by John Foxworthy.

Resurrection

I've heard a few of these guys' albums and, while they've all been okay, I can't say I was ever truly impressed. That all changed when I popped Resurrection into the player. Immediately the title track hit me in the jaw with a vicious intro that can only be described as four rhinos entering Tiffany's after a hard night of Red Bull and Jager ... so begins the journey through the band's slightly-more-than-intense world of rage and reality.

First of all, I have to hand it to vocalist Mark Hunter. His ability to go guttural while maintaining his clarity has always blown me away. Too many times I've listened to bands in the same genre and not been able to understand what the fuck is going on. Hunter's feverous intensity almost surpasses that of the rest of the crew ... almost. While his vocal style is as forceful and brash as thrash metal demands, I don't think it'd be anywhere near as powerful without Chimaira's 12 strings of agony: Matt Devries and Rob Arnold.

One has to appreciate duality in the string section. Without it most of Resurrection would sound pretty much two-dimensional. This is most noticeable in "Six," the fourth track on the album. At nine minutes and forty-four seconds, it's probably the most epic metal tune I've heard in recent years. And, all the elements are there: murky opening vox, neo-classical acoustic guitars, supersynchronous electronics, straight-to-the-point blast beats and otherwise masterful organization relay every metal style from Slayer to NIN to Priest to Maiden to Queensryche (and maybe even some telltale Beatles influence).

While "Six" represents the more cryptic side of Chimaira's lyrical aptitude, songs like "No Reason To Live" and "The Flame" angrily address more prevalent issues such as homelessness and child abuse ... all the while packaging the outcries in a brutal whirlwind of violent musical overtones.

Resurrection is Chimaira's most powerful effort in their six-record existence. I think this one may be the the one that sets them apart from the 25 years of influences that came before ... I wouldn't feel right without awarding a full 5 stars here!