Chimaira (pronounced /kaɪˈmɪərə/) is an American metal band from Cleveland, Ohio, formed in 1998. The band is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Their band name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology. They play a style of mainly groove metal, with some metalcore, industrial metal, and death metal influences.
Chimaira was formed in 1998 by rhythm guitarist Jason Hager, and vocalist Mark Hunter. The pair recruited Jason Genaro on drums and Andrew Ermlick on bass to complete the line-up. Their first EP, This Present Darkness, was released on January 11, 2000, on East Coast Empire records.
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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.
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