Chimaira is a six-membered metalcore band from Cleveland, Ohio, whose name comes from a monster in ancient Greek mythology: a lion, with an additional head of a goat located in the neck, and a snake as its tail. Its members describe the band as being of "The new wave of American Heavy metal" and are firmly in the post-thrash metalcore slot in their music style. Chimaira was formed in 1998, composing itself of Mark Hunter (Vocals), Jason Hager (Guitar), Rob Arnold (Guitar), Jim LaMarca (Bass), Andols Herrick (Drums) and Chris Spicuzza (Keyboards and Electronics). Their first EP, This Present Darkness, was released on January 11, 2000, on East Coast Empire records. This EP featured a few songs that were later re-recorded for their major label release on Roadrunner Records, entitled Pass Out of Existence. Jason Hager later left the band after Pass Out Of Existence due to family issues and the band gained Matt DeVries, a long time friend of the band and guitarist for the Cleveland based band Ascension. Pass Out of Existence didn't sell that many records when it was released in 2001, but The Impossibility of Reason, released in 2003, was enough to fund Chimaira's extensive touring with In Flames, and their second-stage performance at Ozzfest, also in 2003. Musically, Pass Out of Existence had a much more "electronic" sound than The Impossibility of Reason, with Chris Spicuzza's pronounced electronic loops featured in many songs. This sound was often compared to artists like Fear Factory, Spineshank and Slipknot. The Impossibility of Reason kept with a more pure, metal-esque instrumentation, akin to metalcore bands such as Killswitch Engage, and this was found to be very popular--the album reached #2 on Billboard's "Heatseekers" chart. Their self-titled album, released in August 2005, built upon the progress of The Impossibility of Reason. The electronic feel of Pass
1 | Overlooked | The Impossibility Of Reason |
2 | Without Moral Restraint | JagerMusic Rarities |
3 | Down Again | The Impossibility Of Reason |
4 | The Impossibility Of Reason | The Impossibility Of Reason |
5 | Implements Of Destruction | The Impossibility Of Reason |
6 | Stigmurder | The Impossibility Of Reason |
7 | Eyes Of A Criminal | The Impossibility Of Reason |
8 | Crawl | The Impossibility Of Reason |
9 | Cleansation | The Impossibility Of Reason |
10 | Pure Hatred | The Impossibility Of Reason |
11 | Pictures In The Gold Room | The Impossibility Of Reason |
12 | The Dehumanizing Process | The Impossibility Of Reason |
13 | Power Trip | The Impossibility Of Reason |