Album Review: DevilDriver – Trust No One

When Dez Fafara announced DevilDriver was going on hiatus back in 2014, I felt it was the end of the band.  Long-time band members were dropping off the roster like flies while Dez’s other band, Coal Chamber, was making a momentous comeback. I was beginning to think Winer Kills was the last album we’d see from DevilDriver.  But, that was not the case.  With Mike Spreitzer being the remaining musician with any sort of tenure, they recruited Austin D’Amond, Neil Tiemann, and a bassist (Diego Ibarra – listed as touring bassist) and began working on new material in 2015.  It was a short-lived hiatus and for DevilDriver fans, it’s a good thing because Trust No One takes DevilDriver in a slightly different direction than we are used to.

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Album Review: Coal Chamber – Rivals

Album:  Rivals

Release Date:  19 May 2015

Label:  Napalm

Songs:  13

Length:  42 Minutes

Genre:  Nu Metal

Previous Studio Albums:  Coal Chamber (1997); Chamber Music (1999); Dark Days (2002)

Location:  California, U.S.

I never thought I would see another reboot of Coal Chamber in any way, shape, or form especially after the way things fell apart over a decade ago.  But, as quickly as Dez’s DevilDriver crumbled and went on hiatus, Coal Chamber resurfaced, got most of the original (or long-time) band members together, and have a new album out now.  Dez surely didn’t waste much time.  Those Coal Chamber reunion shows in Australia obviously sparked something.  Anyway, Rivals is Coal Chamber’s 4^th studio album and surprisingly picks things up where they left off.  I say surprisingly because this album sounds like Coal Chamber never broke up at all. 

Video of the Week – Loco

As most of you are probably aware, Dez Fafara of DevilDriver used to sing in a band called Coal Chamber. I remember those days fondly and even saw Coal Chamber twice live. They were a good live show to say the least. Their videos are definitely quite unique; more than just standard unimaginative live sets. I came across this one for Loco which was off their self-titled album. I thought I would leave you with something interesting for your video of the week. I hope you have a great weekend.

Themed Thursday – The Ties That Bind

This week, I am going to explore relationships within heavy metal.  This is about how metal bands are basically tied together like a long list of cousins; some you know and some you don’t.  Each metal band, in its own right, is not very far removed the metal band down the street.  Starting with one of my Top-10 favorite bands, Machine Head, we’ll see how interconnected the metal world is.  Ever heard of 6-degrees to Kevin Bacon?  This is where this Themed Thursday is going.

Video of the Week – Shock the Monkey

Before there was DevilDriver, Dez Fafara was in an up and coming metal band called Coal Chamber.  They made it a few albums before they dissolved and Dez moved on to the more harsh and thrash metal band DevilDriver.  Something great rose up from those Coal Chamber ashes.  Coal Chamber was different and somewhat quirky, but could still hit hard on many of their songs.

Shock the Monkey is a cover of the original track recorded by Peter Gabriel.  I thought it was a pretty good cover and as I was scrolling through my playlist I realized I rarely ever mentioned Coal Chamber.  Not that I want them back, I do like DevilDriver.  But Coal Chamber sure did carve out their own personality in metal.  So here is Peter Gabriel’s Shock the Monkey covered by Coal Chamber.  Have a great weekend. 

23 Jan 11 Trivia Question Answer

I was supposed to post the answer to the 23 Jan 11 trivia question this past Sunday on the 30th, but do to a family emergency I was unable to.  So for the three of you that chose Coal Chamber as Dez Fafara’s former band, you are correct.  Thank you for playing.  Incidentally, the three of you were the only ones to answer so that means it must have been too easy.  I will come up with something tougher later on.  Thank you for playing.