Chimaira Convinced by eOne That Signing to New Label Was Worth It

Chimaira have been making a six-man racket for a dozen years now, so these Clevelanders don't need a record label to tell them how to do things. They have the wisdom of experience, the know how from making five records and a hard-earned fan base that they're able to reach and communicate with directly. All these factors combined might make you wonder why they felt compelled to sign a record deal with eOne -- after stints on Roadrunner and Ferret -- instead of doing it themselves.

But eOne, their new label home, managed to get the band to do the exact opposite of what they initially wanted for many reasons.

"We are happy about the partnership," frontman Mark Hunter told Noisecreep. "There was hesitance moving forward with labels in general, since [we have a] strong enough fan base to do things on our own. That, along with labels not having anything different to offer, was how we were thinking."

However, the top brass at eOne, along with Chimaira seeing the direct results of eOne's commitment to metal in the field, made the band change its collective mind. "We got on the phone with eOne, and they convinced me otherwise and made it exciting again," Hunter admitted.

Chimaira head into the studio on Feb. 1 armed with ideas. "We have about 20 song ideas right now, and they keep coming," he revealed. "It seems like we can write a song a day. It's exciting, watching it all unravel. We want to step out of the box but maintain who we are, and it is exciting to get the wheels moving. The studio is my favorite aspect of being in the band, since it's the time to be creative."

Hunter, who was vocal about being affected by social anxiety in his very public job in the past, said that "I love the stage more than ever, but the same cliché applies: It's the other 23 hours of the day while on tour that are hell."

Chimaira hope to unleash their latest beast this summer.