Band:	Coal Chamber
Album:	Rivals
Style:	Nu metal
Release date:	May 19, 2015
A review by:	deadone

01. I.O.U. Nothing
02. Bad Blood Between Us
03. Light In The Shadows
04. Suffer In Silence [feat. Alejandro Ramírez Jourgensen]
05. The Bridges You Burn
06. Orion
07. Another Nail In The Coffin
08. Rivals
09. Wait
10. Dumpster Dive
11. Over My Head
12. Fade Away (Karma Never Forgets)
13. Empty Handed
14. Worst Enemy

Twelve years after they went the way of the dodo, nu metal stalwarts Coal Chamber are back with a new album, Rivals. And like with any reunion album, the question arises as to whether it would be a welcome addition to the band's catalogue or just another pointless exercise in misguided nostalgia.

Rivals follows on from Dark Days in terms of a darker and heavier approach than the self titled album or Chamber Music. It's also considerably more conventional without many forays into gothic metal or electronica. For the most part this is mid paced nu metal/groove metal. There is some occasional uninspired industrial doodlings and even a guest appearance by Ministry's Al Jourgensen.

It lacks any of the bouncy, catchy youthful exuberance that was such a prominent feature in many of Nu-metal's classic albums. It's not a bad listening experience but it's certainly not as fun as one would hope for. The modern production doesn't help either and makes it all sound flat and uninspired.

The song writing is seriously lacking in any real variety, leaving the listener with a sense of groundhog day with each track blending into the next. There is no truly memorable stand out tracks unlike the first two Coal Chamber albums. It's basically one big long ploddy chunky riff occasionally broken up by occasional brooding bits.

So like many reunion albums, Rivals is decidedly average and unnecessary. If you want to crank out some nu metal Coal Chamber style you're still better off going back to their back catalogue.