Reviews

Chairleg – Determinant

By Stoney ⋅ November 4, 2008 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Chairleg – Determinant

The band gave fair warning months ago.In fact, in an interview this past June to promote their Friday the 13^th DVD release it was revealed that Chairleg’s MySpace Page-
http://www.myspace.com/chairleg
had already listed Halloween night as the drop date for the band’s next CD release.Despite the extreme advance warning, nothing could have possibly prepared Augusta metal heads for a release this brutal.

Clocking in at just over 33 minutes, the 7 songs on Chairleg’s latest release Determinant weight in somewhere between the average EP and usual full-length CD.Just enough to fill you up but the perfect amount to leave you wanting more.

Starting off with evil marching drums Determinant’s opening track Far pauses just long enough for a guttural welcome to the onslaught that is to follow.While it’s apparent right off the bat that Chairleg has progressed into heavier territory the result is still the old school metal that the band has become known for.The kind of metal Metallica used to play before Napster made them forget that tape trading is what made them an underground metal sensation in the first place.Far is the kind of metal that makes you want to shake your fist in unison, bang your head methodically, and scream along loudly.

Barely leaving the listener time to breathe 2-6 Hold takes of fast and furious and it doesn’t get any more forward than when frontman Larry Sprowl screams “you want to see the real me now.”Imagine if David Banner said “you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry” AFTER he turned into the Hulk and you might get an inkling of the ferociousness of this tune.Thrown in some choice lead guitar madness and you have an old school heavy metal lover’s wet dream come true.

Leave it to Chairleg to conjure up a song about a laser shooting-missile firing robot and make it pure infectious chantable angry metal. I defy anyone to attend a Chairleg show and try and refrain from raising their fist and chanting “robot robot robot go!” with a mob of fellow metal maniacs.Can’t be done, trust me. I’d be doing it now if I wasn’t afraid I might break something! Mecha is perfect mosh pit material and by that I mean arm flailing high-stepping in a circle moshing not aimless slam dancing.

For anyone barely able to remain upright after the first three songs it only gets harder and faster with the next track Resolute, almost four and a half minutes of marathon sprint metal. Resolute is a super fast slingshot to top speed that stays on the tracks for the full ride before coming to an abrupt brutal stop. Not recommended for use near pacemakers or oxygen tanks.

At What Cost moves things along with great vocal lines and dual guitar harmonies ala Iron Maiden. Possibly the most classic metal tune on Determinant, this track may also be the most complete track of the bunch offering just about every thing a metal fan could possibly want just short of a sledgehammer and some car windows.

Not to be overshadowed by the true metalness of the previous track, Gravecloth is just plain f’n angry metal carnage. Not surprising that after hearing this track on Confederation of Loudness that a listener was prompted to comment “Chairleg are a bunch of angry muthaf%*kers.” Whether that is true or not may be a matter of personal opinion but one thing is for sure, if ever someone needed a song to get pumped up to Gravecloth would be a great choice.

Despite the fact that after listening to the first six songs on Determinant a nap may be in order Chairleg, never one to let anyone off easy, throws in one final chance to sweat off a few more pounds and pick up your heart rate to near cardiac proportions via the smashing tune Forgotten3. As if six songs wasn’t bloody enough the guys toss in one final downhill drop leaving nothing to catch the fall but a sudden blunt stop. Skull crushing doesn’t get anymore punishing than this.

While fans of metal may not find anything particularly groundbreaking about Chairleg’s latest release what they will discover is that classic ear-splitting metal is alive and well in the CSRA. Massive drums complete with pounding double bass pedals chained to growling bass guitar topped with a lethal two-guitar attack and steered by the angriest vocals. It’s a combination that has driven metal fans into a frenzy for nearly three decades and from the looks of it will continue for many years to come.It was the music that got angst ridden teenage males through the blandness and boredom of everyday life back in the 80’s and looks to do the same for a whole new generation of headbangers looking for a space to call their own.

Thank the Metal Gods that they can still find it in bands like Chairleg.

For more information about Chairleg visit their MySpace page at
http://www.myspace.com/chairleg

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