For years, Chimaira has been one of Ohio’s top metal acts, building a name for itself with music inspired by early Metallica, Testament and Randy Rhoads and its passionate, intense live shows.
Chimaira has adopted Columbus as a second home, and now they are out on a trek sponsored by Jagermeister.
The band emerged from the darkness of the Newport stage as vocalist Mark Hunter unleashed “Nothing Remains” on an excited crowd. The song is a five-minute thrash clinic that inspired many people to fly over the security fence and pound into one another. Without rest, the band broke into the next song, but then Hunter stopped the show to address the security guards.
“I’m not being mean, but I saw that kid hit his head. Do your fucking job,” he said. “You’re being paid to be here. This isn’t Tom Petty, this is a metal show. Do your job.”
With that, the band broke into favorites like “Severed” from the CD “Pass Out of Existence” and then “Cleansation” from its instant classic, “The Impossibility of Reason.”
After “Cleansation,” Mark Hunter asked the crowd if they wanted to hear some early Chimaira and the unanimous answer was “yes.” The band obliged with the rarely played “Forced Life.” With the line “Stick your hate to me, I’ll find a way to break free,” “Forced Life” concluded and the band took a well-deserved break to thank Jagermeister, the opening acts and the fans for their support and hard work. The band then proceeded to take shots of the famous liquor.
Following the Jager were the blistering songs “Dead Inside” and “Inside the Horror” that showcased lead guitarist Rob Arnold’s incredible precision and skill. He played leads and solos that featured tapping, sweeping and frantic speed reminiscent of Kerry King of Slayer and Alex Skolnick of Testament. For whatever reason, Arnold does not receive the same attention as players like Jim Root and Mick Thompson from Slipknot or Jon Donais and Matt Bachand of Shadows Fall, but he plays just as well or even better and does not have the benefit of gimmicks like masks or a singer with dreads to give him extra attention.
As the song came to an end, the band said they had only a couple more songs. The crowd let out a collective roar of disapproval because no one wanted this metal show to end. However, any negative feelings disappeared as the crushing riff of “Pure Hatred” inspired the biggest mosh pit of the night. With the powerful chorus “I hate everyone,” “Pure Hatred” incited a floor-wide brawl and once again devoted bodies were voluntarily hurled towards the unforgiving fence and the possibly hostile security personnel. It did not stop even as the song ended and the band made a seamless transition into its brutal anthem “Power Trip.”
Any Chimaira fan knows the words and vocalist Mark Hunter was more than happy to let hundreds of fans take his spot in saying, “Fuck your power trip.”
Sadly the end had to come, but not before the band threw drumsticks, set lists and picks into a loving crowd and thanked Columbus for being good to them over the years. The only downside was that they did not play “Down Again” or “Pictures in the Gold Room” and the set was relatively short with only 10 songs.
Chimaira is a band that could have easily adopted a radio friendly direction after the success of sophomore effort “The Impossibility of Reason,” but instead chose to remain true to itself and its fans and produce a record that has been compared to Metallica’s “Master of Puppets.” They amicably parted ways with Roadrunner Records over creative differences.
Chimaira is a band that knows what it wants and is willing to take risks to fulfill its vision. Along the way, the band will continue to impress, create and entertain.
