And it’s time for another installment on the Slayer tour from our good tech friend Geoff… crazy nicknames… read on. Howzit, Peeps? Def Gef 666 (4AM )…here. I have been renamed as have some of the CHIMAIRA boyz by SLAYER themselves. Collectively, they are known as CHIMARIQUAI, complete with a picture of O-TOWN with the CHIMAIRA faces morphed onto O-TOWN hair-dos. I will try to get a copy of it for the site….provided they let it go public. MATT, is known as “Trent” or “McGuire”…named after a cuppla American NFL players that his red hair reminds Kerry King of. He has also become their bartender if Kerry isn’t up for making shots. ANDY, is known as the “Star-Bellied Sneech”, as named by the SLAYER crew. Something to do with the way he wears his hat and does his Ministry Of Silly Walks walk. Get him to do this for you if you can..its rather goofy and he will do it sober !!! Look for it on their home DVD, that is currently being filmed on a semi-daily basis, as we find anyone who will become a willing participant. Ya know…this whole monologue thing is making me feel like Johnny Carson or something..but on a closing note…I just have to say that..I met Richard Butler today. Who tha *&^$ is that you say? Well kiddies..he is a rather prominent vocalist for a rather prominent UK pop band from the 80’s… The Psychedelic Furs. Made my day..although they had played the night before and I met them as they were leaving as we were checking in. C’est la Vie…… PS…..sorry…one more thing..this report reads more like a who’s-who of venues…some interesting history in some of these buildings, with the US being the New Kids on the Block…just let me have my moment..I know the UK and Europe are full of history. >: P Wed 11/21/01 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Theatre A beautiful ballroom from back in the Chicago Gangster daze…before they learned to scratch and rap. This was Al Capone’s old hang, it turns out. His balcony seat was our catering room. I belive, he is the one who funded its grandiose interior design, with its court-jester like effigies and swirling hardwood floor than spirals all the way to the center. Feng Shui aside…the show REEAAALLY out of control and rather violent….we counted 6 or 7 pits running through each other and then oddly separating into their own spaces. A natural phenomenon. Fri 11/23/01 Detroit, MI @ Harpo’s Set in the Detroit ghetto…with its 9 foot (3 meter) high stage..this place gets wicked !!! I was happy to see a barricade this time as the last time I was there, I was running interference for Dino from FEAR FACTORY and got pulled off the stage as the song was ending. Which means that I was falling in PITCH BLACKNESS, with no clue as to when the floor was coming. Lemme just say that pain hurts. Brutal crowd…..but, of course, there were CHIMAIRA fans ready to show support with a few banners, which always makes the bands day. NOTE : Banners are a good way to get yer-self on to their website !! (….and to meet them as well) Sat 11/24/01 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom Not only does this place have more up-down stairways and rooms to play in than the ASTORIA…but it kitty corner from Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment. FREAKY. It isn’t advertised this way…its just common knowledge. This was one show where the Paramedics were busier than the stage crew!! One right after the other…BRUTALITY at its finest. Sun 11/25/01 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue This is the club where “PURPLE RAIN” was filmed and also American Head Charges hometown..so they didn’t play..????? Yep, they didn’t…they have a New Years show coming up…so they decided to sit this one out…which was fine as this crowd was just waaaaaaaay to impatient. Once again..this hardcore SLAYER crowd was won over by the unexpected Wall-O-Chunk that is Chimaira. Their short, but sweet set was well received by the maniacs in the crowd that were headbanging to the WALK-IN MUSIC !! There were a cuppla guys at the merch counter that were banging their hair the ENTIRE night !! Amazing what you can do with so very few brain cells. Fri 11/30/01 Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium A sister club to the FILLMORE in San Francisco, CA…and with just as much history. Tonite finds our boys…Matt,Rob, Jim and guitar tech, Ryan reeling from a night out on the town with Kerry King, Paul Bostaph and Kerry’s tech,Fluffy. No one and I mean NO ONE remembers much after the first…..uh 5 rounds!! There is a lesson to be learned, people. DON’T TRY TO KEEP UP WITH KERRY KING !!! I, myself, was short of funds, so I opted to hang out at the hotel and do my laundry….what a rager, eh? I am so out of control. But..it was all for the better as we were about to embark on a 1,333 mile journey from Denver through Utah and Oregon to get to Seattle, WA were we are now. Mind numbing is the word. I drove first so Ryan could get some rest, which turned into him driving for 14 hours!! Maniac. Having made it safely through 60 mile -an-hour winds blowing us all over a road full of ice and a snowstorm in our face…we have arrived a day early..HELL YEA….so we are making the best of it by prowling the streets of Seattle tonite, hoping to run into the ZYKLON guys or MORBID ANGEL..as they will be playing tommorow night as well. On that note…….I’m out. Peace to all a yaz !! ~ Def Gef ~

Lots more tour reports from our good friend Geoff, out on the road with Chimaira as tech on the Slayer tour.. thanks for the gossip Geoff!! Hey..how youz doin’ ova hea?? Hola UK..Geoff (4AM) once again to update the goings on of the CHIMAIRA run with SLAYER…(hell yea !!) Sorry for the gaping chasm of time in between…things got real busy for awhile and I just couldn’t get it together….so enuff of this rhetoric…on with the biz… Wed 11/07/01 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club This day started out with us rolling by the Pentagon on our way into town…its right next to the freeway…and seeing the gaping hole left by the airliner that was parked illegally a cuppla months back…you may have heard something about that…little blurb just before you hit page 3. If you aren’t familiar with the 9:30 club, its a semi-legendary punk-rock club from the early 80’s having been the stomping grounds for Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Black Flag …to name a few of the bands to come from this area..but they do likes their metal. As has been the norm lately, pulling up to the venue with die-hards waiting, for god knows how long to meet the bands…this day was no different…and it is not uncommon for them to start chanting, “SLAYER….SLAYER…SLAYER” outside @ 2 in the afternoon while we are loading in. Cam from American Headcharge has been starting the SLAYER chant during their set sometimes, becuz it is just inevitable that it will happen…so why not beat ’em to the punch. The show…sold-out…found CHIMAIRA becoming new favourites to alot of the DC crowd…I don’t think alot of these people have ANY idea what is about to happen when CHIMAIRA get on stage….and then BAM!!…they are in your face and all over the place. I love to watch peoples faces when they are instantly blown away by the instant fury of the set. Seriously…for lack of a better word. Fri 11/09/01 Toronto, ON @ Warehouse and Sat 11/10/01 Montreal, QC @ Metropolis This would the bands first dip to the outside of the US and Montreal would be their first glimpse into what touring overseas would be like. They are more than ready to get it on. CHIMAIRA was well received by Canada and will find themselves welcome anytime after their performances there. Montreal is a metal town….and they likes them CHIMAIRA. This has the flavour of world domination, me thinks. > ) Sun 11/11/01 Portland, ME @ State Theatre Ah…nothing like loading in and out in the freezing cold..surprised it didn’t snow!!! This night was the night that myself and the guitar tech, Ryan, were both bit by out drum riser as we were packing it away….bit him in the ankle and it just about broke my foot. We have recovered at this time, but you know what they say…”once bitten, twice shy”…we get the stage hands to deal with that beast. Wed 11/14/01 Boston, MA @ Avalon We pull up to find that there are try-outs for the latest “Real World” on MTV next door. HA !! Hilarious….as Dave from AHC finds this an opportunity to show the crowd his birthday suit..(which, incidentally, got him arrested on the PLEDGE tour in New Jersey), while shouting..”Welcome to the REAL WORLD!!” Mixed reaction…for about 2 seconds and then the crowd went back to its cell phones and MTV starlet psycho-babble, that we so rudely interrupted with a sense of humour. what were we thinking? Boston is a hardcore town…and they are brutally frank and damn picky. CHIMAIRA has proven themselves time and again and tonite was no different. Thu 11/15/01 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory The show that almost wasn’t. As we are leaving Boston, we find ourselves in some of the most horrendous traffic this side of LA. We reach the George Washington Bridge in NEw York and there is an estimated 3 and a half hour wait to even get on the bridge. Once over the bridge ..its still another 2 and half hours to get to the club. We are being patient…but the uncertainty of making the gig is messing with our day. No one is wanting to take the day off..so we re-route ourselves as surgically as possible though some backstreets and haul ass on another freeway…only to find that this traffic thing is EVERYWHERE!! All squeezed into ONE FREEKIN LANE !! TIME IS TICKING. By the time it would have been our usual load-in..we were still 5 hours away from the club. Needless to say…we just barely made by doors. Doors were at 7pm, we show up at 6:50…unloaded as fast as possible , set-up and even did a minor sound check….as doors have been held back a bit..7:30. Ok…time to breathe and pat ourselves on the back…? Hell no…I have to go move our vehicle …mind you..at this time…the band is about to go on in 15 minutes or so…and I’m doing circles around the block trying to park an Rv with a trailer as fast and safely as possible before I am late to un-mute the monitors and be in position. I was a bit freaked as I was trying to squeeze this monstrousity thru all the people trying to park and get to the show as I’m thinking to myself..”YEA..I gotta get in there too, ya know?!?!?” But , of course, during all this madness William Orbit’s Strange Cargo 3 is playing and I am dealing with the situation..like it ain’t no thang. yea… As I’m leaving the Rv…running inside…3 minutes to spare…I can’t help but laugh at how SPINAL TAP the days events are. C’est la vie…. A very appreciative crowd in Philly….great place, lousy PA…crowd was as loony as they get. Fri 11/16/01 New York, NY @ Roseland Hmmm…is this a running theme? We find ourselves not far from Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center once stood. It is rather bizarre to stand in the midst of these tall buildings in Manhattan and picture them in flames with 737’s sticking out of them, collapsing on top of you. It is a surreal, Felliniesque moment and I have to go inside and not think about it. Somewhere along the 3 song of SLAYERS set..some dingleberry thinks its a damn good idea to throw a perfectly good, FULL, beer in to the front of house console…which causes the delicate electronics to freak a bit and go into auto-mute. This is bad. Unaware that the FOH console is temporarily shut down, SLAYER doesn’t miss a beat, until they are informed of whats going on. The board is till freekin out, shutting on and off at will…while their Sound guy, Leonard, Chimaira’s FOH and myself are doing all we can to fix the board, all the while we are in the middle of a New York metal crowd and they aren’t taking it too well. Chants of “BULLSHIT… BULLLSHIT…. BULLSHIT” were swelling around us as we are doing our best to avoid a riot. A sold out room, surprised, of about 3500 people. That could hurt. BUT!!!….A little ingenuity from all parties and the show is up and running in less than 15 minutes. * PHEW!!* Not quite ready to leave this Earth having been dismembered and eaten by a pissed off SLAYER crowd. 11/17/01 Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre T his is CHIMAIRA’s home town…and the boys are a little nervous. A pounding show, nonetheless and all systems go…literally, with an aftershow party played by Matt’s former band, Ringworm. We have a day off after an 11 show run…and what better place to have a day off that in your hometown. Heres hoping to get back to you a little sooner next time. Peace… ~ g ~

This past weekend Chimaira and Slayer and American Head Charge (on the God Hates The World Tour) played Canada. Speaking with Chimaira’s vocalist earlier, “it was fuckin amazing. Toronto and Montreal were fuckin sick…” To all of you in Canada, we salute you. Did You Know? – during one of the shows this past weekend, Mark almost slipped up and instead of saying “Canada” was about to say “Canadia” when addressing the audience. See, it all comes from some inside joke regarding our good friend Geoff mentioned previously (Spineshank’s drum tech), whom is from there. Not sure what the joke exactly is, but word is the bands always jest “Let’s go back to Canadia Land.” Maybe Geoff will shed some light on this for us, or maybe not. Anyway, Chimaira left Portland, Maine on Nov 11 for the lovely drive to New Jersey – the scene of the crime for Nov 12’s show. Figuring an average speed of 60 mph, this simple 275 mile trek should really take no more than 6 hours max, yes? Well, instead of arriving in the Garden State at 7:00am as originally anticipated, they got there at 3:30pm instead. Turns out the driver was getting his ‘nap on’ and someone made a grievous wrong turn along the way. Mark tells the morning was spent with him screaming at the top of his lungs. I know you know that Chimaira are currently pounding stages across the US with Slayer, right? Well, one of their crew is our good friend Geoff. Geoff was part of the Spineshank crew over here not all that long ago! He gets around… Anyway, Geoff was kind enough to take some time out and send us some words on how this immense tour is going… (watch out for more updates as the tour continues) Whassup all you UK wakkos!?!?!?! Geoff(4AM) here…I am out with Chimaira on the Slayer run in the States…and doing my best to send some updates from this trip when I can…so here goes…. Mon 10/29/01 New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues This day finds Chimaira newly finished with the Fear Factory, Machine Head tour and hooking up with their heroes…SLAYER !! Hell yea…I think we all are looking forward to this trip. By the way, all the Slayer cats are waaaaay kool….crew and all, this is a great way to end the year. This show was well anticipated..sold out to be exact. Fri 11/02/01 Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues We are joined by American Head Charge, an eclectic group of bombastic lunatics!! The show is quite a spectcle at this point…musically and visually. Most of this day consisted of an alligator farm next to the venue…albino and every other kind of alligator you can think of. There is footage and , most likely, it will end up on a home vid somewhere down the line. Show is off the hook as usual. Sat 11/03/01 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle This place is an old Southern Baptist church in the heart of the Bible Belt in the SOUTH!! How freekin fiting ! Looks like it has bit of the old-school New Orleans voodoo in the paintings and adornments. Wicked wicked crowd…….Chimaira, being fairly new on the scene, are being WELL recieved …there is a bit of a buzz and lots of anticipation for them…..looks like it can only get better at this point. Sun 11/04/01 Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa We are joined by none other than the boys from SYSTEM OF A DOWN and a few of the Slipknot tech’s for a night of mayhem and debauchery as we have the next 2 days off…so the partying was in full effect this night. Mild rumours that we may join System at their show at the Boathouse here in Virginia tomorrow, if not we will be there showing full support anyway….then we will be off to hook up with Slayer and AHC in Washington, DC…our nations capitol. I will get back to you lot as soon as possible….see ya soon. Geoff (4AM)

This past weekend Chimaira and Slayer and American Head Charge (on the God Hates The World Tour) played Canada. Speaking with Chimaira’s vocalist earlier, “it was fuckin amazing. Toronto and Montreal were fuckin sick…” To all of you in Canada, we salute you. Did You Know? – during one of the shows this past weekend, Mark almost slipped up and instead of saying “Canada” was about to say “Canadia” when addressing the audience. See, it all comes from some inside joke regarding our good friend Geoff mentioned previously (Spineshank’s drum tech), whom is from there. Not sure what the joke exactly is, but word is the bands always jest “Let’s go back to Canadia Land.” Maybe Geoff will shed some light on this for us, or maybe not. Anyway, Chimaira left Portland, Maine on Nov 11 for the lovely drive to New Jersey – the scene of the crime for Nov 12’s show. Figuring an average speed of 60 mph, this simple 275 mile trek should really take no more than 6 hours max, yes? Well, instead of arriving in the Garden State at 7:00am as originally anticipated, they got there at 3:30pm instead. Turns out the driver was getting his ‘nap on’ and someone made a grievous wrong turn along the way. Mark tells the morning was spent with him screaming at the top of his lungs. I know you know that Chimaira are currently pounding stages across the US with Slayer, right? Well, one of their crew is our good friend Geoff. Geoff was part of the Spineshank crew over here not all that long ago! He gets around… Anyway, Geoff was kind enough to take some time out and send us some words on how this immense tour is going… (watch out for more updates as the tour continues) Whassup all you UK wakkos!?!?!?! Geoff(4AM) here…I am out with Chimaira on the Slayer run in the States…and doing my best to send some updates from this trip when I can…so here goes…. Mon 10/29/01 New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues This day finds Chimaira newly finished with the Fear Factory, Machine Head tour and hooking up with their heroes…SLAYER !! Hell yea…I think we all are looking forward to this trip. By the way, all the Slayer cats are waaaaay kool….crew and all, this is a great way to end the year. This show was well anticipated..sold out to be exact. Fri 11/02/01 Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues We are joined by American Head Charge, an eclectic group of bombastic lunatics!! The show is quite a spectcle at this point…musically and visually. Most of this day consisted of an alligator farm next to the venue…albino and every other kind of alligator you can think of. There is footage and , most likely, it will end up on a home vid somewhere down the line. Show is off the hook as usual. Sat 11/03/01 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle This place is an old Southern Baptist church in the heart of the Bible Belt in the SOUTH!! How freekin fiting ! Looks like it has bit of the old-school New Orleans voodoo in the paintings and adornments. Wicked wicked crowd…….Chimaira, being fairly new on the scene, are being WELL recieved …there is a bit of a buzz and lots of anticipation for them…..looks like it can only get better at this point. Sun 11/04/01 Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa We are joined by none other than the boys from SYSTEM OF A DOWN and a few of the Slipknot tech’s for a night of mayhem and debauchery as we have the next 2 days off…so the partying was in full effect this night. Mild rumours that we may join System at their show at the Boathouse here in Virginia tomorrow, if not we will be there showing full support anyway….then we will be off to hook up with Slayer and AHC in Washington, DC…our nations capitol. I will get back to you lot as soon as possible….see ya soon. Geoff (4AM)

Pass Out Of Existence is out now and available on CD for around 퉌£11.99 from the following retailers: HMV, Virgin – 퉌£2 off with voucher in Kerrang! (issue 3/10), MVC, Andys and all good Indies. The final tracklisting for ‘Pass Out Of Existence’ is: Let Go Dead Inside Severed Lumps Pass Out Of Existence Abeo Split Painting The White To Grey Taste My… Rizzo (with Stephen Carpenter of the Deftones) Sphere Forced Life Options Jade Without Moral Restraint (B-side) Fascination Street (B-side – this is a Cure cover) The band has posted 5 live tracks from their January 30, 2001 show at New York City’s CBGB’s at www.mp3.com/CHIMAIRA. The five tracks are as follows – “Sphere”, TPD”, “Severed”, “Dead Inside”, and “Forced Life”.

Here’s the answers to a few questions from fans of Chimaira posted to the RR US site… 1) First of all, I’d like to extend all the respect in the world to Chimaira. Words can’t describe the ferocity of your music…for heavy music fans, it’s heaven. Thanks for having the guts to play what you want and what you like regardless of what the general public would like you to believe is popular. My question is this: One of the studio update pics posted on your site showed Corey Taylor in attendance. Did any collaboration with him take place? Thanks! – Adam S. Mark-No, there was not enough time, maybe on the next record! For now it was important to us just to establish a friendship, rather then bug him to be on the record. 2) I am a long time fan and buddies with your friends Sw1tched!! I got a chance to hang with em in Chicago!! I want to know: Who are your two biggest influences for the KICK ASS music you guys play?? Thanks a lot and hope to see ya on the road. – Luke S Mark-Our influences stem from many things. While recording the record we listened to a lot of different types of music. Some of the bands we listened to were Mad Season, Massive Attack, Portishead, Candiria, and Mudvayne. Most of the time being cramped up in the studio, you are forced to only listen to your band, anything, even Nelly is better then hearing your own music after a while. 3) This may be a little out of the ordinary, but seeing how you guys are now officially signed with Roadrunner I was hoping they would up your merchandise and other things…. Think that will happen? And – stemming from that question… I’ve been wanting to add a Chimaira logo to the back windshield of my car. I mean a huge, translucent one that would take up a good half of the window? Any way that would be possible? Thanks – Jon V Mark-You will see Chimaira merch and other items on the Blue Grape/Roadrunner site in the future, as for a big sticker? yes we will make those as well. 4) When will touring for you guys begin, and who will you be touring with? Tim B Mark-Touring will start in June. Now that we are home we are steadily practicing. We are unsure who we will be going out with at this time, just keep checking www.chimaira.com for all the latest info. 5) So what’s the story on the hidden track on your EP… I’m sure there’s something to be told about that one… – “satan’s wizard” Mark-When we were recording This Present Darkness, we got a little slap happy one day during intense tracking. Ben Schigel of Sw1tched was producing the record and to lighten up the situation, he started acting like he was in Helloween and just went nuts. We recorded him with a video camera and just thought it would be amusing for you all to hear. He added the fake crowd noise, and the funny thing about that was people actually thought that was a real live show and that we acted like that -riiiiiiiiight. Ben also pronounced our name wrong intentionally during it, so now a lot of people think that is how we pronounce the band name -for the record it is kim-ear-ugh. 6) What’s up guys…My names rezin, I saw you guys in Detroit with Sepultura/Hatebreed…You guys made a hell of a first impression on me…I was just wondering how it was working with Stef from the Deftones? Did he teach you guys anything that you don’t already know? Can’t wait to see you fucks with Spineshank this summer…PEACE… -Deftones Teething Mark-Working with Stef was great, he really did not teach us anything, he just wanted to jam and that is what we did. 7) Hey guys, you’re great, just have a quick question. What do you guys think the main difference is between Pass out of Existence and This Present Darkness, music wise? Thanx guys, can’t wait to hear the new one. -Abomb Mark-The main difference is maturity. Together, with the help of Mudrock, we were able to grow and pull together as a band and try things we have never tried before. We know it has taken forever to get this record out, and we really wanted to make sure it was worth the wait. 8) My question is about the mood of the record. As I had heard from the song “dead inside” (which I first heard off of the Loud side sampler, forever ago) I noticed a true individualized intenseness, that was not only raw and mood-setting, but hit me in such a way that no other band has hit me before. I just want to know, does this song mark the true mood of the upcoming album? or is this merely a teaser, that only show’s a little bit of your true intensity, that we will hopefully hear on the album? thanks a bunch, hope to hear something back?—-Jon Mark-Well I would have to say that it is a teaser. There is one thing this record contains and that is intensity like you described. Dead inside is a great example, but it is not the only song like that. If you think about it, it could be one of the tamest songs on the record, it all depends on how you look at it. 9) Hey, what did you guys change in the new version of Sphere and Painting the White to Grey? Those were two of my favorite songs and I’m eagerly waiting to find out what’s been done to make em better… -Deepman Mark-We did not change much at all, Chris added some new gimmicks to it just to make it sound more like chimaira 2001 rather then chimaira 1999 10) I saw Chimaira play live last year in Newark, NJ at some really small, cramped venue called QXT’s. I was wondering how it feels to go from playing at places like this to then be put on Farmclub and eventually signed to Roadrunner, a major label. It must have affected the band in some way, be it musically or attitude-wise, because the change is so enormous and apparent. Later, Jarrett Mark-Nothing has changed us, we will still play clubs like that, we have more fun at small clubs anyway, it is more intense and more in your face. 11) Hey what’s goin on? I was just wondering what kind of tuning and equipment you guys use? Also you guys fucking rule. I used to live up in Akron two years and then I moved to Orlando and found out about you guys. I was so pissed to find out that you guys were Strongsville and I never heard of you guys. Well I wish you guys the best of luck and have a good time finishing the record. – Josh Mark-We tune low string to high a,e,a,d,g,b,e..we use ESP guitars and basses and Yamaha DG heads with Mesa Boogie Cabinets. Ampeg heads, SWR cabinets, Tama drums and Zildjian Cymbals, Roland and Korg electronics. 12) what is your ultimate goal as a band? -Metalhed2012 Mark-To get our music out to anyone that will listen and care. 13) Who is everybody’s individual favorite band on roadrunner? -J Koff Mark-Well since I can’t get a hold of anyone else in the band, I will lay it down the best I know. Hager-Fear Factory, Chris-Slipknot, Rob-Deicide, Andols-Machine Head, Me-Sepultura(with Max, although I love the new stuff too), Jim-Spineshank. It is very hard to pick a favorite. 14) first off i want to say you guys are awesome, and here’s my question – i heard you started a riot in Worcester and know you can’t play there unless you apologize. are you going to apologize cause i would really like to see you guys live -sonic the hedgehog Mark-Well as luck would have it, we no longer deal with the promoters that told us to apologize. We deal with their boss now, so we will play Mass again and no we will not apologize for something we should not apologize for. 15) I saw a picture of mark playing guitar. Does he contribute guitar riffs to the band? Also, How do the guitarist’s jump around on stage like that and still keep their riffs clean? When I jump around with my guitar, I tend to get sloppy! -Tom C Mark-Rob and I write 90% of the music for Chimaira. I am not sure how they pull it off, doing a lot of concerts I would imagine, there really is no secret. 16) I’m dying to see you guys live sometime, but if you could tour with any band, which one would you like to play with?? -Nick Mark-Although it will never happen, Alice In Chains, but any band that will let us get on the road with them would be a great honor to us. 17) What up?? This is Jon from the Cleveland based band FedUp. My question for the Chimaira boys is how did they go about getting such a heavy following around here. We’re doing all right, but we’re still having more friends show up than fans. Numbers are increasing, but we’re really not sure how to get new people to show up. We feel our music appeals very well to the whole hardcore scene, and just was wondering if there were any pointers that you could point out to another Cleveland band looking to make strides like you have. Thanks. -Fed Up Mark-The way we got our fanbase around here was simple. Give the people what they want, good music and for free. We also stayed away from the cliched things that Cleveland bands do, like worrying about getting in scene or playing with all the local favorites. We got out on our own, and we did everything on our own. We owe nothing to anyone but our fans from Cleveland, and we are proud of that. Once we started getting popular around the area a lot of big guns came into help like radio and Belkin, so we are grateful for that. Basically, get your music out to every one you can, and don’t worry about anything but that. Go to every show and just get your name out there, go to Columbus, and Toledo as well don’t just focus on your region. 18) I want to know what current bands Chimaira listens to? -Jon Mark-Once again, I will have to speak on what I see ‘God Forbid, Dragonheart, Nonpoint, Mudvayne, Fear Factory, Anyone, Mad Season, Tool, Sw1tched, Spineshank, Puya, Alice In Chains, In Flames, Shadow’s Fall, Hatebreed, Portishead, Twisted Sister, and about 500 others. 19) hey, I was just wondering if the rumors that Chimaira will be doing a few shows with Deftones this summer are true or not… -Brandon D Mark-You never know, although nothing is confirmed at this time, it would be a great honor to us. 20) Hey guys, what’s up? My name is Nate, I’m from Scarborough, ME. I started listening to your stuff last year…….I want to extend my congratulations to you on your signing to Roadrunner Records and your achievements in your music thus far. You guys are doing a kickass job and are providing a lot of inspiration to myself and my band Dysrhythm. I am totally looking forward to the Pass Out Of Existence Release at the end of August. My question is about the tracklisting on new album. Do you intend to include the song “TPD”? I know its not on the list on your website but I was just wondering what happened to it. I heard that song for the first time today, actually, from the live stuff you have on mp3.com…..I think it kicked total ass! So what is “TPD”‘s status in your set? Well, thanks for your time and music……..hope to see you live when you hit New England this fall!!!! Fan and fellow musician, Nate J Mark-We did not re record it because we think it sounds fine on the EP. The other songs however needed some work. We will always play Present live. 21) I listened to your demo for “Dead Inside” and I have to say that I’m looking forward to “Pass Out Of Existence” more than anything else right now, and that includes even the new albums from Slipknot and VOD. I was wondering what your musical influences are, because I picked up a death metal vibe when I first listened to “Dead,” but I heard a more hardcore sound when I checked your live MP3s. Nevertheless, it’s unexplainably good stuff. I was just hoping you could explain it. – Manikld Mark-We are really into death metal and hardcore, but we do not limit ourselves to just those styles when we write. You will hear a lot more when you listen to Pass Out then just typical hardcore/death metal, metal core whatever you want to call it. 22) Thanks for answering guys…I really appreciate your music too….it is madness. – How old were you when you started playing drums Andols? Definitely the best drummer I have ever heard. – Also andols…in Refuse to see….at approx. 50 – 53seconds in you have this real fat bad like slow hi hat type thing going…..i would stayed with that for a few more riffs then kicked in the fast beat…sounds mad….anyway thanks for your time keep on with the audible insanity. matt from australia. Andols-I started playing when I was 8, I am 21 now. Thank you for the compliment, but I do not agree when you say I am the best. 23) I heard that Rob the former singer from the Portland, Maine based band COLEPITZ was going to have a guest spot on the new Chimaira record. I have been a big fan of both bands for a couple of years and was wondering if there was any truth to this. Thanks – Steve Doody Mark-Rob came out to hang with us, but unfortunately there was not enough time to get him a guest spot. Fear not, he will be doing something with us in the future. 24) first you guys kick ass but i was wondering if you guys were considering or already scheduled to do either tattoo the earth or the pledge of allegiance tour? -Mohammad Ali Mark-We are not confirmed for anything at this time, when we know what is up, you will know what is up. You will see us a lot this year though, once we start touring, we do not plan on stopping for a while. 25) Why were songs like Silence, Gag, Refuse to See, and This Present Darkness dropped? Will Vexation still be there to open the album with? Will you guys still be playing these songs on the road? – dedicated fan, – Kapil G. of Hostile Mark-Those songs were not dropped, just written during periods of when we were finding ourselves as a band. The reason they are not on the new record is because we feel the songs on the new one are 1000 times stronger and better. Also, you already have all those songs, don’t you want knew ones anyway? hahah Mark-Thank you all for writing great questions, and for the amazing compliments. I hope you got the answers you were looking for. I also want to thank you on behalf of the rest of Chimaira for all of the love and support you have shown. See you on the road pass out of existence August 20th. Interesting Fact – to get the properly pissed attitude whilst recording vocals, Mark is “basically in a hole” as he describes. It is kind of the equivalent of being in a broom closet. Mark adds “no one can see me and I can’t see anybody. It’s a very good atmosphere to do vocals in.” This “hole” is equipped with a spit bucket. Apparently Mark spits a lot while singing, so the bucket was one luxury item he afforded himself to bring into the “hole” with him. Check out www.antimtv.com for some great live photos of the band shot at their show with Soulfly in Cleveland, Ohio in the US on March 4th.

Did You Know? Chad Kroeger is officially the first artist ever to have four tracks in the top 10 on the US heritage rock radio audience chart simultaneously. The four songs are as follows: Nickelback’s “Never Again” (#9), “Too Bad” (#6) and “How You Remind Me” (#7), along with Chad’s “Hero” (#3). Sham. For those of you who are unaware, ‘heritage rock’ is basically what one would call a ‘classic rock’ station…you know, Boston, Cream, Led Zep…and now, Nickelback. Classic rock in current times. Classic. 29/7/02: Did you know? “Hero” was recently nominated for a US MTV Video Music Award for “Best Video From A Film.” 15/7/02: When you are checking out the movie trailers for Stuart Little 2 be sure to watch out for the Spiderman parody version. You’ll spot ‘Hero’ playing in the background! US Chart Update: Hot 100 Chart – #3, Hot 100 Airplay Chart – #3, Modern Rock – #5, Mainstream Rock – #3, Adult Contemporary – #4, Adult Top 40 – #5 with bullet, and Top 40 – #4 with bullet! And ‘Hero’ is still hanging around the UK charts too – just outside the top 10 at #11. As for Ireland, ‘Hero’ holding tight at #4. 8/7/02: The latest on US Radio from the Billboard charts: still moving up! Number 3 (with a bullet) – Hot 100 Singles and Number 3 (with a bullet) – Hot 100 Airplay. What else? Still in the UK Top 10. Double the number of plays last week to the week before on VH1 and The Eagle in Guildford… and continuing to be shown on the Pepsi Chart Show. Don’t forget to cast your vote for Chad in this year’s Kerrang Awards on the K! website. They’re accepting worldwide votes we believe so exercise your democratic right and make your opinion known. Chad Kroeger and music mogul Jonathan Simkin have joined forces to create a production company licensed under Roadrunner Records, 604 Records. The Canadian duo aims to seek out and develop undiscovered talent in the music world not only in North America, but globally. As Nickelback’s attorney, Simkin has been working with Kroeger for almost 7 years. Simkin states, í¢ä‰åñChad and I are doing something we are passionate about and enjoy. Not only do we get to directly participate in the production of new talent, but we also get to explore both the creative and business forces behind it. It is extremely rewarding.í¢ä‰åŒ The first signing to this company is Theory of a Deadman, a band that garnered attention by Kroeger and Simkin with its unparalleled capacity for songwriting. In a scene that is preoccupied with creating a specific sound, Theory’s frontman Tyler Connelly has a unique gift for sculpting poetic lyricism and relaying stories in his songs- situations which he may not have necessarily experienced firsthand, but convincingly writes about. The founders were also moved by the band’s live presence – it’s seemingly rare these days that a band can generate an album where every song is appealing and for that band to effectively execute such songs on stage. First stop, Theory Of A Deadman this summer. Did You Know? The ‘604’ in ‘604 Records’ comes from an area code up there in Canada. True. 21/6/02: We told you that Hero was #4 in Ireland last week. Take note: Hero is #3 in Ireland this week!! Silver Side Up still hanging in there at #8 too doncha know. 18/6/02: Wondering how ‘Hero’ is doing in the USA? We’ve got a few chart positions to share with ya. Point to note: a ‘bullet’ in this case, refers to a big jump – sorta like a highest climber ranking. Read ’em and weep: Hot 100 – #12 with bullet, Hot 100 Airplay – #12 with bullet, Modern Rock Radio – #1 with bullet, Mainstream Rock Radio – #1 with bullet, Adult Contemporary Radio – #3, Adult Top 40 Radio – #14 with bullet, and Top 40 Radio – #15 with bullet! That’s a lot of bullets to be sure. ‘Hero’ is OUT NOW. The song is featured in the Spiderman movie! The tracklisting for the single is: 1.’Hero (Movie Version)’ 2.’Hero (Gold Mix)’ 3.Theory Of A Dead Man ‘Invisible Man’ 4.’Hero (video)’ Available on CD (퉌£3.99) and cassette (퉌£1.99) from Woolworths, HMV, Virgin, VShop, Sanity, Our Price, Asda, Tescos, WHSmith, and all good indies. 17/6/02: Happy to report that ‘Hero’ crashed into the Irish and UK singles charts at number 4! What was higher besides The King (JXL/Elvis)? Kylie Minogue and Sophie Ellis Bexter. Interesting point #1: Most sales of Hero took place on Friday/Saturday (not during the England-Denmark world cup match though we bet). Interesting point #2: Sales were best in Scotland, the South West, Wales & the South. Interesting point #3: Of the stores selling ‘Hero’, Safeway, Tescos & WHSmiths rankest highest. More charts: ‘Hero’ also climbed 2 more places on the UK radio airplay chart to #24. Speaking of radio play, if you live in the London area you might have noticed you heard Hero much more last week on Capital FM as plays nearly doubled! As for TV, Hero has now been ‘A’ listed at MTV UK, MTV2, and MTV Hits! VH1 have moved the video up to their ‘B’ list too… and you can catch the video again on the Pepsi Chart Show this week. Or just go watch the new Spiderman movie. 13/6/02: So, what’s new? Hero is now on the ‘A’ playlist at UK Play TV, and will be played on the Pepsi Chart Show, Newsround, and Popworld (on Sunday) this week – tune in and check it out. It’s also been added to the ‘hitlist’ at Capital FM Radio, and is picking up plays on The Box faster than I can type. We’re sure you’ve been hearing this alot more on the radio recently as Hero has jumped from #41 on the UK airplay chart last week to #26 this week! Not to mention that ‘Spiderman’ hits movie screens across the country this week too… for which Hero is the lead tune. You can check out a few photographs from the video shoot in the gallery. The Latest From The UK: As of today, 30 May, we are pleased to report that Hero has been moved up the Radio 1 playlist, to the ‘B’ list. Roll on the ‘A’. You can also select the video for Hero on The Box (selection #425), QTV (selection #425 ) and Smash Hits TV (selection #425). The Latest From The USA: Moving on up those charts: Hot 100 Chart – #28 with a bullet, and Hot 100 Airplay – #29 with a bullet. So check this out: though not a Nickelback song per say, “Hero” was written and performed by Chad Kroeger. That being said, along with the Nickelback proper songs “How You Remind Me” and “Too Bad”, the 3 combined mark the 1st Time In Rock History that 3 songs sung by the same person were simultaneously in the top 10 on the radio rock charts. True. Did You Know? The fastest ascent to the #2 spot at Modern Rock thus far this year goes to “Hero”, which reached that benchmark during its 5th chart week. To find a quicker jump to #2, one would have to go back exactly one year in time when Weezer’s “Hash Pipe” went to #2 in only 4 weeks. Shim Sham. However, the #2 spot is now old news – word came down this morning that “Hero” is now #1 at the modern rock format. This now means that all three of the above tracks (not including the Weezer song, this is a Chad/Nickelback update) have held a #1 position at one point in time on at least one of the rock radio formats. True. VIDEO! Not managed to see the awesome video for Hero on TV yet? You can now check it out online in the VIDEO section. Written and performed by Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) and also features Josey Scott (Saliva). The video for the track was shot on March 24th with Nigel Dick directing. You can even see the lovely Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire in it, as the video contains clips from the forthcoming Spiderman movie! 27/5: Hero is still climbing the UK airplay chart – currently # 68 this week and rising… watch out for super cool Spiderman/Hero postcards coming soon to 260 UK cinemas… speaking of cinemas, through June you’ll be able to see the video for Hero playing on Carlton screens in foyers of Odeon, ABC, UCI, and indie cinemas! Hero currently running on the A list for maximum play at Capital FM radio… sitting at #2 on the Kerrang! TV chart…. and holding #3 on The Box. Radio 1 have playlisted Hero this week, we’ve heard it going out on the Sara Cox breakfast show already. Tune in, get requesting, and check it out!! 20/5: In ‘Hero’ radio & TV news, the song has been added to the Capital FM radio playlist this week! You can also catch it on MTV Hits, The Box, VH1, UK Play, Total Rock, Kerrang! TV, and Q TV amongst others! In the UK radio airplay chart, Hero has jumped from #152 last week to #75 this week and it’s continuing to climb rapidly as radio stations catch on to this cool song! Hero is currently #3 on the Kerrang! TV chart, and having debuted on The Box at #10, it’s currently #3 there too! 14/5: Word From Abroad… Hero is #66 on the US Hot 100 Airplay chart in its 1st week. It is also #69 (Hot Shot Debut) on the US Hot 100 chart in its 1st week. Expect that airplay chart number to rise rapidly over the next few weeks! The US Hot 100 chart is calculated on sales as well as airplay so the chart position earned by Hero is purely on airplay, as the USA is not commercially releasing the song as a single! NUMBER ONE IN CANADA… Well, word from Canada is that the commercial release of Chad’s song “Hero” debuted at #1 on the Canadian Top 100 Soundscan chart! Congrats Chad & Josey! Wanna see the video? You can check it out on Kerrang! TV selection # 431 and on The Box as #425.

RECORD BREAKING… Spider-Man has become the first film to hit 100 million dollars (about 퉌£71 million) in its first weekend in America. The live-action adaptation starring Tobey Maguire as the Marvel Comics web-slinger shattered box-office records with a $114 million debut, surpassing the previous best of $90.3 million taken in by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone during its first three days last autumn. With 퉌£39.3 million on Friday and $43.7 million on Saturday, director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man also beat the single-day record of $33.5 million set by Harry Potter in its second day, according to studio figures today. “Not in our wildest expectations or dreams” did the filmmakers anticipate such demand for “Spider-Man,” said Amy Pascal, head of Sony’s Columbia Pictures, which released the film. “I don’t think there’s a distribution record in history that hasn’t been shattered,” said Jeff Blake, Sony president of worldwide marketing and distribution. “That 100 million dollars opening weekend has always been sort of a great white whale of the movie business. To have Spider-Man capture it is just thrilling.” Source: www.ananova.com Keep an eye out on MTV & MTV2 from Monday for they will be exclusively showing the video for Hero until Friday! The song is also playlisted in the UK by Virgin and Total Rock Radio! While you’re surfing, be sure to check out the official Spiderman movie website at www.spiderman-themovie.co.uk. Like this song? Wanna help us promote it? Live in England, Wales, Scotland, or Ireland? Join our Chad Kroeger e-team! For more info and to sign up go to our STREET TEAM section.

In the USA, “HERO” has been added to over 130 radio stations in its first week of impact! This power ballad of the ages has catapulted it to the top of all 3 Rock Radio Formats (Modern Rock, Active Rock and Mainstream Rock). The video premiered on both US MTV and VH1 this week.

“HERO” is a collaboration between Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, Saliva’s Josey Scott, Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron and Theory of a Deadman’s Tyler Connolly. The “HERO” excitement began before the release was even recorded, with early rumours on who would be featured on this major track. The buzz continued to grow after the song was recorded in Vancouver in late March long before official radio dates, programmers latched onto the buzz and actively sought out the track. Chad Kroeger, lead singer/guitarist of the quadruple platinum powerhouse, Nickelback, is the mastermind behind the construction and production of this epic song. The inspiration for the song stems from the phrase, “I am so high I can hear heaven,” once told to him by a friend atop a mountain. Chad took the phrase and put together the song “Hero” that would hit the airwaves with the power of a tropical tsunami. To his credit, Chad has 5 hit songs under his belt with Nickelback including the record breaking smash, “How You Remind Me”. Josey Scott, frontman of hard rock band, Saliva, whose Island Records debut, Every Six Seconds, was released in 2001 lends his vocal harmonies to the “HERO” track. Saliva was honored with a Grammy nomination for “Your Disease” from Every Six Seconds, and the album is currently approaching platinum status. “The moment I heard ití¢ä‰åŒ_ I wanted Chad’s song,” expresses Josey Scott when asked about working with Chad on the “HERO” single. “It was only supposed to be Josey and I, and then it was one thing that fell into place after another,” comments Chad on the additions of Matt Cameron (Soundgarden drummer) and Tyler Connolly (Theory of a Deadman guitarist) to the line up that recorded “HERO”. And here are the lyrics… so you will be able to sing along with your radio! HERO: I am so high I can hear heaven I am so high I can hear heaven Oh but heaven, no heaven, don’t hear me And they say that a hero could save us I’m not gonna stand here and wait I hold on to the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away. Someone told me love would all save us How could that be Look what love gave us A world full of killing and blood spilling that world never came And they say that a hero could save us I’m not gonna stand here and wait I hold on to the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away. And now that the world isn’t ending It’s love that I’m sending to you It isn’t the love of a hero And that’s why I fear it won’t do And they say that a hero could save us I’m not gonna stand here and wait I hold on to the wings of the eagles Watch as we all fly away. And they’re watching us…watching us Watching usí¢ä‰åŒ_ as we all fly away and they’re watching us… they’re watching us – Watching us as we all fly away