Well, I must confess, I didn’t think it possible, when Chimaira put out their excellent RR debut; I did wonder how they would follow up such a great CD, the answer easily.
This is Thrash Metal for the new Millennium, like stable mates Killswitch Engage, they have put a lot of hard work into touring and winning over fans and this will convince even more. All of the songs are crushingly heavy but still retain some melody, a little like Alice in Chains at times only a lot heavier. That’s not to say there are no dynamic’s because there are, the simple haunting piano refrain that starts off "Down Again" is very effective and when the guitars kick in it about knocks you sideways and there are plenty more like that.
The sheer bludgeoning beauty that is "Power Trip" and "Cleansation", the masterfully Metallic "Pictures In The Gold Room" and weighty but simple "Crawl" all demonstrate Chimaira’s intent to dominate and conquer. This is proof positive that Metal is alive and well and kicking like a mule possessed, buy this or miss out and you can bet your beer money that I will be playing this on my show and I predict this will be in my Top 10 of 2003, yes it’s that good.