Coal Chamber insult the devil and themselves on B-side album.
Written: Aug 10 '03
Product Rating:
Pros: The demo cuts from the debut album sessions
Cons: even the devil would try for refund on this album.
The Bottom Line: Fans of the debut will find gems in the demo cuts, but be so insulted by the poor remixes and b-sides that the album won't be worth the price.
jimmiespipe's Full Review: Giving the Devil His Due by Coal Chamber
There comes a time for every band when either writer’s block, the inevitable reality of the end, or creative overload give the opportunity to crank out the B-sides album. Though my instincts lead me toward a combo of options 1 & 2, Coal Chamber claim option 3 and have arranged an album of rarities, B-sides, remixes, and live cuts cleverly entitled “Giving the Devil his Due.”
After meeting through classified ads and friend of friends, Coal Chamber cranked out their initial album through Roadrunner Records, who at the time was signing up all the credible rock talent it could gets it’s hands on. The album, though a far cry from creative and/or complex, had a catchiness almost unmatched in the metal scene of the late 90’s. Riding riff oriented, metal-friendly hits CC landed trips to Ozzfest and connections that allowed their path to continue on. After releasing a sketchy follow-up, and a huge tour, the band took a small break and replaced their mothering bassist. Regrouped, the band cranked out “Darkest Days” to the darkest reception of their career. Dark because the album was heard by no one and garnished no radio or video play and a tour plagued by on stage rumbles between band mates.
On that prelude we check out what the band’s website calls a “wet you whistle” for their next release.
Tracks like “Apparition” and “Anxiety” are basically tracks plucked from B-sides of the last two recording sessions or soundtrack songs from the same period. Translation: uneventful, untalented drivel combined with slightly organized musical melodies with no lineage to the talent the band has packed away since the late 90’s. “Headstones”, “Save Yourself”, and “Wishes” are equally as disappointing.
Enter the remix section. This is a tough medium to pull off to begin with. 2, maybe 3, metal artist have been able to pull off creative remixes. To no one’s shock, CC does not. Whether further distorting the guitar riff “Big Truck (Hand on Wheel Mix)” or the sad addition of NIN ripped effects “Bradley (Going Postal Mix)”, CC remixes are waste of recording space. The other mixes on the cd or either equally poor attempts at remix or require an electron microscope to detect any difference from the original cut.
The diamond in the rough of the album is the demo tracks. “Babbit”, easily one of the few album highlights, rips true to the tested Coal Chamber format. Mixing rhythmic intensive riffs with the Farrara’s characteristic devilish growl, this track will remind CC fans of better days. Other demo cuts of “I”, “Loco”, “Unspoiled”, “Oddity”, and “Sway” show a raw side of the polished album cuts that fall closer to the band’s live portrayal.
Overall the album is a desperate shot in the dark for CC, a desperate attempt at minimal commercial help to a band slowing fading away. Die hard debut album fans will dig the demos, other than that stay far, far away from this album.
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