Chimaira stays true to its style

There are no clich & eacute;s for this band, the singer said.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Nothing says happy holidays more than being throttled by in-your-face guitars, screaming vocals and metalcore at its finest.
At least that's the idea behind Cleveland-based, nationally renowned band Chimaira's seventh annual "Chimaira Christmas" show, taking place Dec. 27 at the House of Blues.
"It's just something fun we do and it has a cool name," laughed singer Mark Hunter. It's like our favorite show to play. Everyone is home for the holiday and we get to have a big party. It's going to be crazy."
It's been somewhat quiet in the Chimaira camp over the past year with the band on hiatus for the first time in recent memory. While Hunter said rest and relaxation were needed to re-energize the band, he spent his downtime working on his singing and strengthening his vocal chords.
Known and respected for his aggressive screaming technique, the 1995 Strongsville High School graduate visited with a singing teacher in hopes of honing his skills.
"The first thing I wanted to do, just like with any instrument, was to improve [my voice] and that comes with practice and training," Hunter said. "So I went to see a vocal coach and she just really helped conquer my weaknesses. I had a really hard time doing the melodic [parts] and going into screaming and vice versa; back and forth did a lot of wear and tear on me. I wanted to make sure I could deliver my best performance I've ever put on a record."
Vocal changes
That record is Chimaira's fourth studio effort, "Resurrection," which is due out in March. Hunter said the new album finds his vocal approach being more natural and less forced. He admits his approach in the past was ostensibly trying to emulate Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley.
As for the style of the next project, fans attending the upcoming House of Blues show will hear a few songs, including the title track.
"We wanted everything to be different but yet stay who we are and stay true to what we've always wanted to obtain, and that's just writing kick-ass heavy metal," Hunter said. "There's just something about this record. I don't know what it is. I can't describe it just yet but it's something special."
The band made sure it didn't fall into any clich & eacute;d traps.
"A step back on the new album would have been doing radio songs, making these catchy singles, which seems to be a trend in a lot of the metal bands right now," Hunter said. "We went the total opposite route and tried to make one of the most brutal records we've ever done."
Hunter points to new songs "Six" and "Empire," the latter being the fastest song Chimaira has ever recorded, as proof that "Resurrection" eschews kowtowing to industry trends and even fan expectations. Look for this sextet to be on the road spreading its music to its minions for the next few years.
"For sure, we'll be out busting our a** on this record and we want to play everywhere and anywhere we can," Hunter said. "We didn't tour as much on the last record [2005's self-titled effort] as we did on the previous one [2003's 'The Impossibility of Reason'] but I think this time we're ready. We're regrouped, refreshed and ready to take it on."