For many of Generation X, our carefree summers are mostly in our past, and we may see today's music as lacking in anything new and fresh. Hard rock music which for many travelers becomes an essential part of the long road trip. In my hunt for a good summer hard rock band, I turned up the group Coal Chamber and their third album Dark Days. Dark Days is a refreshing break from the norm.

Music Review: Dark Days (Coal Chambers)
by Brad DeMaagd

Summer has come upon us, and kids are being let free from their schooling. Summer movies are the talk of television, and everyone by the end of summer will have walked away with their summer song. For many of Generation X, our carefree summers are mostly in our past, and we may see today's music as lacking in anything new and fresh. Hard rock music, which for many travelers becomes an essential part of the long road trip, is as guilty of that crime as any other. Most bands sound the same because the vocalists are imitating Eddie Vedder, Ozzy, or Brian Johnson. If they are not trying to be like Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, or Rage's more successful copycat Korn, then they are probably not seeing radio play. I began to look for someone making an effort to stand apart.

My hunt for a good summer hard rock band turned up the group Coal Chamber. Coal Chamber released their debut disc in 1997 and a follow up in 1999. The music of the band has evolved over the years, but they have never achieved that breakout single. This fact does not bother Coal's members, who take great pride in being a band accessible to their fans and their live shows. Although not talked of in the same breath as P.O.D. or System of the Down, Coal Chamber in their third album Dark Days gives to their loyal fans a solid metal record that breaks away from the radio norm.

Forty-one minutes of steady road-worthy guitar and percussion gorge the listener, as B. Dez Farara's voice translates the passion of the band. One gets a feeling that they have tapped into something missing from radio rock. They have gone back to something Generation X felt when Guns N Roses and Metallica were starting out - the feeling that this band is sure of itself, and more importantly sure of the power of its music.

Lyrically the tracks are quick and to the point. The songs provide the messages of empowerment with the track Someone Told Me, or the message of youthful hope in the track Dark Days. Coal Chamber understands that their core audience members are the nu-metal fans - young kids growing up in a world that has seen Columbine and 9/11. The band empathizes with the role music can play in a positive release of fear, anger, love, self-doubt, and helplessness. Generation X - who has seen the rise and fall of Big Hair Bands, the corruption of alternative music, and the move from Gangsta Rap to Boy Bands - is seeking something more in touch with the emotional side of music, and they will want to check out Coal Chamber. Some folks will be driven off by lyrics without the story qualities of Creed or Puddle of Mud, but metal heads will rejoice in hearing a band that tells the story through their energy rather than just another three-minute radio friendly schtick.

See you all again in July.

To find our more about Coal Chamber visit their website at Coal Chamber

To purchase Dark Days, I recommend checking out Amazon.com

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Brad DeMaagd was born in Sacramento, California in 1976. Mr. DeMaagd currently lives in Michigan, but is planning a move to Oregon in the late spring. Mr. DeMaagd attended Michigan State University where he majored in English, with minor studies in Economics and History. Mr. DeMaagd continues to pursue his goal of becoming an Acquisitions Editor at a publishing house. His past times include watching David Lynch films, NFL football, working on his stories, and reading an ever growing stack of books.

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