Chimaira – Pass Out of Existence 
Label: Road Runner
Rating: 
 

Tracks: Let Go Dead Inside Severed Lumps Pass Out of Existence Abeo SP Lit Painting the White To Grey Taste My… Rizzo Sphere Forced Life Options Jade

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I am beginning to have a sneaking suspicion that Road Runner Records has one house band they send into the recording studio to record 60% of their releases. They all sound so much alike it is hard to tell the difference between most of their baby acts. With Chimaira we get yet another Spineshank clone filled with drop tuned guitars and growling primal screams mixed with a half-assed Layne Staley vocal ripoff. These guys might be cool if there weren’t so many other bands out there that sounded exactly the same but as it stands they bring nothing new to the plate. The chances are good you already own this CD under a different band moniker.   

Music trends usually go in three waves. The glam rock trend of the late 80’s is a perfect example. You started with Poison who helped launch the trend that then moved onto their followers Warrant, who did a decent job of following the leader but within a couple of years the record shelves were filled with the third wave of mediocre copycats, who are now long forgotten. In this case we started with innovators who kicked off this style of nu-metal; a band like Coal Chamber fits the bill. Then you get the second rung that does a decent job following in the style of the innovators, Spineshank. Finally you get the third rung that help over saturate the market and effectively kill the trend. Unfortunately for Chimaira they fit into the latter category with other Road Runner bands like Ill Nino, Killswitch Engage and Dry Kill Logic. Most cliché’s have a ring of truth to them and the one that comes to mind in this instance is the warning about putting all of your eggs in one basket.  For those who loathe this style of heavy music, there is good news; the writing is on the wall… the third wave is here and the trend will soon be on the way out…