Customer Reviews

This Present Darkness

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

not only is Chimaira one of the heaviest bands i have ever heard, they are the coolest bunch of guys in the metal scene right now. some people mistake them for hardcore due to mark's extreme vocal style(at time's it sounds like he's being stabbed or kicked in the gut) but i assure you they are a metal band with minor hardcore flair. with heavy influences such as slayer, machine head, and fear factory and some original influeces themselves, these guys are a force to be reckoned with. if you are into double bass by drummer's then you will be in awe of andy herrick. he's incredibly fast. the guitars are filled with triplets, harmonics, "korn" chords, and are tuned way down to A. these guys are just incredible. i can say no more....

...this album is much better than their Roadrunner debut, "Pass Out of Existence". The production may not be as good, but the songs, the delivery, the emotion... is all much better.

This is an incredible CD by an incredible band that will be signed to a big record label anyday now. Pick this up while you still can! ITs fast, heavy, and has tads of melody here and there. A+

After finding out Chamaira was made of some the old members from ascension, I had to check them out. I went to their show in Cleveland 6-9-00 and everyone went crazy for them. Chairs flying,huge pit trying to tear down a fence and a fight afterwards. The cd is just as raw as the show. The small thing i didnt like was the guitar had a small slipknot/korn sound to it in some places. If you are into the metal/hardcore scene,check out Chamaira.

I got this with the dehumanizing process DVD. I love this album, alot more raw than their debut and the songs on Pass Out of Existence did not sound as good as on this cd. I also love the Impossability of Reason. In the DVD they said this album was better than their Roadrunner debut. Mark Hunter is an excellent vocalist. Great chugging riffs, and drumming. It's sad that many people will miss out on this masterpiece by passing up the Dvd.

This is Chimaira's first release and it is an 8 song EP. Two of the songs, "Painting the White to Grey", and "Sphere" were re-recorded on Pass Out of Existence. The main difference between this and modern day Chimaira is it is a lot rawer, and the electronic elements are not as abundant. The song "This Present Darkness" is an instant classic and should satisfy any true headbanger. Mark Hunter's voice is very intense on this album, but his vocals do not sound as confident as they do on The Impossibility of Reason (definitely their best release so far). If you can find this CD, I recommend you get it, but prepare to pay a lot for it because it is currently out of print.

This album is intense as well as musically well put together. The guitar riffs are awsome as well as the drumming. If you like the sound of 16th notes played on the bass drum as well as it following the guitar riff patterns then Chimaira is for you. If someone says that they are boring and dull sounding then dont listen to them. Also if they say that they sound like Slipknot and those other bands dont listen to them. Listen to Chimaira for yourself and you will understand why people rate them so high.

This band will blow you away. Featuring an intense metal sound dominated by machine-gun drum attacks, wicked guitar work interlaced with vicious bass and an incredible vocal barrage. At times they can sound like Slipknot, Machine Head, even Pantera, but they are their own band and one of the heaviest I've heard in a long time. This cd only features five songs and an additional two hidden tracks. Standouts include "Sphere", "This Present Darkness" and track #13 (one of the hidden songs). Chimaira possess talent and exhibits promise but they need to work on diversifying their sound and maybe their singer could work on expanding his vocal range. Otherwise a great cd.

I picked up the Chimaira EP late last year at a Tower Records in San Francisco. I knew what I was expecting, perfection, heaviness, aggression, passionate words, grinding guitars, low bass lines, and double bass chest ripping drums. Little did I know there was much much more that would be felt when those subsonic sounds ripped out of my stereo. First off I have heard a lot of comparisons to a "Slipknot Meets Fear Factory" band. I could see where there would be a comparison (Painting from White To Grey sounds a lot like a certain Slipknot song). But if you dig deeper, deeper past the Bulls--t everyone says, you find underneath the stacks of comparisons, there is one thing that shines above. The mighty Chimaira. Chimaira is Chimaira, flat out a band of their own. Drums are slowpaced through verses in certain songs (such as "Sphere"), but then kick in when the chorus is sung. Amazing drum work, fast paced, and works well with the bass and guitar parts. The bass at times seems very non existant. I felt as if the bass was not included much, as it was felt as a backup to the 2 guitarists and not brought to the forefront. Bass still sounds good, but i would prefer if there were parts when the bass player would shine bright in the limelight. Guitars....wow, thats all i can say. Ripping, shredding, tearing apart every once of hearing, making sure your ears bleed "Chimaira" and nothing else. Some guitar parts are written similarly, but different tuning. But there are times when the guitars shine very bright (Guitars on "Sphere" and "This Present Darkness" are just beautiful. Song structures are well done). Vocals are great, hardcore and metal influenced. They are filled with passion, anguish, anger, sadness, depression, and the feeling that you just want to break out, letting it all out. Strong S--t. I felt every word (Listen to "Sphere" you'll know what I mean). Overall this is one perfect CD, it is a classic in the metal/metalcore genre. Pick this up if you can find it. Its out of print now, since the band is signed to Roadrunner Records. Look for the new cd in August.

CHIMAIRA IS MY FAVORITE BAND, songs like painting the white to grey e sphere make this EP very good, but... Check out the songs of their new album, pass out of existence... It's awesome, all the songs are great: dead inside, rizzo, forced life, painting the white to grey... wait till their next release (in august or september 2001) and see one of the best albums ever. But, their EP, this present darkness, has its merits. It's a very good album tough.