A REALLY LONG REVIEW OF CHIMAIRA’S THE INFECTION
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 2:00pm by Axl Rosenberg
Chimaira have never made the same exact album twice, so the only thing a listener can assume about a new Chimaira record is this: it’s going to be crushingly heavy. This band makes truly unpleasant, misanthropic Metal with a capital fucking “M.” Fuck, their most famous song is all about how they don’t like you very much.
The Infection is no exception. It sounds at once both distinctly like Chimaira and yet not precisely like anything the band has ever made before. The dichotomy of it, though, is that the vitriol is wrapped the catchiest and, in some ways, most optimistic music the Cleveland sextet has ever created.
Fist of all: yes, it’s generally slower than most other Chimaira material. Relax – this isn’t a Sleep-slow. Hell, most of it isn’t even a Crowbar-slow. Think of the breakdown at the end of Pantera’s “Domination” or even some of Chimaira’s own This Present Darkness – that might give you some sense of the pacing. (I don’t know how anyone will mosh to these songs, but I’m also sure people will figure something out.)
In fact, comparisons to Darkness – of which I’ve already seen a few in our comments section – are not entirely unfounded. The jagged edge knife jab breakdowns on songs like “Frozen in Time,” “The Sun Disappears” and “Secrets of the Dead,” amplified by the synchronicity between Andols Herrick’s drums and the guitars and bass of Rob Arnold, Matt DeVries and Jim LaMarca, do recall the Chimaira of yore.
But as songwriters and musicians, Chimaira have come a long, long, long way from that album. The proggy tendencies that started to rear their head on the self-titled and Resurrection records – slightly unusual song structures and a tendency to constantly replay a specific riff, making slight changes every time, as though holding it up to the light to examine from all angles – are incorporated again here. But they often don’t call much attention to themselves, are are integrated into relatively short songs (eight out of ten of these tracks are under five minutes), which kind of makes this album the polar opposite of 2005’s Chimaira – instead of sending you into a food coma, The Infection leaves you hungry for more.
This is probably Chimaira’s most groove-metal oriented album ever. That’s not to say that the usual elements of thrash, death, black and even industrial aren’t present; it’s just to say that these songs have a natural fuck yeah quality to them that insist you must bob your head along with the music. You don’t have a choice. This album is – dare I say it? – infectious.
And hopeful. Vocalist Mark Hunter still sounds like the singing voice of that panther thing that was helping The Nothing in The Neverending Story, like he gargles every morning with a cocktail of broken glass, battery acid and a little bit of lemon juice, y’know, just for flavor. And his use of clean vocals is now more sparing than ever. But while he’s still willing to spit venom like nobody’s business (uplifting pearls of zen wisdom here include “Good things never fucking last,” “Only death will save us from this hell,” and the promise that “One by one I will crush you all”), it also seems as though, for the first time, he’s developed something of a grip on his inner demons. “Coming Alive,” with its documentation of the “unbelievable force when you’re close to my lips,” might be the first Chimaira love song (Unless you count “The Flame.” In which case, seek help.). And the last words you’ll hear Hunter speak on the record are these:
This journey’s taught me to stand strong
Never again will I
Surrender my fears
Surrender my dreams
Surrender my soul
To the infection
So we’ve made some progress from “How great it would be to end it all.”
Alright, so, to be fair: here’s my one minor complaint about The Infection. I would have liked to have heard more Rob Arnold guitar solos. It’s not that Chimaira haven’t already proven in the past that they can write an effective song without solos, and it’s not that Arnold doesn’t get to do play some killer leads and solos here, ’cause he definitely does – fuck, the verse of “Coming Alive” alone is pretty sweet. And the more I listen to the album, the less I’m bothered by the lack of traditional solos – there are places where his interplay with keyboardist/electronics expert Chris Spicuzza is probably more interesting than a regular solo anyway (And it’s worth mentioning that Spicuzza doesn’t get enough credit; on this album I think he’s especially effective on “Destroy and Dominate,” the IMAX-worthy “Impending Doom,” and nine-minute plus motherfucker of an instrumental, “The Heart of it All.”). But after his guitar god-worthy shit on Resurrection – especially “Six,” which I’ll still argue for as an unequivocal masterpiece – I was ready for more.
But bitching at all about an album I fucking love so much is retarded. I can’t wait to hear this shit live, and I implore you to at least check it out and give it an honest listen.
All I really wanna know now is: do I really have to wait ’til 2011 for another new Chimaira album?
(4½ out of 5 horns)
-AR
i literally got my suitcase pre order pack in the mail
the flag is fucking huge
the usb if full of goodies man
demos of everything
the bonus tracks are great
but the fan site on the laminate iosnt up yet
great album
fucking great
If you got the briefcase – upload warpath & convictions! – I’m flush enough to buy the digpack with Revenge, but can’t stretch to forking out for $100 + shipping costs to the UK
Strangely, my CD/DVD came yesterday separate from the tin box. I hope the tin box arrives today…
please can somebody upload the demos? I already bought the DVD-edition,
but missing “Warpath” & “Convictions” -.-
I hate it; when I buy an album, why it can’t be complete???
great album…one of my favorite bands…still giving the album its credible listens….defintly getting into it more and more…just one thing to correct you…the clean vocals are done by Chris the keyboard guy…hunter does the soft talking clean vocals but any sung clean vox are all chris….sometimes i forget he’s in the band lol…
this and crack the skye are so far my two favs of 09…everyone should give the broadcast the nightmare album “twentytwelve” a listen…I hate all metal core of this era but this band actually grabbed my attention…
chris doesn’t sing one lick on this album. not sure where you get that information from.
Haha, well that told you.
The “panther-thing from The Neverending Story” is named G’mork. Yep, I am a nerd.
Anyhoo, I can’t wait to hear this beast. Your description of Chimaria’s “tendency to constantly replay a specific riff, making slight changes every time, as though holding it up to the light to examine from all angles” damn near makes my pants tight. That’s exactly the reason why “Nothing Remains” is my favorite tune of theirs (the last :45 or so of that song is fucking devastating).
Hmm.
I’m going to argue that this album is indeed “sleep-slow”. I’m also going to argue that it’s catchy…at all. And I don’t recall ever hearing anything particularly “black” about Chimaira.
Maybe I’m just one of those guys that will never get it. I enjoy a few of their songs, I thought they killed live, but I think this CD is about as entertaining as staring at a wall.
you, definitely, are one of those guys who will “never get it”. although i truly hope you do eventually, “get it”.
need to listen to it 5 times to get it. when you gt it, it will be like an elephant standing on your balls on stilettos. they will be crushed
I honestly don’t think the version of this album that I bought is the same version everyone else is listening to. I found this to be a painfully tedious listen.
god your right it bored the fuck out of me
Yup
u is gay
This album to me is a great disappointment , i agree with David i guess im not hearing the album like everyone else. It seems to me that it is extremely un-inspired , and pretty much an album that seems to go through the motions.
Of course this pains me to say because i am in all reality one of the biggest Chimaira fans of all time , i have ink to prove it , and this album really makes me think that the best days of Chimaira might be behind them. Im not really sure what they were thinking when they were tracking this album ,but i think they have gotten too far from what they had allready made , and that was steps to become one of the leading forces in the genre.
I think this album is a great step back , and i would only give this record a 2 our of 5 …
The album is awesome. I really like that every song isn’t just fast as hell and insane. It’s a real album with ups and downs in intensity and speed. I’m so sick of bands making “albums” that are just a collection of songs that have no real flow when listening to the album
chimaira continues to get it right.
the infection rules (a sentence i never thought i’d say until chimaira titled the album ha!)
It is slower than their older stuff, but still just as heavy. If you don’t like this one yet, try repeated listenings and see if it grows on you. Hell, i didn’t get Mr. Bungle’s “California” until about a year ago, and now i dig it.
Boring.
I like Chimaira and this album is a huge disappointment to me.
Like some others said, it sounds very boring and uninspired to me.
I gave this a bunch of listens but I’m going to have to side with the group saying its kind of droning. The pace of every song seems identical. Its hard to distinguish one song from the next. Sure its heavy, but its nothing that I haven’t heard elsewhere and done with a little more variety to it.
chimaira fanboy!!!!!!!
well, i’ve never realyl listened to chimaira, but i guess i’ll go check them out now.
by the way, do you guys never give out 5 horn reviews? because i’ve never seen one on here before.
Not that I’m doing the reviews, but here goes…
If it WAS me, I would never give anything 5 horns, stars, beers, boners etc.
If you do, that basically means you think the album has no flaws, and that is not true of any album.
One word: Colors
one word: rust in peace
They gave one for Fortress I think
there was a 5 horns for chimaira’s resurrection
I love the new album, but I’m not sure if people who have never heard about Chimaira will like it too. Because The infection is very different from other metal albums I’ve heard… The dissapearing sun, Coming alive, Broken glass, Try to survive, and Impending doom, I loved those songs! But as everybody else, I miss Rob’s great solo’s in them… If you listen to the songs twice or more, I’ll bet you will like it!
4/5 \m/
“I don’t know how anyone will mosh to these songs, but I’m also sure people will figure something out”
One time I was walking by the quad at school where they would have free concerts every so often. Well, this time Panic at the disco just happened to be playing and lo and behold, there was a small pit up near the stage.
I’ve seen a few people on the net complaining that it’s a generic album – FUCK THEM. This is a very subtle slab of modern metal that puts even the new Lamb of God album to shame. Every song is interesting and different (in the same way that every song on the new Kreator record also draws you in). A masterclass.
This is a very subtle slab of Nu Metal Sorry to say bro but , on this on its way off. The new Lamb of God is another mature step for them this is a big step down for Chimaira who’s last album in my opinion was their most mature and most compelling music.
Im not hearing what everyone else is hearing , or some of you like shitty metal and deserve un-inspired records from established bands who were making head way .
dude at first it was gay but then “28 spisn later” it has cauhght on this is one fo teh classic metal abums sonn
I really don’t understand all the hype around this band/album. Resurrection was dull and i wasn’t impressed with my first listen on this.
also, the vocals just do NOT do it for me. probably why i don’t get this band.
I have to say that this cd is kinda boring. Keys and synth are way too loud on it and just that turns me off to it. I will listen to it more though and let it grow on me. From all of the hype they put into it i think its a let down and it seems like it was mailed in. Marks vocals seem very one dimensional. Having said that i wouldnt judge the band on this release alone. Its definitely not resurrection . i give it a 2 out of 5
“Fist of all: yes, it’s generally slower than most other Chimaira material. Relax – this isn’t a Sleep-slow. Hell, most of it isn’t even a Crowbar-slow.”
After the first listen, I was disappointed, even a bit confused because of the methodical pace of “The Infection.” There isn’t one song on the album that is up-tempo, and this came as a shock. But being a long time Chimaira supporter, I didn’t give up after one spin, and I’m damn glad I gave this album a fair chance. The record is absolutely crushing. The consistent speed (or lack thereof) of the album gives this brutal album cohesiveness, yet the songs don’t all sound the same. I also think Hunter’s lyrics and vocals are probably the best of his career. This album definitely stands out from Chimaira’s other work due to the tempo, but I think this also makes it quite memorable. I’m not quite sure why the band decided to make this album so slow, but I think it was a successful experiment, and a good performance overall. I wouldn’t say it’s Chimaira’s best album (I would give the band’s self-titled album that honor), but a great effort nonetheless; I think any Chimaira fan with an open mind will dig it. On a side note, the final track, a sprawling 14 minute instrumental, is a beast…I’d recommend it to anyone, even those not generally into the band. It’s interesting that Axl mentioned Crowbar in passing, as some of the songs on this album actually made me think of the NOLA sludge masters.
I am curious to see how this stuff will play live, how the crowd will react to these plodding tunes, and how many of the tracks Chimaira will choose to incorporate into their setlist.
DRONING. I really dig Chimaira’s previous suff, but this is just droning and boring and makes me want to throw Resurrection on. Not enough diversity in this album, its like they took The Flame and tried to make each and every song like it, but none of them anywhere near as good. I knew this site would lap up everything they had to offer….this is a very dissapointing release for 2009
haha, does metal have to push 200 bpm and have sweeps in spades to keep kids attention nowadays? I didn’t know ADD was contagious :P
legit 4 1/2 stars
I agree with everyone saying this album is boring. I have every one of their albums and the only album that really has any kind of dynamics is Pass Out of Existence. Infection is just really all the same thing over and over. It’s not bad. It’s just not good enough to deserve all the hype.
Honestly, when I first heard “Secrets of the Dead” I was so put off by the sound. But I kept listening to it, and it grew on me a bit. Then I got my pre-order and watched the DVD before I even put on the CD, and it made all the difference. It gave some more insight and meaning to the CD, and then when I listened to the full album, it made each song seem so much more brutal. Definitely my favorite Chimaira album. And by the way, live, Secrets of the Dead and Destroy and Dominate do end up being pretty intense moshing songs.
Got my Box Set in the mail a few days ago, the album kills, it is absolutely amazing. I’m not going to sit here and tell the people who didn’t like it that they are fucking stupid, but holy shit, you can’t deny the fact that they are THE brightest spot in metal music today. So much of it that I hear is cookie cutter bull shit. Just putting their influences in a blender, pushing start, and bam…there’s the album. But not Chimaira. They pay tribute to their influences, not copy them.
Anyway, the USB that I got in the box set isn’t working, suggestions anyone? The syringe lights up red when I plug it into my MacBook, but it is not showing up on my desktop, HELP!
And to the metalsucks guys, you are awesome, this is actually what I want to do for my career, so if you have any job openings, please let me know, I am currently working on my Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and already have an Associates in Liberal Arts.
You’re using a Mac, its probably formatted to Windows.
Click on “my computer” in your “start” menu
groove metal masterpiece
Dude this cd is fucking great….not fast, but who gives a fuck? it is tight, brutal, and the vocals have gotten surprisingly better to me. Low growls, high pitched shrieks….this guy does everything. And the drumming is excellent by the way….overall it is different but in a very good, heavy way.
I totally agree with the review.
i didnt like the first song i heard previewed…i think it was “Secrets of the Dead”…but when i heard the whole thing fuck. my testicles didnt explode, no. much worse. it was like that scene in Quest where that Turkish guy crushes the other guys balls with his hands. except instead of the turkish dude it was chimaira. chimaira crushed my balls. with their hands. and i liked it…i could feel their fingers…especially the verse riff of the venom inside. it reminds me of a snake sneaking up someones ass and exploding out of their stomach like the alien in aliens…
that was strangely arousing.
verse of venom inside, verse of coming alive, secrets of the dead, chorus of broken glass, prechorus and bridge of frozen in time. these are just some of the many highlights (andols!!)
It’s definitely a grower. I wasn’t impressed on the first few listens but man does it ever grow on you as it repeats. If Rob had gotten a little more airtime I’d be ready to rank this as one of their best, but so far I think I still like the self-titled album and Resurrection a bit more. Solid as hell though, worth picking up.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The album is incredible. I love it!
I agree. This is a great CD in my humble opinion. Slow-paced …. yes. Heavy as hell …. yes.
Like everyone else on here…YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM MORE THAN 5 TIMES TO GET IT. This album fucking rules end of story. If you dont know anything about Chimaira do not go buy this record. Instead go purchase ” The Impossibility of Reason”. Much easier on the ears. I have been counting down the days for this record and I fucking love it. LIke Axl said…Chimaira never ever make the same album twice. Name one other band that can say that! If anyone says Mastodon go jump off a bridge.
I dont understand how someone can listen to “The Venom Inside” and say that you dont want to smash someones face. Marks vocals are brutal and his range has improved drastically. You will not be hearing any of these songs anywhere near the radio, which makes Chimaira still on the top of the “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” Chimaira have mastered the slow riffage with speed double bass better than any band in this genre. Everyone wants speed and how fast the drummer can kick….how about writing good quality songs? Chimaira have done that. In my mind they deserve to be where Lamb Of God is in popularity. Now wheres my preorder……
amen brother. its funny how kids now need 4000 bpm songs to keep their attention span. in my opinion, chimaira is one of the best groove acts around and the infection cuts it totally. This shit puts lamb of god to shame (lamb of god also on of my fav bands). from all i have observed, new “popular metal” is something like this :
gay screaming, silly drop c string skipping riff
gay screaming – clean singing
chu chug chug
scream scream scream
chug cug chug
sing – goes back in to melody
another breakdown
x12 an you got a hit album
Got the new cd yesterday; gonna listen to it when I get back in later tonight.
My only complaint is the instrumental track is awesome but it doesnt have an ending, instead it fades out around the 9 and half minute mark and then its 5 minutes of disturbing bass that feels like a hearbeat. When I saw the running time I was like, fuck yeah, a near 15 minute closer, it just felt like they couldnt come up with an ending and decided to just make noise. Other than that, I ask you to play Present Darkness or Pass out and then play this, you can not say this band hasnt leaped and bounds improved their sound and progressed with time. I really hope their next record is full on prog!
I advise you whining pussies not to listen to any Obituary… that’s even slower.
Hey jonowev your comment is totally IRRELEVANT since most of us who you call “whining pussies” :
-don’t mind slow songs… I love sludgy bands a la Crowbar for instance
-like/love Chimaira
-just don’t like to hear songs that sound boring and uninspired to us… which is clearly the case with this album
“The Sun Disappears”
for such a supposed huge chimaira cocksucker i would have thought you could at least get all the song titles right
yeah i second that
ive now given this a couple listens. This is coming from someone who has been a fan since 03. I dont think this is horrible, but this is just not all that good. No im not some stuck in the past fan who wants the same album. I admire that these guys do something different each album, this however just does not impress me.
anyone else got an erection for the infection?
I’ve listened to this album a few times now and it seems to be growing on me every time. It’s not what I was expecting but it’s still a great album.
wow next you pussbags are gonna say that “Master of Reality” was boring and slow.
oh and I second the person who said “Rust In Peace” deserves a perfect rating.
I didn’t dig it on the first listen but I am going to give it a couple more spins after reading everyones posts. I was really blown away by the change in sound of the band on this..WOW and not in a good way on the first listen… Now the first time I heard the self titled CD I was blown away and still love that disc.
come on. seriously, 4.5 out of 5? i smell some serious dick sucking, this album simply isn’t that great.
I listened to it once and wasn’t impressed, just like I haven’t been impressed with anything else they’ve done. Chimaira is boring, which sucks because they’re a relatively local band and I like seeing local bands hit it big.
And no, I’m not going to give it multiple listens to sink in. The album sucks.
anyone withthe usb tracks gonna do the right thing & upload them?
yeah it will be really nice, ’cause I already have bought the DVD-edition…
And I hate it when I buy an album, that will be uncomplete :,-(
What the fuck happened to Chimaira, honestly? I used to love these guys.
Impossibility Of Reason was amazing, and everyone (including the band probably) thought they would be the next Slayer. Then they released the self-titled album…nothing happened…even though I thought it was ok, it wasn’t good enough to keep my interest. Every now and then I’d check on these guys, hoping they’d come out with something that would excite me about them again, so was eager to hear this album. Now that I have, once again…what happened? I mean there’s some interesting stuff going on here and there, but the songs themselves are so disappointing, so boring.
Point to the story: NO ONE gets to be the next Slayer or Metallica. Any band that thinks they are is a joke. These days no band is successful long enough to be a leading light in the genre and stand the test of time. They just fuck it up and die by writing shit, self-indulgent songs when it all rushes to their heads…
Fucking awesome, way better than Resurrection, which I never really got into. One thing I will say though, this band’s lyrics are pretty consistently awful.
Horrible music.
Great moshing at MAAW V.