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Chimaira – The Impossibility of Reason

I must admit, before this review I knew not of Chimaira (pronounced kim-ear-uh). When skimming the music archives, the band did not particularly catch my ear. However, upon hearing "Army of Me" off the Jason Vs. Freddy soundtrack, I have had to reconsider my mistake in not giving the band a better listening to begin with. I apologize for the lateness of this review.

The six-piece band (vocals, drums, bass, 2x guitars and an ‘electronic specialist’) was originally formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1998. After selling some 10,000 copies of their Indie debut release, Chimaira scored a record deal with Roadrunner Records (I must commend Roadrunner for signing such a solid yet brutal metal act) of which they went on to release Pass Out of Existence in 2001.
 
With strong label backing Chimaira have made a massive impact on the metal scene in such a short span of time. In the past years, they’ve toured with the likes of In Flames, Hatebreed, Soulfly, Spineshank, and most recently with Ozzfest 2003. After a few years on the road, Chimaira release their sophomore album entitled The Impossibility of Reason.

After a single spin of the disc, I got the impression that given the chance, vocalist Mark Hunter would love nothing more than to cave in my face with a wrench and feast on the gooey insides. (I tried to avoid cliché descriptions of the heaviness of the music… did it work?) The drumming is fast and powerful and the guitars add a solid layer of versatile brutality to Hunter’s no-holds-barred screams. 

The band reminds me of a new, improved Hatebreed – both bands boast a similar hardcore metal style and refuse to stray much from that, but it is the trappings of monotony that Chimaira manages to escape and Hatebreed falls. Jamey Jasta’s voice can grow tiresome, and the guitar work at times is too simplistic. I do not have any reservations in citing the superiority of Chimaira over Hatebreed. They are more brutal, more flexible, more likeable and more powerful.

An extremely strong metal release from a band I look forward to hearing more of in the future. Easily one of the best new metal bands to come out in the last decade, a positive development of hardcore and power metal which easily rivals the best releases of metal giants like Machine Head. My only disappointment is that Chimaira has recently been thrown on tour with Spineshank and Ill Nino, when they clearly deserve much, much better.

If Chimaira are headlining a tour near you, be sure to check them out as ticket prices range from $10 to a hefty $12 – perhaps the best value for a metal show in a crowd of overpriced, overrated commercial numetal acts.

Chimaira – The Impossibility of Reason
Label: Road Runner
Genre: Hardcore Metal
For Fans Of:  Lamb of God, In Flames
Rating: 
Best Track: Down Again
 
 

Tracks: 1.Cleanisation  2.The Impossibility of Reason  3.Pictures in the Golden Room  4.Power Trip  5.Down Again  6.Pure Hatred  7.The Dehumanizing Process  8.Crawl  9.Stigmurder  10.Eyes of a Criminal  11.Overlooked  12.Implements of Destruction

Listen to samples and Purchase this CD online

Listen to Samples and Purchase Chimaira CDs online

Visit the official website for more on the band and their new CD!