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Coal Chamber – “I.O.U. Nothing” [Song Review]

“I.O.U. Nothing” has EVERYTHING a classic Coal Chamber song should have, but also something else: It has a maturity, sophistication, and even cleanliness about it that takes their music to a new level.

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As vocalist Dez Fafara belts out “I owe you nothing” in the opening 30 seconds of Coal Chamber’s new single, “I.O.U. Nothing,” I can’t help but agree. You see, we’re talking about a band who busted their f#cking asses from 1993–2003 only to fall apart, like MANY bands do, due to internal struggle, label pressures, and so forth.

Were millions saddened when the band broke up? Yes! But guess what? Shit happens. Members all went their own ways and Dez, as most know, went on to form the highly successful DevilDriver. Still, many dreamed, wondered, and even hoped the mighty Coal Chamber would one day rekindle their red-hot metal flame.

That wishful thinking would pay off in 2011 when the band announced a reformation to play Australia’s Soundwave festival. Fast forward 4 years and the reining kings of spookycore have not only solidified their original line-up, but also signed to Napalm Records, announced a new full-length, and have been posting international tour dates like mad.

With fresh tunes on the way, Coal Chamber has debuted the track “I.O.U. Nothing,” the first from the forthcoming release, Rivals, out via Napalm Records on May 19th. All bullshit and fodder aside, Rivals makes the band’s decade-plus absence seem like it had absolutely zero effect on their creative process. In fact, it seems to have helped it.

This new single has EVERYTHING a classic CC song should have, but also something else: It has a maturity, sophistication, and even cleanliness about it that takes their music to a new level. As a die-hard fan, and after a dozen plus spins, “I.O.U. Nothing” is already one of my favourite CC songs of all time. This bodes extremely well for their new album, a release some people might soon be calling: “best ever,” “masterpiece,” “ultimate Coal Chamber album,” etcetera, etcetera.

Run Time: 3:03
Release Date: May 12, 2015

Check out the song “I.O.U. Nothing” here.

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