Chimaira - The Impossibility of Reason
Roadrunner - RR83979 - 2003
By Paddy Walsh
Talk about a surprise! Fucking hell, and I thought
Chimaira were meant to be one of the many nu-metal bands that used to attempt to nullify their shortcomings by being a bit heavier than the big players. So much for that though, because I sit here eating humble pie while listening to
The Impossibility of Reason, for not only is it a metal record through and through, but an absolutely cracking piece of modern thrash to boot.
As a reference point (and an example of some lazy journalism), I'll attempt to give some comparisons to other bands to indicate how
Chimaira sound on this album. Think a mixture between vintage
Metallica mixed with some of the forceful groove of
Pantera at their best, and you get the idea. Most of this is fast, unashamedly American thrash. The solos - often a weakness in bands of this ilk (think
Slayer at their most annoying) - are definitely a highlight, being heavy on melody in the classic
Metallica or
Testament sense. The production is top notch, and everything is crisp and crystal clear without forsaking any of the heaviness.
There are some seriously brilliant songs here, such as opener 'Cleansation' with its middle eastern sounding solo, or 'Power Trip', which is one of the faster numbers here - heavy and convincing throughout. Special mention must go to
that instrumental, the closer 'Implements of Destruction'. This is a ten-minute epic in the vein of something
Metallica would have done in the 80s, all acoustic guitars mixed with chugging riffs and great lead work throughout. Perhaps it does overstay itself somewhat, but it’s a powerful way to finish the album. Vocalist Mark Hunter almost manages to be a
great vocalist, but for now he is merely a
good one. He has a nicely satisfying growl but he does have a tendency to give the raspy hardcore thing an overstaying. He also does the odd Anselmo-ish scream and does a nice Cantrell impression in a few places.
It's not all perfect however.
Chimaira seem to have the audacity to very closely follow their influences at times, often bordering on downright plagiarism. Case in point is 'Crawl', a slow
Pantera-esque song complete with Anselmo-isms at every turn. The ease at which one with a fairly substantial knowledge of metal will pick out
Chimaira's influences will perhaps work to their detriment. All the same, decent modern thrash is a rare beast these days, and it's heartening in the extreme to see a band such as
Chimaira embracing it with open arms, solos and all. Less of the
Pantera and
Metallica references next time round and more of a distinctly '
Chimaira' sound will push them into the higher echelons of metal stardom, I guarantee you.
8.0/10
Official Chimaira Website
Official Roadrunner Website
