ALBUM REVIEW: Cost Of Sacrifice – Chamber

If last years Ripping/Pulling/Tearing EP was a shot across the bow, the debut full-length effort from CHAMBER sends a nuclear strike targeted at hardcore’s hierarchy. Armed with a multi pronged production and intense narrative to boot: Cost Of Sacrifice is a key moment in an already stellar year for its genre.

To their credit, yes, CHAMBER share sonic similarities with the likes of YEAR OF THE KNIFE, and even GULCH. But even with that said, Cost Of Sacrifice has given the four piece a cast iron identity. Despite its dizzying speed, and white knuckle intensity, the record displays an unnerving atmosphere to a level seldom seen since CODE ORANGE‘s Forever.

The likes of In Cleansing Fire and Disassemble Reassemble similar to their surrounding tracks, go for your throat. But their isolation of Gabe Manuel‘s ominous guitar picks are as haunting as anything you’ll have heard this side of SLIPKNOT‘s Scissors. It’s this eerie bravado that gives Cost Of Sacrifice such a devilish punch. Producer Randy LeBoeuf puts in a career encapsulating performance here. His experience with electronic merchants CROSSFAITH becomes as valuable throughout the album as his time with deathcore bruisers THE ACACIA STRAIN.

Boasting the right amount of variety to keep its next move a mystery, Cost Of Sacrifice rarely shows its hand without cause. Classic hardcore enthusiasts will find delight in how the record is bookended. Opener Fracture and the closing title track are snarling beasts that capitalise on the genre’s conventions. Vocalist Jacob Lilly has an effortless scowl which permeates the records every move – while the rhythm section of Taylor Carpenter‘s rampant drum fills and Chris Smith‘s slick basslines thunder through every moment.

Admittedly elsewhere on the record CHAMBER don’t push the boat too far when it comes to progression, but Cost Of Sacrifice has a scarce amount of fat that could be trimmed. When they’re not cloaking their sound in a dark tension, the quartet are stomping you into a splatter. If Impulse was anymore hostile it would be doing time for GBH, and the blend of Paranoia Bleeds final moments into the scorching blaze of Visions Of Hostility‘s opening is almost heavy beyond comparison.

In a world where the standard of hardcore has rarely looked this exceptional, Cost Of Sacrifice throws itself right into the big leagues. Armed with the classic throes you already love, with a taste of an identifiable characteristic – you wonder if CHAMBER could go on to be the next new superstars in the genre. This record isn’t just a great way to start, it’s one of the most no nonsense mission statements you’ll have ever heard.

Rating: 8/10

Cost of Sacrifice is out now via Pure Noise Records. 

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