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By GREG MAKI
Chimaira’s 2007 release, Resurrection, felt like the culmination of the first part of the band’s career. It took everything they did musically and pushed it further, wrapping it all in a pummeling, punishing package. So where do you go from there?
Heavier probably would have been overkill. So instead, Chimaira has gone for a more textured, at times almost experimental sound—relatively speaking, of course. The biggest difference is the higher profile of keyboardist Chris Spicuzza. He sometimes seems like the forgotten man hiding back in the corner of the stage, but the atmosphere his electronics provide are largely responsible for giving The Infection its character. There’s also the work of guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt DeVries, which instead of being the all-out assault it was on Resurrection, takes the time to breathe and explore the songs. ( Arnold ’s leads are his best yet.) It’s good to stretch your legs now and then, but it would be better if they picked up the pace at about the midpoint of the disc. Chimaira takes the opposite route on track six, “Impending Doom,” a spooky, dynamic song with hints of melody in Mark Hunter’s vocals. (Hunter mostly uses the hissing growl familiar to Chimaira fans throughout the disc, though he occasionally throws in a death metal bellow for some variety.) The barrage of “On Broken Glass,” “Destroy and Dominate” and “Try to Survive” follows, finally upping the tempo and showing some of the energy that fueled Resurrection. Add in the album-closing, 10-minute instrumental “The Heart of It All” and the second half of the disc is much stronger than the first.
If I’m being hard on The Infection, it’s only because Resurrection left me with such high expectations. Chimaira has reached the point where they have firmly established themselves in the American metal scene, but they are anything but complacent. The Infection is an album that I’m sure challenged the band during its writing and recording, and may do the same to their fans. I recognize that it is a different beast and, as much I loved their previous effort, I applaud the band for not making Resurrection Part 2.
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