Age of Hell

Chimaira (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 16, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Entertainment One Music
• ASIN: B0058U80F4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,537 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

To live in Cleveland, Ohio, more of a sunken hole than a driven notch in the Midwest rustbelt, is to not only encounter, but embrace the crippling winters, the broken jawed economy, and the expectations of defeat. None of this is lost on Chimaira. After twelve years of defining what Cleveland metal and brutal music should sound like, Chimaira advances their trademarked brand of heavy with their latest monster, The Age of Hell.
As with most Chimaira records (and everything Cleveland) the composition of the record was fraught with adversity. Longtime drummer Andols Herrick, bass player Jim Lamarca and electronic knob twister Chris Spicuzza had fallen away from the band. This left Chimaira s flagship member and singer Mark Hunter and guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt Devries with an album to record for their debut on eOne Music / Long Branch with no rhythm section or an effects specialist. The splintered Chimaira could have stared at the sun dissecting separate fires then converging into a singular sphere of blinding defeat. Most bands would have. But most bands aren t from Cleveland. The eponymous opening track summons the ferocity of a band hungry and disgusted. Mark Hunters guttural barks declare a twisted war while the guitars shift from ravenous chugging to soaring leads. Clockwork, a song that refuses to grow stale after countless plays provides a chorus that sees the band tastefully using layers of clean
vocals while not sacrificing Chimaira s severity, a theme throughout the album. Tracks like Losing My Mind and Time is Running Out lyrically reflect the tribulations of a group under the gun and both include the band s signature groove that is utterly crushing. But its songs like Trigger Finger, Born in Blood, and Scapegoat that will leave janitors mopping up blood from venue floors across the world. Throughout the record the sonic layers are far from trite ear candy, giving an oceanic depth to each track. Solos and leads by Arnold confirm his status as the next shredder to beat. Schigel on drums goes from syncopated to bar room brawler and back again with no regrets for the jaws he dropped along the way.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chimaira - The Age Of Hell, August 16, 2011

By 

Gentlegiantprog "Kingcrimsonprog" (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Age of Hell (Audio CD)

Chimaira have had a rough time; it seemed as though the world was at their feet in the wake of their zeitgeist grabbing second album The Impossibility Of Reason which was released in 2003, but after that album had passed the press never kept up the same level of interest in the band.

In 2009; Chimaira released possibly their strongest album to date, `The Infection,' and no one seemed to actually notice outside a circle of existing fans. One would frequently hear people say things like they though Chimaira had broke up, or that they only made one good album anyway.

This was quite unfair as Chimaira have been one of the most consistent bands in the entire genre; continually churning out extremely strong albums, constantly improving as musicians and songwriters and genuinely putting in huge amounts of effort live and in relations with their fans.

Now it is 2011 and the band have lost three members (Jim La Marca, Chris Spicuzza and Andols Herrick) but returned to the studio with long time collaborator Ben Schigel, who has both produced the album and performed as the drummer as well to create their sixth studio album, The Age Of Hell.

As always vocalist Mark Hunter and lead guitarist Rob Arnold form the core songwriting unit, so the album still retains the overall Chimaira sound. Rob's guitar style anchors the album; Mark's vocal range has always expanded slightly with each new record and The Age Of Hell adds a few new dimensions to the man's repertoire.

The songs are all a lot shorter and more direct than on previous Chimaira albums and mostly faster than on The Infection, which focused more on the band's groove side, you almost get the sense that the band seem to have made a concerted effort not to repeat The Infection.

The Age Of Hell at times seems as though it is trying to evoke The Impossibility Of Reason, for example on the pre-released `Trigger Finger,' and "Born in Blood" (featuring Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel on guest vocals,) which feature a few riffs here and there that sound a lot like "Power Trip," "Pure Hatred," or "Cleansation."

Also like their popular 2003 record, the album closes with a grand, guitar solo filled instrumental track. Some fans will see this as a good thing and others may view it as a cynical move to counteract waning public interest.

The Age Of Hell isn't all rooted in the past however; tracks like `Clockwork,' `Powerless,' and `Year Of The Snake,' add new dimensions to Chimaira's sound, be they Pink Floyd style ambient moments, or just fresh takes on metalcore that you haven't heard before.

The overall quality of songwriting and musicianship on is phenomenal and the album is a great listen, full of creative riffs, interesting solos and a drumming performance that fits the band so well you wouldn't know Andols had left if no one told you.

If you are one of the people who didn't give up on the band, you will find The Age Of Hell to be another strong Chimaira album that still features enough of what made the band great and that has a unique place within the band's overall catalogue.

Overall, The Age Of Hell is a good album which I hope reignites a wider interest in Chimaira, who really deserve it based on the effort and quality they put into touring, any of their products and how they interact with the fans.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars chimaira, October 5, 2011

By 

Manuel Ruiz "bushman" (Utah) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Age of Hell (Audio CD)

this cd is awesome I was not expecting it to be as good as it is but it's just as good as thier last if not better

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A slow decline: Not bad, but not great either, August 25, 2011

By 

Bitter Old Man - See all my reviews

This review is from: Age of Hell (Audio CD)

Somewhat pains me to say this....I am a longtime Chimaira fan...even have their chaos logo incorporated into my sleeve....but this album is incredibly average. It has it's moments...I guess I'm just let down that the single "Year of the Snake" is possibly the most solid song on here. Usually the single ain't the most standout song. Yes, the album mostly retains the signature sound with the creative center of Mark and Rob still doing nearly all the work. The main thing here is they have just flat out abused the whole layered clean vocal thing. They've done it here and there in the past successfully, but it's ALL OVER this album. And I also love Alice in Chains, but let's leave the crooning to them. When I want that, I'll listen to Alice in Chains. Are the songs good? Yes. It's just not the brutal Chimaira that we've come to know so well.
They've been on a slow decline ever since the "Impossibility of Reason" masterpiece. I give that album a 5/5, the next self titled album a 4.5/5, Resurrection a 4/5, The Infection 3.5/5 and this a 3/5.