SHOW
REVIEWS
Coal Chamber
/ Human Waste Project
In: Nottingham Rock City
Date: December 12, 1997
By: Dave Everly
Rating: 4/5
The streets of Nottingham might be colder than death, but inside Rock City
the temperature is close to boiling. The combined forces of Coal Chamber and
HWP, two of metal's hottest new bands, have managed to drag the curious hordes
away from the delights of Friday night TV and into the chilly winter night.
Both bands are part of a scene that looks to be more exciting than anything
we've had in years. And just like a decade ago, LA seems to be at the center
of it all. The ozone destroying frightwigs might have been replaced by braids
and facial piercings, the tattoos might have become more ornate and the music
might be a hundred times more extreme, but the spirit is the same.
HWP are the cream of the scene. If you hadn't already gathered, they steal
the best bits from art rock (Tool, Jane's Addiction), new metal (Deftones,
Korn) and the '80s alternative scene (Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure)
and make them wholly their own.
The funny thing is, this isn't one of HWP's better shows. A murky sound means
that Mike Tempesta's guitar is reduced to an unthreatening rumble, while two
months of touring have left Aimee Echo's rasp frayed and ragged. But Rock
City laps it up nonetheless. As the Project pound through Powerstrip, Shine
and half a dozen other numbers from their E-Lux debut, the warmth slowly flows
back into the crowds cold limbs. When Echo does her 'shall we get naked?'
routine, the floor is suddenly covered with a lake of beer as 1500 boys -
and girls - simultaneously spill their pints. They bow out to respectable
applause, and it becomes clear that whatever tonights failings, there's no
doubt that 1998 will be HWP's year. Wait and see.