Two years after Age of Hell, which marked an incredible return for Chimaira, they return with Crown of Phantoms in 2013 with a few line-up changes this time around. I wonder now if this will be part and parcel of their evolution, for them to change to push themselves further. 
Mark Hunter, the lead vocalist, is the only original member of Chimaira left. With new members Austin D’Amond on drums, Sean Zatorsky on keys / synths and backing vocals, Emil Werstler on lead guitar, Jeremy Creamer bass and, finally, Matt Szlachta on rhythm guitar. The current line-up, save from Hunter, have been around from 2011 and 2012.
The bands previous album Age of Hell was a very good album considering the troubles that Chimaira had faced with long-time members dropping out to join other projects, namely Matt DeVries leaving to join industrial metal titans Fear Factory. With all the line up changes throughout the years Chimaira have remained an important band and consistent band, with 2009’s The Infection, 2011 with the previously mentioned Age of Hell, and now 2013 with Crown of Phantoms.
It is safe to say that I have always been a fan of Chimaira going as far back as their Roadrunner Records days with The Impossibility of Reason – it is a true “classic” if there was – so then, where does Crown of Phantoms come? First of all, Age of Hell sounded really empty sound-wise but Crown of Phantoms sounds packed and dense, full of noise and energy. I feel that this album is miles ahead of anything that Chimaira have done in the past few years and even though The Age of Hell was good I feel that it was only a measuring stick of what Chimaira could really do.
With Hunter being the only member left of the original line-up I feel that his vocals alone, in the last two years, have improved so much. His singing / screaming sounds clearer, focused, and more driven. There’s such a range of emotion flowing through in his voice, so in many ways that I that he definitely sang his heart on this album. The guitar work by both Szlachta and Werstler is of a high standard on this album as well, the straight riffing parts, the breakdowns, the solos and then the interplay between both guitars is excellent throughout.
The bass work is also extremely good on this album. A lot of times it sits just behind the guitar and drums, but if you listen real close, you can hear Creamer’s almost effortless thunder. The keys / synth work, from Zatorsky, aren’t as prominent on this album as in the past, but on the odd occasion they do they seem to accompany the guitar/bass/drum rhythm and often sit alongside the vocals. The drum work by D’Amond is tight and solid, really ‘in-the-pocket’ and just really flawless – the best performance on the album, for me.
Overall Crown of Phantoms is a really good album.
RATING: 4 / 5