It’s the first release to feature Austin D’Amond, Jeremy Creamer, Sean Zatorsky, Emil Werstler, and Matt Szlachta, who all joined the band over the past two years. And it’s the first without Rob Arnold, the guitarist whose style guided the band’s musical voice for more than a decade. But unlike the reboots of, say, Total Recall or He-Man, this reboot of Chimaira is wholly successful on a creative level. And if there’s any justice in the world, Crown of Phantoms will be a success on a commercial level too. It gets back to the aggressive core of the band’s sound while simultaneously presenting a new angle on it.
“It’s been a really laid back vibe,” says Hunter of the writing dynamic with the band in its new incarnation. “It’s still the same format as always, where it’s predominantly a couple of songwriters and then everyone comes in and puts their spin on it. Nothing’s really changed in that regard. It’s just been a really good positive vibe. The musicianship in this lineup is extraordinary so there’s really no limit to where we can take it. It’s been an exciting process and a learning experience at the same time, getting to know how everyone worked.” So in a way it’s like getting a new girlfriend and figuring out what you can do together? “Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely exciting, and the fact that I got to get a few new girlfriends all at once was more of a bonus – and they’re all cool with it and they all hang out with each other.”
Any drastic lineup change can go either way, but the online chatter regarding the shift in Chimaira’s structure seems to have been quite positive lately. “I think perhaps what they’re latching onto is our own energy and our excitement towards everything,” he says. “It’s perhaps infectious, and I think people are excited to see this band continue, and have the essence portrayed in a serious way and a very well-executed way.” Hunter notes the similarity to movie reboots: “Nothin’ wrong with the original Spider-Man, but then the reboot comes out and it kicks arse. You can like one version or you can like both versions. Sometimes remakes are not a good idea but sometimes they work out well.” Hunter says every emotion that you could possibly conceive went into the decision to continue. And now it’s all there for everyone to hear: “It feels like the band that I’ve always wanted to sing for, and nothing’s changed in that regard.”
In contrast to the prominent clean vocals of The Age Of Hell, Crown of Phantoms is back to in-your-face screaming. Conscious decision or natural creative ebb-and-flow? “I think the last album I was really in a place where I was kinda bored with screaming at that point. I’d been doing it for so long. When I started doing it in the ’90s there weren’t many metal bands that screamed. Sure, there were plenty of hardcore bands but I wanted to be in a metal band with screaming. And it was a hardcore-type scream, which wasn’t a really common thing back then, not as common as now where it’s harder to find a band that’s really heavy but has good melody.” By the time of The Age Of Hell, Hunter felt confident enough to pull off cleaner vocal delivery with the same oomph as his established scream style. He stands behind that material today, but the new material called for a back-to-basics, aggressive stance. “So that’s what the music made me do, this time around.”
Hunter points to the approach of bass player Jeremy Creamer as something that helps push this latest evolution of Chimaira into new territory. “He started on stand up bass and he has a very, very unique approach.” he says. “He doesn’t even tune his bass – he’s just like ‘I’ll find it.’ It’s really weird. He’s very talented and he’s got an insane ear for those little nuances that nobody else is hearing. He hears those.” As for the keys and atmospherics, that was a role Hunter took an active role in last time around, but again it’s back to basics for Crown of Phantoms. “I had my hand in it but not anything like the last time around. Shawn brought a lot of cool stuff. He brought a Nord II and that thing makes pretty wild sounds, and he was in there just going nuts with it. I would be there to be more of a cheerleader this time around rather than executing things.”
So will Chimaira be decimating Australian stages again anytime soon? “We would love to come back,” he says. “We had such a blast last time and we’re releasing our new album on 3Wise, the label by the same people who run the Soundwave festival, so hopefully we get an offer. That would be fantastic.”
BY PETER HODGSON
