The whole history of Chimaira began exactly in 1998 when Mark Hunter, Jason Hager, Rob Arnold, Jim LaMarca, Andols Herrick and Chris Spicuzza united. About 2 years later, they released their very first EP, “This Present Darkness”, and with all the popularity that they gained in their hometown, Cleveland, Ohio, they found themselves on a short-term record contact with East Coast Empire. But of course, the contract didn’t last long and they acquired a new contract with the very famous RoadRunner Records. “Pass out of Existence”, their first album was then released a year later but sadly it was a major failure as it didn’t sell enough which meant that the public didn’t like it. Also, Jason had to leave at this point as he had gotten recently married and so, a new member, Matt DeVries replaced him. Luckily, RoadRunner gave them a second chance and so in 2003, Chimaira released “The Impossibility of Reason”, the album which gained so much success on the modern metal scene that they immediately went on an extensive tour with the infamous In Flames.
Pass out of Existence was a failure at that time because it had a very electronic (nu-metal) sound and as we all know, the genre was slowly dying but their 2nd effort “The Impossibility of Reason” went straight to the point of metal; fast, heavy and catchy. And that was what caught the metal public’s attention.
And In 2005, Chimaira released their S/T album…
Their Sound
When Chimaira released IOR, it was like a fresh wave of modern metal and so they are considered to be part of the “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” movement. In their music, they incorporate crushing chugga-chugga type riffs, fast drumming and the deep growls and roars done by Mark. Of course, they used that formula on this album so don’t except to listen to a light album as it is just pure metal which will be attacking your ears. Chimaira was considered as a metal-core band at the time of IOR but now, they just play pure heavy metal. In my opinion, they have a similar sound to God Forbid.
The Album
Pass of out Existence lacked a lot of technicality when it came to the guitars, there were too many electronic effects and Marks roaring and singing were without emotion. Thankfully, most of the errors present on POOE were either corrected or improved on The Impossibility of Reason. But what have they improved on this album? Basically everything!
Andols left just after IOR but he was replaced by Kevin Talley from Dying Fetus. Although Andols was a very talented drummer when it came to the double bass, most of his work was very straight-forward and he rarely did any drum solos. On this album, not only is Kevin’s drumming fast but also very technical (Dying Fetus is a technical death metal band). He makes use of complex drum fills and supports the crushing guitar riffs with fast double-bass and even gives a certain death metal feel to the songs (Pray for All). Andols may be a talented drummer but Kevin’s just beats him when it comes to technicality.
Rob and Matt have also improved much more as guitarists. They deliver us more complex yet crushing riffs (A good example would be Save Ourselves) and now we get to hear even more solos. Of course these aren’t typical Metallica or Children of Bodom solos but don’t except to hear simplistic ones like on the previous album as these ones are so much more intricate and melodic (Nothing Remains). These guitarists have a huge potential and I don’t think we’ll hear the same boring riffs from POOE ever again.
Although the effects aren’t as present on this album as they were on IOR or POOE, Chris knows exactly where to add those little things which give certain parts a very different atmosphere.
Mark is surely not your worst metal vocalist but he isn’t at his best on this album. Sadly, he almost never diversifies his vocals like he did on IOR (Down Again) and the constant rasping can get very annoying. Hopefully on the next album, Mark will show us more depth vocally and sound less “generic”.
To conclude, I think this is a groundbreaking album when it comes to technicality. Everything which seemed to have had a fault before was improved so much more that I can’t believe they released an album like POO(E) (:p). It may not be as catchy as IOR, but this a metal album that any metal-head should own.
Pros
• More complex solos.
• Many intricate yet fast and heavy riffs.
• Kevin has taken the band to new heights with his “death-metal” drumming.
• Basically, their music is more complex, fast and heavier
• All their songs are over 5 minutes. It makes up for the short amount of songs.
Cons
• Marks vocals might not appeal to some people as he doesn’t use a lot of variation..
• The songs are not as catchy as the ones on IOR.
Final Verdict: 4/5
Standout Tracks:
Nothing Remains: A brutal song to start a brutal album…
Inside the Horror: Another aggressive song with a cool solo!
Left for Dead: Begins with a lonely guitar but then gradually builds up.
Save Ourselves: A very good song with some very good riffs.
