After the first listen of Pass Out of Existence, Chimaira bear all the hallmarks of being little more than a copycat band following along in the scorched-earth wake of their label mates, the mighty Slipknot. Certainly, this six-man Ohio metal crew boast a fair few of the 'Knot's most notable musical characteristics: Pass Out Of Existence, their debut, is built around a bludgeoning, undeniably old-skool thrash metal dynamic, accompanied by jackhammer drumming, spleen-venting primal-scream lyrics and brutally-applied electronic loops. Still, there's much evidence that Chimaira have arrived at this point as much through innovation as imitation: "Dead Inside" marries its powerhouse chorus to passages of spacious, Tool-like anthemicism and bursts of industrial glitchery, while the sinister, dark guitar-stroking ambience of "Abeo" proves that for all Chimaira's passion for extreme metal, they're far more than one trick ponies. It is true, of course, that Slipknot fans will find much to enjoy here, the super-tight, percussion-heavy "Painting The White To Grey" and the epic, tortured twelve-minute closer "Jade" proving obvious album highlights. --Louis Pattison
