Review Summary: Overall a solid album, a huge improvement from the first album. The first half of he album seems to be much more appealing and creative, while most of the second half tends to be repetitive.
Chimaira is a band from Cleveland, Ohio. This was the album that got them to be where they stand now, gaining many new fans(including myself). This album is very different from any of the bands earlier work. It is much more complex, heavier. The album has mostly fast songs, mostly with themes related to anger and violence. It also has a few slow songs included, but the highlight is definitely the heaviness of the record as a whole.
The vocals are one of the better elements of the album. Mark’s vocals really show a lot of emotion in the songs. In songs such as cleansation and the dehumanization process his voice really adds to the themes of the songs as a whole. Mark’s vocals are also very clear, it is not hard at all to understand the lyrics since the speed is not as fast as it could be. I find this a very good positive point to the vocals. In general they sound raspy, emotional, yet clear. They are the focus in most of the songs.
Another element that deserves its own paragraph as mention are the drums. They are very solid throughout the record, usually playing at a fast tempo. It also changes tempo during the slower choruses and raises the speed in the faster verses. It is well-heard throughout the record, and complements the vocals very much. The pros are that it fits the speed and mood of the song perfectly, but for my taste, it could have been faster on some of the speedier songs.
The guitars vary throughout, from fast and chugging to slow and melodic, to powerful solos. The faster songs towards the last half of the album, such as Stigmurder, Overlooked, Pure hatred, and the dehumanization process all contain very fast riffs that deliver their job. In “Down again” the solos are very melodic and catchy. In “crawl” the guitar follows the slowness of the song.
The keyboards serve mainly to add an ambience to the album, they are more background than anything though. They get the job done, but don’t expect epic keyboards like in “Dimmu Borgir” or “Moonspell”.
One track that stands out from the rest is the last track of the album. It is an almost 14 minute instrumental, containing calm melodies as well as faster parts. It ends an excellent album in a very promising way, and is one of the best chimaira songs, as well as one of the most unique ones.
While being a fairly solid album overall, the lyrical content could have been much better. While not terrible, it is cheesy and bland at times, in songs such as “Pure hatred” they are very simple and could have been more mature and creative. However, there are still some good lyrics in the album, in songs like “Pictures in the gold room” and “The dehumanization process”.
Overall, there are many more gems in this album than flaws. Some of the stronger points include the vocals, drumming, and guitar work. The flaws are the lyrical work at times and repetitiveness in most of the second half.
Recommended tracks:
Implements of Destruction
Pictures in the Gold Room
The Impossibility of reason
. You certainly have good style potential here; straight forward and to the point which some people on this site love. However, I would look this over a little more carefully and try to flesh you ideas out a bit better. Still, keep your straight forward approach and you will become a much better reviewer in time. 
