Chimaira Go Through ‘The Age of Hell’ for Their Fans
Chimaira never say die. Despite losing half of their members in the last year, the Cleveland metal warriors have licked their wounds and re-focused their energies.
Once they secured a new and improved lineup, Chimaira landed a new record deal with eOne and recorded what might be their strongest album yet, 'The Age of Hell.' "What the writers and record company people think about us doesn't concern me. What I care about the most is not disappointing our fans," said vocalist Mark Hunter during a recent conversation with Noisecreep.
"The people that listen to Chimaira have invested a lot of time and money into us. Whether it's buying CDs, DVDs or seeing us live, I know that people work hard for their money and I appreciate the fact that they choose to spend some of it on us. It's as heartbreaking for us to go through these lineup changes as it is for our hardcore fans. I don't take that for granted," says Hunter.
Since Chimaira have had so many lineup issues in the past few years, there's been a perception that certain members of the band are difficult to work with. "Name one band on the planet that really works well together," laughs Hunter. "No, I'm obviously joking, but I think it's few and far between. The minute you get into the business side of being in a band, it gets tricky. After a while if things don't turn out a certain way, some people lose interest. Sometimes people want to start families and be home more. It's hard because the band has to be your main priority."
The ups and downs of the music industry and Chimaira's roster changes have hardened Hunter, but he remains determined to push the band forward. "It's strange, but I used to think Chimaira was about being in a band with a group of your close friends and trying to bring our music to as many people as possible," he says. "That was always the goal. But that perception for me has changed. Now I look at Chimaira as something I can come into and enjoy from time to time. It's the biggest priority for me – 100%. But the band doesn't consume my life. It's taken all of these changes in the lineup for me to realize that I had to stop and learn to enjoy other things in my life."
Noisecreep wanted to know if the behind-the-scenes issues Chimaira went through are reflected in the lyrics of 'The Age of Hell.' "In terms of the lyrics, I think the stuff I wrote this time out has been the most personal and honest set of songs I've ever done," Hunter said. "I've never been this open on a record before. The frustration that I went through in the past year spills out on these songs. But I felt the urge to our audiences this time. I wanted them to share in the pain and use words that struck a nerve with them. I wanted them to relate to the emotion of the situation even though they didn't really know all of the details of what went down in the band. I think our fans will feel the realness of it all. As a matter of fact, I know they will."
Watch the video for 'Nothing Remains'
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