Pure Detroit metal. It once meant something put out by Ford, GM or Chrysler. It was also a product that was tough, enduring and the best there is on the market. Well, all these things are true today except for who it comes from. If you want something with all these qualities there is only one source of pure Detroit metal and that is from the band Chaos Theory.
I first came across these guys when they taught me the Art of War with their last EP. This it can now be told was just the tip of the iceberg as they now show us the art of creating what may be the most complete thrash/metalcore disc this year. If you find one better, please don't tell me as a trip to the chiropractor confirmed that this one can cause serious strain to the cervical region of the spinal column. It should come with a warning label as it will induce you to find out how hard and often you can smack your breastbone with your chin.
All kidding aside, this is one of the most pure metal albums that I have found. They have the talent of whatever band you care to name. Lead singer Johnny "Rockstar" Mascioli has been affectionately nicknamed "The Mic Melter" for a reason. He is the real deal and delivers both great singing and searing screams that pierces the soul. On this disc the tandem of Scotty "2Hottie" Lushka and Joe "Fucko" Bryne on guitar have been totally unleashed and the results are a thrashing you might never recover from. Mike "Reddog" Mentzer provides the beat from which the neck pains will eminate with a pulsating bass display on just about every song. The biggest surprise on here though is the hellish exhibit of stick work by my new drummer god Rick "Prick" Williams. Rick provides so much more than just the beat as he lays down a vicious demonstration of what metal drumming is all about. When you put this all together, it is a band that even though I would love to keep under raps and all to myself, it would be a shame to deny them the popularity that is their due. It is only a matter of time before these guys explode across the nation and let everyone know what a little Chaos can do for you.
When I first listened to this disc, I thought that it would be a very easy review to write. (Reviews of good albums always go quicker). The main problem that I had was the fact that what I wrote never seemed to do justice to the music I was hearing. Every time I put it in the player there was something that caught my ear that I missed before. Even though I become familiar with the disc, there is still a newness and the sense of discovery each time I listen. Very few times can I say this but there is not many bands that reach the plateau where Chaos Theory now resides.
When the steady, pulsing guitars hit me on the first song "Creation Devine", I first thought that we were in store for a continuation of their first EP ,i>The Art of War. Little did I know just how far they had grown since the release of that disc. This first song with its old school thrash sound and searing vocals that take you from Johnny's terrific singing voice to a couple screams that scared my dog Zak is just the beginning. This band touches nerves that have not been stimulated in years and they manage to keep them on edge throughout the disc. "Consumed" peels away another layer of epidermis before they hit you with the dizzying display of power that they call "Means To An End". This song should become a familiar old friend if there is any hope that radio still looks for cutting edge music. It is one of the songs that will leave a permanent stamp and deserves airplay.
The band can be vicious or melodic depending on what suits the mood, sometimes within the same song. Case in point is the next offering "Callow" and the next radio ready song "Broken Picture". There was once a song called From A Whisper To A Scream. Well, song sing about it, these guys just do it!! Just as you settle down a bit with a bit of melodic metal, Chaos Theory decides that this won't do and lays the smackdown on you with an all out musical beating of the most metal kind. I guess Chaos wouldn't be Chaos without a little Chaos thrown in!
The centerpiece of the album to me is the song "Dead Beat". If I wanted to pick a song that defined what is all good about metal music, this very well could be it. Fans of heavy metal, nu-metal, metalcore, aluminum, steel, iron and every other form of metal known to man will love the way that these guys wrap all the different styles into the four and a half minute duration of this tune. If this one isn't rattling around in your head days after hearing it then by no means should you ever be confused with a true metalhead.
Chaos Theory is not done with the surprises yet. Using a very old style, blues based heavy metal as the basis of the song "The Show" is a stroke of genius. With this tune they fully embrace one of the music styles that spawned today's music. I will never forget seeing this band perform with 25 year veterans of the Detroit metal scene Halloween and thinking that this was a kind of passing the torch. On this song the band pay homage to the style of music that lit the fire in the first place. You have to love a group that knows where they come from as much as where they are going.
I cannot say this is a perfect album but it is one that comes damn close. As I stated before, I would love to keep them all to myself but that would be selfish and they deserve to be heard. This is a band on the verge of superstardom and I am afraid that Michigan's best kept metal secret is about to be unleashed on the rest of the world. Get ready because the Chaos is about to begin!
Track listing:
1. Creation Devine
2. Consumed
3. Means To An End
4. Callow
5. Broken Picture
6. Tragedy
7. Warsaw Ghetto
8. Dead Beat
9. Regret
10. The Show
11. Damned Nation
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