OK, since everyone that isn't already talking about the Arcade Fire will be soon (the album is fantastic!), I don't want to add to the over-hype.
Instead, let me talk a bit about the new Chimaira album, Resurrection. This is for those with too much metal for one hand, so if you don't dig this kind of music, there won't be anything here to persuade you. But if you do. . .
I had almost written them off. While a lot of people liked their last, self-titled album, I thought it was derivative and boring. I loved the previous two albums, and I really thought they were going to end up being Roadrunner's flagship metal band after Slipknot lost steam. I don't know what happened, but they're now on Ferret, which has a ton of great bands for an imprint as small as they are (I think they're owned by Sony though). Let me tell you, Resurrection is an apt title.
This is not metalcore, not like the wave of new American metal that steals dual guitar solos, black-metal keyboards, and grindcore blastbeats from across the sea. And the previous reference is nothing against Mastodon or Lamb of God, both of which are forging their own path through all the cookie-cutter metalcore bands, and both of which whom I love dearly. No, Chimaira is just metal. It's old school, but not in the sense of the throwback metal that gained popularity last year either (see Sword, Trivium, 3 Inches of Blood, etc.). Rather, it's for those of us that loved Machine Head before the odious term Nu-metal was invented (which is nothing but an insult; a way to describe heavy music you don't like). It's for those of us that loved Fear Factory before they started cannibalizing themselves for material, and before they decided it would be a good idea to throw out mastermind/asshole, Dino Cazeres. Or maybe for those of us that liked Sepultura, pre-Soulfly. It's for those of us that get off on great guitar riffs, tasteful solos, and the occasional seamless transition to Alice-in-Chains-like vocal breakdowns before launching into brutality once again.
They are clearly re-invigorated, charging through their songs with more energy and malice than the last album. Like a new, young band eager for blood. And with the return of original drummer, Andols Herrick, the rhythm section is back on track.
Like any of the bands I mentioned, or the way I described the music? Then check it out, and get ready for the first great metal album of 2007.
