CHIMAIRA — Pass Out Of Existence (review)

CHIMAIRA — Pass Out Of Existence album cover Album · 2001 · Metalcore Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
UMUR
"Pass Out Of Existence" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Ohio based hardcore/groove metal act Chimaira. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in October 2001. It´s the successor to the January 2000 "This Present Darkness" EP and it features the same sextet lineup who recorded the EP.

Stylistically the material on "Pass Out Of Existence" is generally a more metallic version of the hybrid hardcore, NU metal, and groove metal style of the early releases (demos and EPs) from Chimaira. The chugging heavy riffs and grooves are still the core of the band´s sound (and of course the heavy breakdowns) along with the ultra aggressive screaming hardcore vocals from Mark Hunter. There are still some NU metal elements in the way Hunter talk/whisper sings at times and in some of the dynamics of the music, which remind me of Korn, but other than that this is some pretty aggressive hardcore/groove metal. The increased metal orientation and the fast played start/stop riffing sometimes make me think of contemporary alternative/groove metal Fear Factory (hell... the cover artwork even has some of the same colors as Fear Factory´s 2001 "Digimortal" album). Chris Spicuzza who handles electronics adds an industrial element to the band´s sound too, so Chimaira cover quite a few bases.

"Pass Out Of Existence" features a powerful, heavy, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. Although the previous minor releases were all pretty well produced too, the sound production on this debut album is arguably a step up in quality. Upon conclusion Chimaira have created a good quality debut album. They would soon grow tired of reviewers (like me) comparing them to Korn and calling their music NU metal (mind you I only wrote above it is an element of their sound) and more or less ditched that element on their future releases. So this is the last release of the first era of Chimaira, before they adjusted their sound. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.
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