. Absolute lunatics on stage that amped the music up to 11.
i love Coal Chamber,, i enjoy how growly the vocals are but still being able to tell whats being said ,, theyre def one of my favorites and this album is awesome,, Loco is always a music video i go back and rewatch for fun. i also enjoy the album cover itself because the ice cream man reminds me of Chop Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 in some weird way lol and he was always my favorite TCM character so the vibes are super cool to me. but i understand the criticisms it gets because not everyone has these exact niche parallels they draw to other media like i do and not everyone has the same experiences and taste as me,, but i dont think they really deserve a bunch of hate imo
I though it was never good lyrically. Fun, but dumb. The vocals aren’t even that superb or anything, but everything combined sounded raw and energetic.
I love some songs in the album haven’t really listened to much of there other stuff though. Seems they are still around which is rare for a nu metal band that doesn’t get talked about a lot
It's heavy and there are some great songs on it. Its energy almost makes up for its lack of originality.
"Korn Chamber" was one of the biggest criticisms of this album back in the day.
It's not the worst, definitely overhated. You know what doesn't get enough hate? That album cover. Maybe the worst I've ever seen. And before you go "what about-" nope! Whatever you're thinking, it's probably not as bad. Not that cover of the goat giving birth, not that Nickelodeon ass """Black Flag""" album, not any Viper covers, nope - this is the worst one.
I love it but it's before dez's screams got good good.. I can't help but hear fat Albert when I hear this album tho on most of his scream/yelling vox..
That voice was 100% intentional and his vocals were about as developed as Dark Days. If you don't like it, cool, but that's a really common vocal style in hardcore, especially. The Mongoloids, etc.
Edit: as a side note, I've been a metal vocalist for more than half my life, released a bunch of music in a bunch of bands, toured and gigged for years... I'm pretty good. I can do anything from deathcore to grunge. I have never been able to mimic whatever the fuck Dez is doing on that album. It's hard as hell and I suspect you'd need a much lower vocal register than my range allows. That's not him being bad. It's just him doing a thing you don't like.
I don't not like it. I was just sharing that I can't unhear the fat albert.. kinda like I can't remember who sings it, but everytime i hear "bitch don't kill my vibe" I hear cleveland from family guy. I absolutely love coal chamber n this album got me going in 8th grade when it came out. I still have my "loco!" Hoodie lol
It's not bad, it's just very simple comparatively to what latter bands did in the genre. Props to them for getting big/making money/etc., it just doesn't stand up well IMO
I need to leave this here. [https://youtu.be/bkHRmze-Pvs?si=LeY9Al0nUDIizS\_5](https://youtu.be/bkHRmze-Pvs?si=LeY9Al0nUDIizS_5)
Pay special attention to the comments.
Never had the album but a friend did. I remember listening to it while driving around our small town in high school. I remember Big Truck especially. Okay album but good memories.
I like it. I saw them live just after the album got released in a tiny club in Newcastle uk. They fucking killed that gig. It’s fun to listen to now and then for nostalgia.
I LOVE this album. I don’t listen to it much anymore but I used to listened to it a lot. The downfall of this album was the vocals. The guitar tone is spot on, and the riffs are fire. Mikey brings so much energy on the drums as well
Liked it back in the day. Listened to it again almost 10 years ago and absolutely hated it. Revisited it again and for some reason something clicked and love it even more now 🤷🏽♂️
I can’t stand the album or the band, but Dez is a genuinely lovely man. I had the opportunity to interview him when I was a working music journalist and he was the most down to earth dude going. This was around the time the first Devildriver record dropped.
No, this just didn’t do it for me. I actually didn’t mind Dark Days- it came out on my 13th bday and I remember going to Best Buy buying that and Kittie’s Oracle. Now THAT was a good album!
it's my all-time favorite nu metal record. it's perfect. zero skips, and the riffs/atmosphere are immaculate. i'm 36 and i've been jamming this thing since the 8th grade.
The lesser known tracks are still my favorites on here and relatively hold up- First, Oddity, I, etc
First may be my favorite song on the entire album really.
I still love this album. I saw them in a club with Honkeyball and it was a top 5 show ever for me, and I've been to lots of shows. It was the fire they brought to such an intimate setting, max energy and engagement from beginning to end. Such an awesome night.
I just saw them on tour within the last year. I'm telling you, Loco and Sway played live was just insane!
But, that being said, the lyrics don't really.have much to them and are very repetitive. If you can get past that, it's pretty awesome!
Coal Chamber is one of my favorite metal bands ever, so I really like this album. “I” is so fucking energetic i love it. But i think their 3 album Dark Days is much better
This album and Violence by NothingFace are my two that I fall back on and listen to from time to time, both are just heavy and straight to the point, almost ugly in some ways.
Hahaha, I fucking loved this album back in the day! It felt like a nu metal band just having fun. I never took the album at all seriously, whereas Korn had a much darker theme going on.
I can’t get through this album now though. It was…. Of a time (:
Loved those first two CC albums, and they were a tremendous live act. Sucks that they could never get along to make more music or consistently tour without fighting, sometimes literally on-stage.
I bought this back in 1997 or whatever. Back in the day when it came out, the industry wasn’t saturated with bands that downtuned besides Korn, this was kind of original. If released in today’s market, it would barely get noticed. Overall, the album isn’t that great. I think the best part is at the end when Dez is in the recording booth and makes whoever it is laugh.
This album was the entrance for so many people learning about bands like Slipknot later and also god damn Sepultura. Like this album, Korn and Roots are such early heavy hitters that I think nu metal fans don’t give hate more than we “forget” sometimes.
Edit: don’t forget about Puya. That band FUCKS.
Honestly it’s time locked in the era it came out in. I don’t think it stands up against music now. I recently saw them live and they were good but it was a time warp watching them. Took me straight back to the late 90’s
I just started to check their discography again. Not the best, but damn it's actually fun. I swear some songs on later albums have quotes I've heard from other music, especially hip hop.
The main problem of this album for me is screams. I just can't listen to coal chamber with such screams. Other than that, it's a really cool nu metal album
Loco for me is still a great windows down blaster.
It's dope. Just kind of basic. Certainly better than a lot of the crap hyped up here.
This isn’t Dope, this is Coal Chamber
Damn, slang being abandoned that quickly, lol?
Braadley, so familar
I'm fucking named after that song 😎😎
I love this album. I’ll never stop listening to it.
This.
GO SWAAAAAAY THIS WAAAY
I mean it’s alright. Guitar tone on the album is great. It doesn’t win any prizes for originality because it was too late. Not that they were not there on the cusp of nu metal with deftones and korn et al. Although as the 94 demo tape showed they were more influenced by fear factory than anyone else. Their image makes more sense for an industrial band right? But someone made a call in the studio to make this album more Nu than industrial. Then it came out too far after their peers and as a by product they looked like copy cats. I think this is where a lot of the hate comes from.
Yeah, although they were early in the scene, they got their record deal late, and their sound was probably different that what they originally wanted. I know Dea looked up to White Zombie.
It came out in 97. No one other than Korn and Deftones had released an important nu metal album yet. It came out before Three Dollar Bill Y'all, Sevendust, Get Some, (hed) pe, SCIENCE, even Around the Fur. They were a Korn ripoff at the Ozzfest level before anyone else was.
Yes but I’d say coming after peachy was the death blow. And although your right about it coming before the aforementioned albums. sevendust is 2 months later. Snot is 3 months. Limp bizkit 5 months. Hed pe is 6 months. Incubus 7 months. Around the fur 8 months. But if the album had have been released the year they first got signed early 1995 and not when they where signed the second time. Time might have been a touch kinder. As far as sounding like a korn rip off, I’m in two minds about it. Although they purposely didn’t go with Ross Robinson producing. They used fieldys bass rig to record the album. Jonathan is on the Hidden track.
Yeah but chamber music is a better album anyway
they got slack for sounding like a korn knock off back in the day, like i actually remember being in 8th grade, and people were either team korn or team coal chamber, and i was 100% team coal chamber. BUUUUUT... if you actually listen to this album objectively... it doesn't even fucking sound like korn lol. korn would employ the low end riffs as intros, and sections in the middle of their songs, but would otherwise take a far different approach during the rest of their songs, with their weird squeels and sound fx. but coal chamber were using the low riffs in their own way, using their white zombie influence to create more groove and bounce to them.
When I went to see these guys in the 90's we went with a friend who was actually the most into them, and they somehow lost their ticket. They were inconsolable and didn't have money for another one. I noticed that Miguel, the guitarist with really distinctive red hair at the time, was chatting to some roadies, so I approached him and explained my friend's situation. Honestly, he literally listened, stopped his conversation and asked me to wait a minute while he went inside the venue.... Then came out with a spare ticket, and told me my friend's name would be on the guest list..... Needless to say they were over the moon to find this out! I just wanted to tell people this little story as they weren't a big band at the time, but really did everything for their fans.... No matter what anyone thinks of someone's music, the ability to be a good person when you don't have to is a beautiful and superior quality. Thanks Meegs.
I had the opposite experience with Meegs. Got on the bus and never came back, haha. But I did get Rayna to sign my JNCOs since I didn't have any CC merchandise yet (first tour). She was like ooookkkkaaaayyyy...
Sway, big truck. It's a classic
the roof the roof the roof is on fire
Wedonneednowaterletdamuthafuckerburn
burn muthafucka burrrnnnnn
Love it, but it is dumb as hell
Exactly how I feel
Love Rowboat though, that one doesn't sound as childish and i kinda love the vagueness of concept. kinda darkly inclined goth-y as well
One of my absolute favorites ever to this day.
I still have their “livin’ la vida LOCO” shirt from their tour with slipknot and machine head from the late 90’s. What’s funny is that I have no memory of their performance bc I think Slipknot blew my mind apart.
Same. I saw that tour and alipknot and machine head came out and blew the doors off so hard that CC were so outclassed that it barely remember their show at all.
Solid album, just a little basic. They were very intense live on this tour though. That's what sold me. Absolute lunatics on stage that amped the music up to 11.
y'all can come at me, but in my opinion Coal Chamber is one of the best nu metal bands out there
A fuckin men
It's fun. But I heard Chamber Music first, and so hearing that album and going to the first one was kind of underwhelming. Sway is a banger
The reason why we it’s because there were label as a koRn ripoff and that kinda hurt sales
No labeling needed ( have ears)
Good album
One of my most fav NuMetal albums of all time. 🔥
Fucking love it. It’s at least in my top 10 nu-metal albums
i love Coal Chamber,, i enjoy how growly the vocals are but still being able to tell whats being said ,, theyre def one of my favorites and this album is awesome,, Loco is always a music video i go back and rewatch for fun. i also enjoy the album cover itself because the ice cream man reminds me of Chop Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 in some weird way lol and he was always my favorite TCM character so the vibes are super cool to me. but i understand the criticisms it gets because not everyone has these exact niche parallels they draw to other media like i do and not everyone has the same experiences and taste as me,, but i dont think they really deserve a bunch of hate imo
Coal Chamber and TCM2 are not niche media lolllllllll
i wasnt saying coal chamber or TCM2 are niche i just meant like odd associations i draw to other media,, niche was probably not the right word to use
I love this album but it's the epitome of albums that didn't age well.
Specifically lyrically. They are a tad cringe.
Agreed, lyrically aged hideously.
I though it was never good lyrically. Fun, but dumb. The vocals aren’t even that superb or anything, but everything combined sounded raw and energetic.
I love some songs in the album haven’t really listened to much of there other stuff though. Seems they are still around which is rare for a nu metal band that doesn’t get talked about a lot
its pretty good
Loco still in my Playlist.
Bro Coal Chamer is good man
I loved this album when it came out, Bradley was my jam.
Seeing them in September with Fear Factory! Cannot wait!!
I thought they put on a good show. Saw them last year with Mudvayne and Gwar.
It's retarded but that's what makes it beautiful. Especially the words. The Sean Strickland of Nu Metal.
y'all can come at me, but in my opinion Coal Chamber is one of the best nu metal bands out there
Not a fan tbh. Bradley is a banger though!
Yep, every now and then I’ll listen to Loco and Bradley and then that’s it lol. 🙌🏻
I like it yeah I actually own this album
Me too. A dude from Belgium.
Awesome
It's heavy and there are some great songs on it. Its energy almost makes up for its lack of originality. "Korn Chamber" was one of the biggest criticisms of this album back in the day.
Great album. I haven't seen much hate for it tho.
It's not the worst, definitely overhated. You know what doesn't get enough hate? That album cover. Maybe the worst I've ever seen. And before you go "what about-" nope! Whatever you're thinking, it's probably not as bad. Not that cover of the goat giving birth, not that Nickelodeon ass """Black Flag""" album, not any Viper covers, nope - this is the worst one.
I love it but some songs are kinda forgettable
I love it but it's before dez's screams got good good.. I can't help but hear fat Albert when I hear this album tho on most of his scream/yelling vox..
That voice was 100% intentional and his vocals were about as developed as Dark Days. If you don't like it, cool, but that's a really common vocal style in hardcore, especially. The Mongoloids, etc. Edit: as a side note, I've been a metal vocalist for more than half my life, released a bunch of music in a bunch of bands, toured and gigged for years... I'm pretty good. I can do anything from deathcore to grunge. I have never been able to mimic whatever the fuck Dez is doing on that album. It's hard as hell and I suspect you'd need a much lower vocal register than my range allows. That's not him being bad. It's just him doing a thing you don't like.
I don't not like it. I was just sharing that I can't unhear the fat albert.. kinda like I can't remember who sings it, but everytime i hear "bitch don't kill my vibe" I hear cleveland from family guy. I absolutely love coal chamber n this album got me going in 8th grade when it came out. I still have my "loco!" Hoodie lol
It's not bad, it's just very simple comparatively to what latter bands did in the genre. Props to them for getting big/making money/etc., it just doesn't stand up well IMO
It’s a fine album and should be enjoyed with a nice Hot Brown sandwich.
Lyrics can be a bit meh, but I love their sound
LOOOCOOOOO
I need to leave this here. [https://youtu.be/bkHRmze-Pvs?si=LeY9Al0nUDIizS\_5](https://youtu.be/bkHRmze-Pvs?si=LeY9Al0nUDIizS_5) Pay special attention to the comments.
Dude I fucking love that album!!
Great album
It's gold
Never had the album but a friend did. I remember listening to it while driving around our small town in high school. I remember Big Truck especially. Okay album but good memories.
Mi Loco 🗣️🔥 Also Bradley is wildly relatable
I like it. I saw them live just after the album got released in a tiny club in Newcastle uk. They fucking killed that gig. It’s fun to listen to now and then for nostalgia.
I just listened to Loco for like a month, but they are the band that got me into metal so props to them for that
I fw it hard, but their 2nd album, chamber music, was better imo
LET IT BURN MOTHERFUKER
Classic
I gave it a lot of play in 1997, saw them open for Megadeth. I rarely listen to it nowadays except for nostalgic purposes. Fun album.
This is a great album
Bad ass album. Got it when it came out and still listen to it every now and then.
Meeeeeee <3
I LOVE this album. I don’t listen to it much anymore but I used to listened to it a lot. The downfall of this album was the vocals. The guitar tone is spot on, and the riffs are fire. Mikey brings so much energy on the drums as well
This was the album that got me into nu metal. The bass tone and the drums sold me
"the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire. We don't need no water let the muthafucka burn....burn muthafucka, BURN!"
BIG TRUCK
Absolutely love this one, one of the first nu metal albums I ever listened to. Sway and First are still in rotation for me to this day
I fucking loved this album when it came out.
Ngl one of my fave nu metal bands and albums
I only remember Sway, Loco, Bradley, and Big Truck. But they were all bangers for sure.
Love Coal Chamber <3
Chamber Music should get more hate.
Chamber Music is way worse
My fav of theirs!
I miss Coal Chamber. I wish they would come out with more music. I actually think I like them better than Devildriver
That's a hard one for me. I love CC but Devildrivers outlaw til the end is still one of my favorite albums.
People hate on the first Coal Chamber album? That's wild to me. I don't think it's a masterpiece, but I genuinely enjoyed it.
I like it quit a bit. Love big truck!
personally I love it
When Marilyn Manson steels Billy Corgan's ice cream truck and uniform from Today.
BURN MOTHERFUCKER!!! BURN!!!
Liked it back in the day. Listened to it again almost 10 years ago and absolutely hated it. Revisited it again and for some reason something clicked and love it even more now 🤷🏽♂️
I can’t stand the album or the band, but Dez is a genuinely lovely man. I had the opportunity to interview him when I was a working music journalist and he was the most down to earth dude going. This was around the time the first Devildriver record dropped.
No, this just didn’t do it for me. I actually didn’t mind Dark Days- it came out on my 13th bday and I remember going to Best Buy buying that and Kittie’s Oracle. Now THAT was a good album!
I really liked it in highschool, when it came out. Havent even thought about listening to it in forever
Be like Barry White, babeh.
I still spin it from time to time
it's my all-time favorite nu metal record. it's perfect. zero skips, and the riffs/atmosphere are immaculate. i'm 36 and i've been jamming this thing since the 8th grade.
Literally every song on here is phenomenal, not to mention it's perfectly set up front to back. 9.5/10
The lesser known tracks are still my favorites on here and relatively hold up- First, Oddity, I, etc First may be my favorite song on the entire album really.
I think it’s fine
Mmmmmm LOCO
I still love this album. I saw them in a club with Honkeyball and it was a top 5 show ever for me, and I've been to lots of shows. It was the fire they brought to such an intimate setting, max energy and engagement from beginning to end. Such an awesome night.
One of the best nu metal / heavy metal albums of all time imo
It's a no skip for me
I just saw them on tour within the last year. I'm telling you, Loco and Sway played live was just insane! But, that being said, the lyrics don't really.have much to them and are very repetitive. If you can get past that, it's pretty awesome!
I only know a few songs from it and they’re okay
Dark Days is my favorite of theirs. This one is alright. Coal Chamber is a band I liked live more than their records.
This album crushes. And I actually love it more now in 2024 than I did when it was released.
Bought four copies of this CD. I prefer it to chamber music.
Come into my desert I'm gonna circumcise you....
Saw them live for the first time at Sick New World last year. Didnt get enough! Seeing them again live next month, cant fuckin wait! BIG TRUCK
I love sway and Bradley
sway is a banger
Love 'Coal Chamber', sae them live earlier this year with 'Mudvayne',and CC stole the show, they were fantastic.
Coal Chamber is one of my favorite metal bands ever, so I really like this album. “I” is so fucking energetic i love it. But i think their 3 album Dark Days is much better
Love this album
After reading all this Coal Chamber love my heart is now healed 🖤
I love this album.
This album and Violence by NothingFace are my two that I fall back on and listen to from time to time, both are just heavy and straight to the point, almost ugly in some ways.
Hahaha, I fucking loved this album back in the day! It felt like a nu metal band just having fun. I never took the album at all seriously, whereas Korn had a much darker theme going on. I can’t get through this album now though. It was…. Of a time (:
Loved those first two CC albums, and they were a tremendous live act. Sucks that they could never get along to make more music or consistently tour without fighting, sometimes literally on-stage.
I think most CC stuff is too monotonous.
I bought this back in 1997 or whatever. Back in the day when it came out, the industry wasn’t saturated with bands that downtuned besides Korn, this was kind of original. If released in today’s market, it would barely get noticed. Overall, the album isn’t that great. I think the best part is at the end when Dez is in the recording booth and makes whoever it is laugh.
big. truck.
Loco was a big song back in the day! CC was great numetal band, before numetal hit the mainstream and Limp Bizkit oversaturated it into oblivion haha
This album was the entrance for so many people learning about bands like Slipknot later and also god damn Sepultura. Like this album, Korn and Roots are such early heavy hitters that I think nu metal fans don’t give hate more than we “forget” sometimes. Edit: don’t forget about Puya. That band FUCKS.
Big Truck goes hard.
Great album
amir of the desert
Honestly it’s time locked in the era it came out in. I don’t think it stands up against music now. I recently saw them live and they were good but it was a time warp watching them. Took me straight back to the late 90’s
insanely underrated album imo
I am Amir of the desert
I just started to check their discography again. Not the best, but damn it's actually fun. I swear some songs on later albums have quotes I've heard from other music, especially hip hop.
What band is this?
Nerf Herder.
Oh okay I got ya, thanks!
says it right up top the album cover
I don’t see it? Sodas? lol
The main problem of this album for me is screams. I just can't listen to coal chamber with such screams. Other than that, it's a really cool nu metal album