This Present Darkness

To hear it from frontman Mark Hunter, apparently this band comes from a true metal background and not stuff like Korn – but then why does Korn seem like such a distinct influence on this five-track EP and the subsequent full-length debut? The vocals, while more screamy, give off just that Jonathan Davis-esque display of rage, frustration, angst and other emotional torture in general. There's even the heavy breathing that follows those especially frenzied bouts of the vocalist really losing his shit. I guess the band members themselves just hear it differently, and sure, Chimaira ever being a band all about diversity, there are other influences at work here as well such as groove metal and hardcore. The main genre of choice on this EP is to these ears decidedly nu-metal, though, with riffs and sense of groove often having that "jumpdafukup" feel. The guitar sound is pretty abrasive for the style and like Slipknot there's frequent double bass drumming, and what's surprising is the overall lack of melody. I guess the band was looking to push the extremity for the style, which is admirable. However, the downside is that perfecting a dark and uncompromising aesthetic seems to have been made a priority over songwriting. Drummer Andols Herrick does turn in a killer performance on par with later works and overall the EP is a cool, angry listen, but compared to Korn or even Chimaira's next release it's also a bit lacking in nuance.

Two of these songs were re-recorded and included on Pass Out of Existence, and a good example of Chimaira's songwriting growth can be found by comparing this version of "Painting the White to Grey" to the full album one. The verse of the former goes for a monotone, bleak and oppressive feel, while the latter version's approach is more melodic and dramatic, which when juxtaposed with the heavy hitting chorus makes the whole song more dynamic and also better. All told, this band would soon work out some kinks and evolve immensely in the following years, including famously switching over to metal and prospering for it. They've taken shit for changing just as nu-metal was dying down and real metal in the U.S. was getting cool again (possibly with Roadrunner prodding them a bit in that direction as well, in light of the 2002 success of Alive or Just Breathing that signaled a new era for the label), but they sound right at home playing metal proper too and made my favorite albums of theirs doing it, so what's it to me really? The metal community is so silly and irrational in its aversion to bands following trends anyway. In any case, this EP offers an interesting early look at one of metal's more forward-thinking bands and I've seen some fans prefer it to Pass Out.... It should not go overlooked in Chimaira's discography.