Janee`: hey Chris how are you?
Chris: Hello
Janee`: The tour has now been roaring for a week, how's it been so far?
Chris: Tours so far has been awesome. It’s the first year for this tour so you don’t really know what to expect. I mean some things are going to go bad and some will go good, but so far there’s been more good. We’ve been having a good time and the crowds have been awesome. And we’d love to be a part of it next year.
Janee`: Which bands have been getting the best crowd reactions?
Chris: Chimaira only! Nah that’s just my selfish plug for the day.
Janee`: It’s all good. What do you like best about the Sounds of the Underground tour?
Chris: I like the environment of hanging outside. I like the outdoor festival vibe that’s really it. And when you have a bunch of friends hanging outside everyday it’s cool.
Janee`: So far is it better or worse than being on Ozzfest? Or are they totally different?
Chris: Uh.. It’s a totally different thing. I mean Ozzfest has it’s pluses and it’s minuses ya know? This tour is based more on the underground and with Ozzfest its based more on the mainstream. That’s a big difference within itself. Ozzfest usually costs bands a lot of money to play, while this tour is actually paying bands to play it. So.. I mean right there are the big differences that don’t exist with Ozzfest. There’s a plus and minus to everything. I’m glad I did both tours.
Janee`: You've toured with some of the bands on this tour previously, what bands on this tour have you been enjoying seeing and hanging with?
Chris: Everyone really. We already know Lamb of God, Unearth and all those guys. The DevilDriver guys are really cool too. We’ve met some new friends such as Poison the Well, Norma Jean, Gwar.. they are all really cool guys and it’s fun.
Janee`:What are some of the things you’re doing on your off time on this tour?
Chris:We really don’t.. Oh in between sets?
Janee`: Or regular off time.
Chris: Well we really don’t have days off, the only days off we’ve been playing shows. If we’re not playing shows we’re driving a really long time. Uh we’re sharing a bus with Every Time I Die so we spend our time being stupid and making fun of each other and being goofs. That’s really it. Days of shows there’s a BBQ everyday.. And that’s really it. Not too much crazy stuff going on.
Janee`: What can fans expect on the new album this summer?
Chris: What’s up?
Janee`: What can fans expect on the new album this summer?
Chris: Just an awesome Chimaira record. It’s brutal. It’s heavy. Its aggressive.. It’s everything Chimaira has plus we’ve taken it to the next level. We’ve brought more dynamics into it, more well thought out songs. We believe that it’s the best record we possibly could as of now, and I don’t think that it will disappoint any fans.. especially fans of “ The Impossibility of Reason”
Janee`: Have the fans been reacting positively to the new material you’ve incorporated into your set?
Chris: Yeah we’ve been playing two songs every night. Every day we play “Nothing Remains” and then every other day we rotate a song. Every day the songs have been going over awesome. Especially “Nothing Remains” because it’s leaked on the internet so some people are familiar with it. And every time we play that song kids are already singing the words to it so it’s fucking awesome.
Janee`: Sounds it. Can you share with me some of the band’s plans for after SOTU?
Chris: Yeah. We’re doing 4 weeks headlining with Six Feet Under, All That Remains and 3 Inches of Blood. After that we’re taking a small break. Very small break and then we’re planning on going to Europe and the UK. Then after that it was just announced we’re doing the Blackest of Black tour with Danzig and a bunch of other bands.
Janee`: The frenzy that your bands creates in the crowd during your set is pretty intense. What’s the wildest thing you saw happen in the crowd during one of your sets?
Chris: Well just recently we did Download Festival and actually, we used to do the crowd splitting thing but we quit doing it just because so many bands are doing it now. And so Mark just mentioned to the crowd “yeah usually right about now I do something during the song, but I haven’t done it just because we kinda retired it” and the crowd actually split the pit themselves, faster than they ever have done before and it was just the biggest one we ever had. With about 10,000 people. He didn’t even have to tell them to do it, just mentioned that we used to do something. That alone, just the fact that the crowds are that attentive and know that much about the band that they knew what they wanted to do was huge.
Janee`: That must have been really something.
Chris: Yeah it was crazy. Besides that there were dudes jumping off poles and one shattered his leg during the set. That was just chaotic.
Janee`: The bands DVD “The Dehumanizing Process” was voted #2 for Best Band DVD of the year by readers of Revolver magazine. How cool was that?
Chris: That was awesome because a lot of work was put into that. Especially the guys who put it together. They spent over a year.. probably a year and a half making that DVD and uh the fact that people recognize that and that people enjoy that is awesome. It’s cool it’s something of ours you can appreciate it.
Janee`: Some bands have come out and said that the metal and hardcore scenes should be heading in a positive and prolific direction partially due to the political happenings in the world. Where do you see the music scenes heading over the next couple of years?
Chris: With tours like this it seems like it is going up and up. The bands on the tour are becoming quite successful and it almost seems that this is becoming the mainstream. It’s hard to really say because of course I want my band to do well, to have a good year. Things are definitely on the up and up with bands like Lamb of God, Killswitch and Shadows Fall and those guys, they are all having successful records.. like really successful records and we want our band to have the same success. And we actually want to exceed that, go towards Pantera and Slayer that’s our goals. So we’ll see what happens.
Janee`: What bands are you currently listening to?
Chris: All I’ve really been listening to lately has been the new Nine Inch Nails. Um.. That’s really it. There’s nothing that has been released lately that really has grasped my attention that much. Not to say those records suck, it’s just that I’ve been needing something else and that Nail’s record pretty much filled the void of what I’ve wanted for a while.
Janee`: Are there any up and coming bands that you think everyone should check out?
Chris: Uh..not really. There’s a whole bunch of good stuff coming out. There’s Trivium, they are doing very well. I think they are going to be the next Roadrunner band that everyones going to love and be looking out for. So..
Janee`: Yeah Trivium is a great band. Anything you’d like to say to your fans?
Chris: Thank you for all your support. You’re going to love this record and make sure to get it August 9th. And we’ll be touring our asses off for a year and half-two years and hopefully we’ll see you at a show!
Usually this is where the interview ends.. But for this tours interviews we opened it up to the fans to ask questions here are a few questions from fans.
Steve Rue would like to know:
Where did you find the inspiration to write 'pure Hatred'?
Chris: We just felt like writing a fuck you song and we did it. That’s really it.*laughing*
Andrew Bailey, Levittown NY:
Do you dig horror movies? If so what is your favorite of all time?
Chris: I don’t. I like funny stupid movies. But Mark is a HUGE fan of horror movies and mass/serial killers and that kind of shit. One of our songs was inspired by the shining.
Andrew: I saw them a few years back at Irving Plaza and they opened for Cradle of Filth... what was it like being on a bill with Cradle of Filth, with them being totally different in every aspect... like stage appearance, stage performance, and the content of their songs/style?
Chris: It’s definitely different...its cool at the same time because we want to appeal to every fan, so the show went over great, we’re surprised. It’s good to see that Black Metal fans will get into us as well and give us the time of day to even check us out. Sometimes we get those close minded people who are like fuck you right away because you’re not “their style” of music. That was awesome and I’d love to do more shows with them. The Cradle of Filth guys are fucking awesome and we love playing with them, and love drinking with them.
Janee: Awesome. Well that’s all I got for you so thank you very much.
Chris: thank you!
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