Dark Days (Coal Chamber album)

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Dark Days
Darkdays-coalchamber.jpg
Studio album by
Coal Chamber
ReleasedMay 7, 2002
RecordedMay 29 – September 21, 2001
StudioRumbo Recorders (Canoga Park, California)
Genre Nu metal [1] [2]
Length41:15
Label Roadrunner
Producer Ross Hogarth
Coal Chamber chronology
Chamber Music
(1999)		Dark Days
(2002)		 Rivals
(2015)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 7/10 [3]
laut.de Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Metal.de 7/10 [5]
Metal Storm 6.9/10 [6]
Now Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Rock Hard 7/10 [8]

Dark Days is the third studio album by the American nu metal band Coal Chamber. It was released on May 7, 2002.

Contents

Background and content

Coal Chamber began recording Dark Days with producer Ross Hogarth at Rumbo Recorders on May 29, 2001. [9] [10] [11] The band finished recording bass and drum tracks by mid-June 2001, after which guitars and vocals were recorded. [12] [13] The album was mostly completed on September 18, 2001, with Dez Farara going into the studio to re-record his vocals on September 21, 2001. [14] Bassist Rayna Foss-Rose left the band after this album was recorded; she was replaced by Nadja Peulen, who had already previously replaced her for Coal Chamber's tours in 1999 during Rayna's pregnancy. [4] This was the last studio album from Coal Chamber before they disbanded due to personal differences. [4]

Dark Days is often regarded[ by whom? ] as the band's most aggressive and heaviest album; while past Coal Chamber albums had softer songs scattered throughout them, Dark Days stays mostly aggressive all the way through. Dark Days mostly combines the styles from the band's debut album with their second album Chamber Music , mixing the nu metal elements with the gothic metal elements from Chamber Music. Dark Days received mixed reviews from music critics but was more popular with fans.

On their last show, guitarist Meegs Rascón accidentally hit vocalist Dez Fafara on the head with his guitar, with Dez walking off stage only to reappear claiming that this was to be Coal Chamber's last show. Dez then released Giving the Devil His Due which was a collection of unreleased tracks, remixes, and demos by Coal Chamber. Afterward, he went on to start the band DevilDriver.

"Fiend" would be the album's only single. Its music video found airplay on Uranium , which also featured an interview with the band and the song "Glow" was also most notably featured on the soundtrack of The Scorpion King .

The song "Something Told Me" was featured on the Resident Evil end credits as the second song.

The album debuted and peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 31,000 copies in its first week. [15] [16]

Track listing

All songs written by Mike Cox/B. Dez Fafara/Rayna Foss/Miguel Rascón except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Fiend"3:01
2."Glow"3:12
3."Watershed"2:37
4."Something Told Me"3:24
5."Dark Days"3:40
6."Alienate Me"3:18
7."One Step"2:39
8."Friend?"3:34
9."Rowboat" (Flood cover; written by Simon Daniels, Buddy Gheen, Dave Casey, Robert Marlette)4:49
10."Drove"3:13
11."Empty Jar"3:53
12."Beckoned"4:03
Total length:41:15
Limited Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Anxiety"3:15
14."Save Yourself"3:27
15."One Step" (Scott Humphrey Mixdownload download)2:39

Credits

Production

Charts

Chart (2002)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts) [17] 61
French Albums (SNEP) [18] 69
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [18] 61
Scottish Albums (OCC) [19] 34
UK Albums (OCC) [20] 43
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [21] 4
US Billboard 200 [22] 34

Related Research Articles

Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists typically use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.

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Coal Chamber is an American nu metal band formed by Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón in Los Angeles in 1992, initially under the name She's in Pain. The original lineup also consisted of bassist Rayna Foss and drummer Jon Tor. Mike Cox replaced Tor on drums in 1995, and the Coal Chamber lineup was complete. After signing to Roadrunner Records, they released their debut album, Coal Chamber, in 1997.

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References

  1. ↑ Amber Authier (June 30, 2002). "Coal Chamber Dark Days". Exclaim.ca.
  2. 1 2 "Dark Days - Coal Chamber". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Popoff, Martin; Perri, David (2011). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 4: The '00s. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 85. ISBN   9781-926592-20-6.
  4. 1 2 3 Michael Edele (May 6, 2002). "Less psychotic noise eruptions, more decent grooves". Laut.de. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  5. ↑ Counterforce (May 21, 2002). "Coal Chamber - Dark Days Review". metal.de . Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ Herzebeth (October 1, 2005). "Coal Chamber - Dark Days review". Metal Storm. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  7. ↑ Bromstein, Elizabeth (May 30, 2002). "Coal Chamber". Now . Vol. 21, no. 39. Archived from the original on December 16, 2002. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Dark Days". Rock Hard (Vol. 181). May 21, 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  9. ↑ Blabbermouth (May 19, 2001). "Archive News May 19, 2001". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  10. ↑ Blabbermouth (May 31, 2001). "Archive News May 31, 2001". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Dark Days Have Begun". roadrunnerrecords.com. May 30, 2001. Archived from the original on August 21, 2001. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ Blabbermouth (June 16, 2001). "Archive News Jun 16, 2001". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  13. ↑ Blabbermouth (August 8, 2001). "Archive News Aug 08, 2001". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Coal Chamber News". coalchamber.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2001. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  15. ↑ D'Angelo, Joe (May 15, 2002). "Musiq Tops Albums Chart, Lauryn Hill Makes Big Debut". MTV News . Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Sludge Scans For April & May 2002". Metal Sludge. Archived from the original on June 8, 2002. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  17. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 61.
  18. 1 2 "Lescharts.com – Coal Chamber – Dark Days". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. May 12, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. May 12, 2002. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Dark Days - Coal Chamber". Billboard Database . Retrieved June 27, 2022.
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