Album Review: Coal Chamber - Rivals

On packing away the fishnets and eyeliner in 2003, Coal Chamber were creatively redundant and fodder for the press.

Few mourned their one-dimensional nu-metal’s demise. Nostalgia subverts such sentiments though, and with growler Dez Fafara’s DevilDriver on hiatus, Bad Blood Between Us’ simple, yet catchy riffs should become a metal club staple. The title track emanates a pseudo-gothic edge. A few memorable tunes are contrasted by rehashed riffs, and genre clichés (The Bridges You Burn’s intro) induce sniggers, but punchy production affords a heavier sheen. Overall, Rivals isn’t as dire as could’ve been forecast.