Chamber: Champions Of Circumstance

A band born from chance – CHAMBER were always destined to live life in the fast lane. From their unlikely beginnings to the unrelenting fury of their debut, full-length record Cost Of Sacrifice – they’ve quickly made themselves impossible to ignore. And when you consider the quality currently surrounding them: that’s some statement. In a time frame where hardcore has arguably never looked better, the five piece still look like potential future frontrunners.

The term ‘baptism by fire’ doesn’t quite do justice to vocalist Jacob Lilly‘s first week at the mic. Originally on tour with the band playing bass for his then outfit ORTHODOX, Jacob finished the tour fronting CHAMBER for their hometown show in Nashville, Tennessee. Mutually parting ways with your vocalist with dates still remaining? Far from ideal. But in Lilly the band found shoulders broad enough to balance the task at hand. He speaks candidly about his first few days in the outfit, and that show in Nashville in particular.

“Honestly, it was weird, and nerve-racking. Obviously because it’s a hometown show for CHAMBER. But I think in Nashville, they’re grateful for bands like us, ORTHODOX, 30 NIGHTS OF VIOLENCE, and COVE etc. So either way, they’re there for the music. It’s not like they worry about who’s doing what. All of our shows in Nashville since I’ve been in the band have been incredible, and so much fun. There might be some people who do care [that Sam Fleming no longer fronts the band] but at this point: WE’RE CHAMBER, and that’s not gonna change. I’ve never rethought my decision on joining this band.”

If the first few days of this new look CHAMBER were based around survival – the mantra quickly evolved into growth. Within months the band were re-recording their EP Hatred Softly Spoken – this time to feature Jacob‘s vocals and include new track Replacing Every Weakness. The record would become Ripping/Pulling/Tearing – and was the bands first warning signal – the hardcore hierarchy would soon be strengthened.

As the conversation opens up into the inner workings of CHAMBER, Jacob makes no bones about the fact the band couldn’t exist without the digital age. With him in North Carolina, while all other members live in Tennessee – it’s an admittedly unusual fit. He’s in no rush to join his band mates, though. In fact, he insists there is little reason to. With the cogs turning smoothly under the current set up – they see no reason to make any adjustments.

“It [current living situation] works out. Don’t get me wrong, we all get along. But if we all lived together – especially now during COVID-19 it would be like: we’d be hanging out every day because what else is there to do? I think it gives us a break, most importantly for when we’re touring together. I go back to North Carolina, you guys go back to Nashville, we’ll work for a month etc, then we’re back out on tour. Like I said, we all get along so it doesn’t really matter. But for some people, if they’re with each other for too long in the same town or whatever they kinda get tired of it, more so for people that tour, you know?”

Living situations and starting patterns soon became irrelevant though. Debut record Cost Of Sacrifice is what’s currently dominating conversation – not where the bands residence is. It’s a record that plays up to the common tropes of modern hardcore: aggression, speed, and technicality all play a part in propping the album up. But it’s in its sonic horror that the LP truly makes its mark. It’s not just a record of low tuned guitars and growled over breakdowns – its composition is, at times, genuinely unsettling.

Written mostly on tour – the intensity of Cost Of Sacrifice links directly to the mental state of the band at the time. “It definitely came at a rough time. We were touring a lot, we weren’t home for holidays and stuff like that. We were going through personal changes as well, so to us it was kind of a record where it all came natural. I think that’s why Cost Of Sacrifice sounds like it does, I think it comes down to time too. We didn’t feel rushed, but I think how a lot of the other guys in the band work is like, time crunch: we’ve gotta get it done! And I think that’s how we write some of our best stuff.”

In the space of a decade, hardcore/metalcore has come full circle. In 2010, the blueprint of the genre left by POISON THE WELL and CONVERGE seemed to have been stripped to its lowest common denominator. Normality has since returned, with ALPHA WOLF, EMPLOYED TO SERVE, SANCTION, KNOCKED LOOSE and hoards more returning back to the raw, organic, raging sounds of the late 90’s. It means that CHAMBER are emerging at a time when the market might be crowded, but at least there’s one there.

“It has definitely come full circle.” Jacob states, “A lot of people will say this is just whatever’s trending. But a lot of these bands have been writing this for three/four years. Now it’s just getting to a point where new people are hearing and liking it. Even the new kids who are into us and KNOCKED LOOSE, they look at where we get our influence from and start listening to bands like TURMOIL and BOTCH. I feel like this genre of music is definitely the most popular it’s ever been, and that’s awesome. There’s nothing like it.”

With this resurgence though – there’s those that aren’t prepared to move with the times, but CHAMBER aren’t overly concerned with people that are stuck in the past. “Everyone wants something original, but there’s nothing in this world at this point that can be ‘original'” he says. “People are always going to have influence from someone, therefore it’s going to have similarities, so it’s just the matter of how they execute it or how they want it to sound. In the past few weeks people are saying BRING ME THE HORIZON ripped off DEFONTES. But maybe they just really like DEFTONES? There is original stuff of course, but people are inspired by other things – that’s how it comes into place.”

For a band that exist by fortunate circumstance – CHAMBER have grasped their opportunity with both fists. From needing a vocalist just to finish a tour – to becoming one of the most exciting bands permeating their scene – it’s been a tumultuous few years. Don’t expect their design to change, it doesn’t need to – nor do they intend to meet anyone’s expectations but their own. They’re looking to conquer hardcore on their own terms, and they might just do it.

Cost of Sacrifice is out now via Pure Noise Records. 

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