Coal Chamber
Encyclopedia
Coal Chamber is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...

 band formed in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 in 1993. Prior to Coal Chamber, Dez Fafara
Dez Fafara
Bradley James 'Dez' Fafara is the current vocalist for DevilDriver and the recently reformed Coal Chamber.-Personal life:Dez is of Portuguese and Italian, specifically Sicilian descent...

 and Meegs Rascón
Miguel Rascón
Miguel Rascón better known by the stage name Meegs, is a rock guitarist of Chinese and Mexican descent. He has resided in Los Angeles, California since his teenage years.-Biography:...

 formed the band She's In Pain in 1992. The two decided to create Coal Chamber. They disbanded in 2003 after ten years together, but announced a reunion in September 2011. Their first drummer John Thor was eventually replaced by Mike Cox
Mikey Cox
Mikey "Bug" Cox is an American musician, formerly the drummer of Coal Chamber, and the youngest member of the original line-up.-Biography:...

 (who beat out his older brother for the spot). After bassist Rayna Foss
Rayna Foss-Rose
Rayna Foss was the original bassist for the California based alternative metal band Coal Chamber.- Biography :Rayna Foss was born on August 26, 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia. She first started playing bass at a friend's party. His roommate had recently moved out and left the instrument behind...

 joined, the Coal Chamber lineup was complete.

In 1997 their debut self-titled album Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber (album)
Coal Chamber is the eponymous debut album by Coal Chamber. It was released on February 11, 1997 by Roadrunner Records and contains the single "Loco"....

was released. They toured very heavily supporting this album. The album spawned one single and video, "Loco". The video was also added as an extra after the ending credits of Dee Snider's film, Strangeland
Strangeland
Strangeland is an American horror film released in 1998. The movie was directed by John Pieplow and written by Dee Snider. The film focuses on the body modification underground culture's rituals.-Plot:...

. The band also did an exclusive song for the soundtrack, titled "Not Living."

Chamber Music
Chamber Music (Coal Chamber album)
Chamber Music is the second studio album by Californian alternative metal band Coal Chamber, released on Roadrunner Records on September 7, 1999....

followed two years later. Between the two releases and after the band's tour with metal act Sevendust
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group...

, bassist Rayna Foss
Rayna Foss-Rose
Rayna Foss was the original bassist for the California based alternative metal band Coal Chamber.- Biography :Rayna Foss was born on August 26, 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia. She first started playing bass at a friend's party. His roommate had recently moved out and left the instrument behind...

 married Sevendust
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group...

's drummer Morgan Rose and became pregnant, necessitating another bass player on tour, a role filled by Nadja Peulen.

Foss came back for the recording of Coal Chamber's third album, but left after the studio sessions to raise her daughter, Kayla Moray Rose. Dark Days was released in the spring of 2002. Their only single and video was for the track 'Fiend'.

Formation and early years (1992-1995)

Originally called Seal Chamber, the band gained a large following early in their career, arguably because they were the first "darker" themed nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...

 band, having an image that had more in common with the goth subculture
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...

 than hip hop culture.

In late 1994, Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares
Dino Cazares, born in El Centro, California, is a Mexican-American musician and the guitarist for Los Angeles-based industrial metal group Fear Factory. He also plays in the metal bands Divine Heresy and Asesino.-Biography:...

 of Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...

 championed a demo tape by Coal Chamber, causing a huge local stir with gigs at The Roxy Theatre
The Roxy Theatre
The Roxy Theatre is a famous nightclub, on the Sunset Strip, in West Hollywood, California. The Roxy is owned by Lou Adler and Adler's son, Nic, who operates the club.- History :...

 and Whisky A Go Go
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...

, eventually leading Coal Chamber to an offer to sign with Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...

.

Fafara dropped out of the band quite suddenly due to disagreements with his wife about the band. In the spring of 1995, Dez reunited with Coal Chamber, which ended his marriage but revitalized the band. With a renewed sense of energy, Coal Chamber was able to regain their deal with Roadrunner
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...

 by the end of 1995.

Coal Chamber (1996–1998)

In 1996, Coal Chamber played in the first Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...

, acquired Mike "Bug" Cox, and recorded their first album. The self-titled debut was released on February 11, 1997. They got Nathan "Karma" Cox to direct their first video, Loco.

In 1997, Coal Chamber toured Europe with Machine Head, Napalm Death, Slipknot, and Skinlab, including a show at the legendary Dynamo Festival in the Netherlands.

Chamber Music (1999–2001)

Chamber Music
Chamber Music (Coal Chamber album)
Chamber Music is the second studio album by Californian alternative metal band Coal Chamber, released on Roadrunner Records on September 7, 1999....

was released in late 1999 and took a step away from the nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...

 image engendered in their prior release having instead a more Gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...

 inspired feel. With the bit of commercial success Coal Chamber received after Chamber Music, the band toured on headlining and festival tours. The band managed to catch the attention of Ozzy Osbourne's
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

 wife Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....

 who became their manager. Coal Chamber later parted ways with Sharon over personal and creative differences, a theme which continued within the band causing them to take a break from touring and resulting in their non-participation in the Tattoo the Earth
Tattoo the Earth
Tattoo the Earth was a concert tour from 2000 to 2002 in the United States. The tour, with part of it taking place during the summer, posed a challenge to Slipknot in particular. The band performed onstage in masks, and even under the best circumstances, they found them uncomfortable. The band's...

 tour in 2000.

Dark Days/Disbandment (2002–2003)

The band followed up with their third album Dark Days in early 2002 to mixed reviews. Bassist Rayna Foss had left the band to raise her daughter shortly after the album was recorded; she was replaced by Nadja Peulen who had taken Foss's place during her pregnancy between the first two albums. Rayna had a falling out with frontman Dez Fafara saying that she and her husband had "found Christ" and would be leaving Coal Chamber for good.

In May 2002, it was announced that Coal Chamber had broken up after an on-stage altercation between Dez and Meegs during a show in Lubbock, Texas. They had been fighting verbally before the show and continued to fight on-stage with Meegs hitting Dez in the head with the headstock of his guitar. Dez announced "This is the last Coal Chamber show ever!" and stormed offstage. The band attempted to continue the show with Meegs singing vocals but soon stopped the show altogether. Mikey demolished his drumkit before storming offstage. The band managed to patch things up long enough for an appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....

and a summer tour with American Head Charge
American Head Charge
American Head Charge is an industrial metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, earning nominations at the Kerrang! Awards on two occasions.-Formation:...

, Lollipop Lust Kill
Lollipop Lust Kill
Lollipop Lust Kill was an American alternative metal/heavy metal band.-Band history:Lollipop Lust Kill was formed in 1996 in Toledo, Ohio with the original line-up including DeadGreg, Dr. Distorto, Evvy Pedder, D. human, and drummer Bloody Sunday. Prior to Evvy 1996 induction into the fold, the...

, and Medication. These would be the last shows the band would ever play.

In October 2002, Mikey "Bug" Cox was fired after several personal disputes with both Fafara and guitarist Meegs Rascón. The official release on the Coal Chamber website stated that the band was looking for a new drummer, although all band activities had come to a standstill.

Late summer 2003 saw the release of a compilation album titled Giving the Devil His Due
Giving the Devil His Due
Giving the Devil His Due is a 2003 compilation album of remixes and previously unreleased songs by the nu metal band Coal Chamber. "Blisters" and "Wishes" had been on soundtrack albums prior to this album.-Track listing:...

which included several demo tracks submitted by the band prior to their signing with Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...

 in 1997 along with several alternate studio recordings and remixes of various tracks from their previous releases. Coal Chamber officially called it a day in 2003 shortly after lead vocalist Dez Fafara continued with his new band DevilDriver
DevilDriver
DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, Deathride changed its name to DevilDriver, which refers to bells Italian witches used to...

 (formerly known as Deathride).

After the break-up (2003–2010)

In August 2004, Roadrunner Records released The Best Of Coal Chamber
The Best of Coal Chamber
-Personnel:Coal Chamber*Dez Fafara - Vocals*Miguel Rascón - Guitar*Nadja Peulen - Bass guitar*Rayna Foss - Bass guitar*Mikey Cox - DrumsProduction*Josh Abraham - Producer*Aimee Echo - Backing vocals*Jay Baumgardner - Mixing...

. In June 2005, Dez Fafara stated that Coal Chamber's hiatus was permanent and would not be reforming at any time in the future. He has also described a reformation as "like repeating the 4th grade again."

Fafara continued as vocalist of metal band DevilDriver
DevilDriver
DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, Deathride changed its name to DevilDriver, which refers to bells Italian witches used to...

, recording five albums: DevilDriver
DevilDriver (album)
-Personnel:*Dez Fafara - vocals*Evan Pitts - guitar*Jeff Kendrick - guitar*Jon Miller - bass*John Boecklin - drums*Mike Doling- guitar on "Devil's Son"...

, The Fury of Our Maker's Hand
The Fury of Our Maker's Hand
-Notes:* "Unlucky 13" and "Guilty As Sin" were tracks recorded during the sessions for The Fury of Our Maker's Hand.* "Digging Up the Corpses" is an outtake from their self-titled DevilDriver album...

, The Last Kind Words
The Last Kind Words
*Note: Dez Fafara's 9 year old son Simon Fafara provides guest vocals in "Tirades of Truth".-Personnel:* Dez Fafara – Vocals* Mike Spreitzer – Guitar* Jeff Kendrick – Guitar* Jon Miller – Bass* John Boecklin – Drums...

, Pray for Villains
Pray for Villains
-Notes:* "Self-Affliction" and "Dust Be the Destiny" were recorded during the album's sessions.* "Damning the Heavens" is a bonus track from The Last Kind Words that was available on the US Hot Topic Only Edition of that album....

and Beast
Beast (DevilDriver album)
Beast is the fifth studio album by groove metal band DevilDriver. It was released on February 22, 2011 in the US. It is also their last album to feature longtime bassist Jon Miller who left in 2011.-Recording and production:...

. He is the only member of Coal Chamber to release an album after the disbandment. Bassist Nadja Puelen created the t-shirt company CruelTees, sold online and through stores such as Hot Topic. After taking two years off to recover from a car accident, drummer Mikey "Bug" Cox joined forces with long time friend, producer of Coal Chamber's self titled début, and Orgy
Orgy (band)
Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...

 member Jay Gordon to form Machine Gun Orchestra. Guitarist Meegs Rascón went on to form rock band Glass Piñata, previously known as “Piñata”. The group released a few demos on their website, and faced several line-up changes before eventually disbanding. Following Glass Piñata, Meegs joined Orange County rock/electro band NEO GEO mid-2009, although he later left the band in 2010.

Dez and Meegs settled their differences on October 24, 2008, with Meegs joining DevilDriver
DevilDriver
DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, Deathride changed its name to DevilDriver, which refers to bells Italian witches used to...

 on stage at the Glasshouse in Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...

 to play "Loco." Dez said that they had settled their disputes.

In September 2009, it was announced that Peulen and Cox had joined forces to form a currently unnamed band. They were seeking a vocalist and guitarist to complete the lineup.

In September 2010, Rascón and Cox joined together in a post-punk band called "We Are the Riot".

Reformation (2011–present)

In September 2011, it was announced that Fafara, Cox and Rascón would reform the band with bassist Chela Rhea Harper, to play the Soundwave shows in Australia.

Members

  • B. Dez Fafara
    Dez Fafara
    Bradley James 'Dez' Fafara is the current vocalist for DevilDriver and the recently reformed Coal Chamber.-Personal life:Dez is of Portuguese and Italian, specifically Sicilian descent...

     - vocals (1993–2003, 2011–present)
  • Miguel Rascón
    Miguel Rascón
    Miguel Rascón better known by the stage name Meegs, is a rock guitarist of Chinese and Mexican descent. He has resided in Los Angeles, California since his teenage years.-Biography:...

     - guitar
    Electric guitar
    An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

     (1993–2003, 2011–present)
  • Chela Harper - bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (2011–present)
  • Mike Cox
    Mikey Cox
    Mikey "Bug" Cox is an American musician, formerly the drummer of Coal Chamber, and the youngest member of the original line-up.-Biography:...

     - drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

     (1994–2003, 2011–present)

Former members

  • Nadja Peulen - bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (1999–2001, 2002–2003)
  • Rayna Foss - bass (1994–1999, 2001–2002)
  • John Thor - drums (1993–1994)

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...


AUS
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...


FIN
FRA
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...


GER
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...


NLD
MegaCharts
MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...


NZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...


UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...


1997 Coal Chamber
Coal Chamber (album)
Coal Chamber is the eponymous debut album by Coal Chamber. It was released on February 11, 1997 by Roadrunner Records and contains the single "Loco"....

  • Released: February 11, 1997
  • Label: Roadrunner
    Roadrunner Records
    Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...

76 US
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

: Gold
1999 Chamber Music
Chamber Music (Coal Chamber album)
Chamber Music is the second studio album by Californian alternative metal band Coal Chamber, released on Roadrunner Records on September 7, 1999....

  • Released: September 7, 1999
  • Label: Roadrunner
  • 22 29 49 70 70 18 22 21
    2002 Dark Days
  • Released: May 7, 2002
  • Label: Roadrunner
  • 34 69 61 43
    "—" denotes a release that did not chart.

    Compilation albums

    Year Album details
    2003 Giving the Devil His Due
    Giving the Devil His Due
    Giving the Devil His Due is a 2003 compilation album of remixes and previously unreleased songs by the nu metal band Coal Chamber. "Blisters" and "Wishes" had been on soundtrack albums prior to this album.-Track listing:...

    • Released: August 19, 2003
    • Label: Roadrunner
    2004 The Best of Coal Chamber
    The Best of Coal Chamber
    -Personnel:Coal Chamber*Dez Fafara - Vocals*Miguel Rascón - Guitar*Nadja Peulen - Bass guitar*Rayna Foss - Bass guitar*Mikey Cox - DrumsProduction*Josh Abraham - Producer*Aimee Echo - Backing vocals*Jay Baumgardner - Mixing...

  • Released: August 9, 2004
  • Label: Roadrunner

  • Singles

    Year Song Peak chart positions Album
    US Main.
    UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...


    1997 "Loco
    Loco (song)
    "Loco" is a single by the band Coal Chamber. It is one of the band's best known songs. It mixes a nu metal style drum and bass line with an industrial sounding guitar and the 'darker' lyrics and singing style that the band were known for.-Music video:...

    "
    81 Coal Chamber
    1999 "Not Living" Chamber Music
    "Shock the Monkey" 26 90
    2002 "Fiend
    Fiend (song)
    "Fiend" is a song by Coal Chamber, from their third and final album, Dark Days. It is one of the bands most well known songs and is thought to be about how the band and other bands and the nu metal genre were getting heavily criticised at the time....

    "
    Dark Days
    "—" denotes a release that did not chart.

    External links

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