Chimaira

One of the greatest Groove Metal bands of all time is back… and ready to make your ears bleed! Chimaira has returned with their fourth full length album, Resurrection. After being dumped by Roadrunner Records, this six piece band is ready to kick some ass, with renewed limitations, renewed anger, and best of all, renewed brutality. With the return of drummer Andy Herrick, Chimaira’s renewed abilities should take them well beyond what they ever thought possible. In addition to Andy, the line-up for this post-thrash metal band would be Rob Arnold (lead guitar), Matt Devries (rhythm guitar), Mark Hunter (vocals), Jim Lamarca (bass), and Chris Spicuzza (keyboards/backing vocals).

The opening track on the album is the title track “Resurrection.” The lyrics could possibly symbolize their anger after being drop kicked by Roadrunner Records in 2006. After all, Mark does say, “Five years of hell for nothing,” and the band’s previous self-titled album (and last RR disc) dropped in 2005. I should probably mention that Pass Out of Existence was released in 2001… hehe… five years, no!? The instrumental in this track is simply put, unbelievable! The brutality and harshness of the guitar, bass, and drums is exactly what you would expect from this machine of a band. They seem to never let you down.

Fourth up on the disc is “Six,” which in my opinion, should have been the sixth track. Asides from that little notion however, the track is still spectacular. I think the lyrics may possibly be implying “don’t take shit from anybody; stand up for yourself, even if you have to drag people down.” Certainly a message befitting of the music! The instrumental style is quite different during the intro, up until Mark Hunter begins screaming that is. Once Mark adds his rough vocals, the volume is turned up, kicking into overdrive as Chimaira seem to always do.

“The Flame” would be the seventh song and when I first pressed play, I thought I was imagining what I was hearing. The sounds of glass breaking, a woman screaming for her dear life, and then a sound resembling that of a backhand across the face… wow! What a damn crazy-cool intro. After this little “episode,” the instrumental begins, ripping right into the eardrums. The lyrics for “The Flame” might possibly be the creepiest lyrics I’ve ever heard from Chimaira. The song mentions how the woman in the intro was beaten by her dad. The reason I assume is because a line: “This was The last time/That he’s see her/That he’d touch her/That he’d make his little girl scream out loud” is just nuts. Just hearing those lyrics send chills right up my spine.

Overall, I’d have to say this has to be the bands’ best album to date! I couldn’t imagine that after their self-titled album, they could get any better. But man was I ever wrong. The bands’ newfound hatred (or rejuvenated love for the music) has allowed them to conjure up some of the most enticing and addicting metal of our times. I give this album a 10/10… sorry I could not give it even higher!  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Resurrection
02. Pleasure in Pain
03. Worthless
04. Six
05. No Reason To Live
06. Killing The Beast
07. The Flame
08. End It All
09. Black Heart
10. Needle
11. Empire

Run Time: 51:39