The opening track “Nothing Remains” shows their now heavy drumming and …. ohhh the guitar work is quite good, seems the duo guitarists have learned something new in this couple of year, then comes “Save Ourselves” another great track with a great solo, by the end of the track i can tell this much, the new drummer is good…”fear factory like drumming“, but the guitar work, is by far the highlight here, “Inside The Horror” plays like a b movie horror soundtrack, very nice.

Jumping through to “Salvation”, slow paced with a long melodic pace, there is a part there that sound just like…. uhhh strange, well we then get the thrash like “Comatose”, a Fear Factory meets melodic whatever in “Left for Dead”, then we get the heavy drumming heavy hitting chorus of “Everything You Love”, another track that resembles Fear Factory (old school) on “Bloodlust”, we get more “by the numbers” thrash with “Pray For All” and now we are at a end with the somewhat epic “Lazarus” very enjoyable and catchy…it sums up well what this album was about, heavy, hard and catchy.

Although very enjoyable, there seems to me, that ever since “The Impossibility Of Reason” Chimaira just try to “rip off” in a good way old school stuff and they try to mesh it with their semi characteristic sound, is it good? For sure, Is it fresh and original?, Not so much, i think with this release they drooped some of the aggression for some added melodic parts and some consistence, but for me that’s not really a good thing, since now, there doesn’t seem to be any real killer tracks, just good clean fun, ohh well you can’t have the cake and eat it too.

Chimaira – Nothing Remains

Chimaira – Save Ourselves

Ashes Of The Wake, seems to me to be theirs cleanest album, even thought that normally send red flags all over in this case, it just means better productions, and more kicks ass songs, the album opens the hostility with “Laid to Rest” with their trademarks “melodic guitar over growling guitars/drumming combo”, it all good, until you get half way through the song to a growling “See Who Gives A Fuck”, you know this is going to be keeper, time for some headbanging.

The album goes through some other great tunes, like the “percursionated” “The Faded Line”, the slow paced “Omerta”, to the all instrumental title track “Ashes of the Wake”, time flys by with this album, it has a good balance and pace through, with little surprises always around the corner.

Bad Things? Well there aren’t many, this album is a matter of taste, you could find it boring and a little short, but for me when i’m listening to something like “Blood of the Scribe” and midway i get that screeching guitar jamming all the way, what is there not to like, this is a great album, and Lamb of God keeps bringing the goods, New American Metal they say, i say American Metal All The Way, now enjoy Laid to Rest.

Lamb of God – Laid to Rest