Chimaira – Resurrection

Chimaira – Resurrection / 2007 Ferret / 11 Tracks / http://www.chimaira.com / http://www.ferretstyle.com

Chimaira has been rocking the faces off of their fans for quite a few years, first on Roadrunner and now on Ferret Music. It seems as if Ferret really has made their average band much more hard and heavy than they have been in years past, and this is a good sign for the label. Chimaira start off this album with the title track to the disc, and while the song is not anything but heavy, it sets the stage nicely. What is perhaps the best thing about Chimaira is their ability to insert harmony into what is a heavy track.

Nowhere is this better shown than during “Pleasure In Pain”, where the vocals have an infectious harmony to them even as they scratch down the back of anything that is listening in. Another thing that is great about Chimaira is that unlike many of the other bands on the market, their vocals can be deciphered. Where some tracks, such as “Worthless”, it is easier to do so, the fact is that individuals can typically understand what the hell that vocalist Mark Hunter is singing. The band has somewhat repetitious arrangements at points, but this can be forgiven considering the fact that they throw wicked curveballs and breakdowns into their tracks at a number of points.

Even when the band comes forth with a blend of Korn and Iron Maiden, as is the case with their “Worthless”, one knows exactly that the composition is one of Chimaira’s. The band will never move voluntarily into a style that is not them, but that does not necessarily mean that they are stuck to a few styles. The metal genres that the band touches during “Resurrection” is large; the bands that one can hear Chimaira mention through their music is large. I must admit, I was not as familiar with Chimaira as I should have been before this disc. After hearing “Resurrection”, however, I know that I should go back and check out their other albums. This is a solid current metal type of album, and while it will never be tops on any popularity poll, the brand of brutal that Chimaira brings is without any comparison. Give this disc a go if you are a fan of the band’s earlier work, of metal in general, or of rock that will make your guts churn and writhe. The band is on the top of their game here.

Top Tracks: Pleasure In Pain, The Flame

Rating: 6.6/10