Coal Chamber have reunited for an upcoming appearance at the Sick New World festival set for May 13th in Las Vegas.
The nu-metal band decided to reconvene for the massive celebration of late ’90s/2000s rock music. The group previously reunited in 2011 after initially calling it quits around 2002, when frontman Dez Fafara went on to form the groove metal project DevilDriver. Coal Chamber would release three albums between 1997 and 2002, and then another in 2015 (Rivals) before going on hiatus again in 2016. They’re known for such songs as “Loco” and “Shock the Monkey” (featuring Ozzy Osbourne).
Each member of Coal Chamber shared a statement on Instagram regarding the reunion. It was drummer Mike Cox who offered the most revealing comments, explaining that he essentially retired from the music industry after the most recent reunion, and the decision to make a comeback for Sick New World wasn’t an easy one. He also implied that the reunion might be more than just a one-off festival appearance.
Wrote Cox:
“Well this is definitely something I thought I would never post again in my life!!! … After our last tours in 2015 I was coming off stage very depressed and wanting to be home with my young son. I was missing a lot and it started to really get to me. I made the decision , that if we stop again it was my last time ever playing again. After our last show ,it was over … and that’s what I did. I completely retired from music and began focusing on my family life and raising our son …
“Over the years I kept in contact with @dezfafara and I feel like for the first time in 25 years we actually became real friends . Both our families went through A LOT over the past years and we were actually there for each other . We actually listen to each other and that means more than any band at this point in my life . That slowly changed the conversation of starting to play again… and here we are!!!
“I really thought about this decision for a long time with my family and what it meant to jump back in and this was a family decision. Our son is older now and always asks about what I used to do… now I can just show him all the crazy hardcore COAL CHAMBER fans we have out there!!!. It’s an exciting time for us all the future looks bright!”
Fafara simply tweeted: “#coalchamber is back #thatisall.”
As for the rest of the fest, System of a Down, Deftones, Korn, and Incubus are set to headline, while other notable acts on the one-day bill include Evanescence, Turnstile, Mr. Bungle, The Sisters of Mercy, Papa Roach, Death Grips (playing their first announced show in four years), a reunited Flyleaf with original singer Lacey Sturm, Ministry, Melvins, Killing Joke, She Wants Revenge, Body Count, Placebo, Skinny Puppy, and many more. Tickets go on sale this Friday (November 11th) at 2 p.m. PT via the festival’s website, with a pre-sale starting the same day at 10 a.m. PT.
Below you can read each member of Coal Chamber’s respective statements.
#coalchamber is back #thatisall
— Dez Fafara (@evilriver) November 7, 2022