Pass Out of Existence
On an initial listen toPass out of Existence, Chimaira sometimes bear the hallmarks of being little more than a copycat band following along in the scorched-earth wake of the mightySlipknot. Still, there's much evidence that Chimaira have arrived at this point as much through innovation as imitation. The six-man metal crew's debut is built around a bludgeoning old-school thrash-metal dynamic, jackhammer drumming, primal-scream lyrics, and brutally applied electronic loops. "Dead Inside" marries its powerhouse chorus to spacious, Tool-like passages and bursts of industrial wizardry, while the sinister "Abeo" proves that for all Chimaira's passion for extreme metal, they're far more than one-trick ponies. Slipknot fans will find much to enjoy here, notably the supertight, percussion-heavy "Painting the White to Grey" and the epic, tortured 12-minute closer, "Jade."--Louis Pattison