My expectations for The Age Of Hell were pretty low, which might be part of the reason I enjoyed it as much as I did. Their last record, The Infection, was a very plain and mediocre record that abandoned most of what made Chimaira a good band. On top of that, the first two songs they released from the album "Born In Blood" and "Trigger Finger", were really subpar. Thankfully, the rest of the album is pretty damn good. The Age Of Hell brings back the more catchy, groove-oriented sound that Chimaira is known for. It makes a big difference in terms of quality for Chimaira. The change in sound is what made The Infection their weakest record to date. The first six songs really set the tone for the record ("Losing My Mind and "Time Is Running Out" being the standouts). Chimaria lets the listener know they are going back to the angry and raw sound they are known for. The riffs, tasteful use of clean vocals, and groove make the first chunk of the record the best. The Age Of Hell does loose a little bit of steam on the second half of the record with the aforementioned two songs and others that aren't as good as the material on the first half. The album does end on a high note with the six-minute instrumental track "Samsara". Rob Arnold's guitarwork is excellent as usual and this song really shows off his talent to the fullest extent.
The Age Of Hell is a welcome return to form for Chimaira. It bring back their old sound and (thankfully) gets rid of the experimentation from their last record. It's not their finest work, but it's pretty fucking good. It's even more impressive that is album was pretty much entirely made by vocalist Mark Hunter and guitarist Rob Arnold. It shows their insane dedication to the band even with the shortage of members during the time of recording. The Age Of Hell is a nice comeback album for Chimaira.
3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Losing My Mind
2.Time Is Running Out
3.Samsara
No comments:
Post a Comment