Dez Fafara Explains Decision to Play Coal Chamber Music Live with DevilDriver
This morning’s announcement that the surviving members of Static-X would be reuniting for a special tour celebrating Wayne Static’s legacy and the 20th anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip came with a little bit of a zinger: the tour’s co-headliners, DevilDriver, will be performing some Coal Chamber songs live.
I’d say no one asked for this… except Twitter tells me I’m wrong. There are people legitimately stoked to hear Coal Chamber songs live! I was surprised when the band reunited and toured in 2013 and I’m surprised now. Really? What the fucking fuck? I also had completely forgotten that Coal Chamber released a new record in 2015. Clearly it made an impact on me.
So: DevilDriver / Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara has taken to Twitter to describe what led to this moment. Here are those tweets, edited slightly for clarity:
“So yes for the first time ever DevilDriver is playing a bunch of Coal Chamber songs and when you hear this shit with double kick and two guitars there’s no going back trust that! I waited years & tried to keep em separate but it’s time for me to embrace all that I am as a singer.
“I might also add that unlike others cats like [Rob] Zombie, etc., when I left Coal Chamber I never hung my hat on playing those songs with DevilDriver in hind sight & as I waited for things to reform it was a mistake and apologies to all who waited almost 20 years … for one short lived Coal Chamber run and record so here I go into the future embracing all that’s ever been me as a vocalist and kept in mind this will ONLY BE SELECT SHOWS so I would get tickets Fast as I’m seeing already tons of venues are gonna sell out!
“O it’s gonna be fucking fire ! Full production full light walls and hour 10 of BANGING MUSIC! #DevilDriver
“There’s times you fucking lay in bed and go ‘when is the right time’ and that’s for anything or … what if someone passes away etc. then what then when … and that pertains to everything as well so I thought it out & talked it out COAL CHAMBER MUSIC is YOURS not mine so….
“Why wait, why hold people off why make people wait the older generation the new generation that want to hear @coalchamber songs sung by the guy who fucking recorded em so AMP IT UP W DOUBLE KICK W TWO GUITARS W SOBER @evilriver AND HOLY FUCK HOLD ON IM BRINGING A MONSTER!
“Now think DevilDriver Now think that band doing these @coalchamber songs now think holy fuck how is the stage not gonna fucking implode.”
To be fair, I get that if there’s any audience that’s gonna appreciate Coal Chamber it’s gonna be the one that comes out to see this Static-X reunion. On the other hand, Coal Chamber were a laughing stock back in the day and they’re even more of one now (the music has not aged well) whereas Static-X holds up a bit better. DevilDriver were always leaps and bounds better than Coal Chamber, and I always thought it commendable that Dez maintained forward motion with the former.
But forget what I think. What do YOU think? Are you amped to hear Coal Chamber songs played live, heavied up by DevilDriver??
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087791184238374912
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087791680315486208
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087792051620524032
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087793032374566912
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087793566213038080
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087794162160652288
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087794671785398272
https://twitter.com/evilriver/status/1087795460478136320
