Regardless of the insanely low temperatures, there was one thing that pierced the air near the Strip District that Pittsburgh hadn’t experienced in quite some time: a hard hitting metal tour led by none other than the great Chimaira. The band kicked of 2014 by announcing their headlining “Celebrate the Chaos” tour, which includes some pretty chaotic bands on the bill as support. (Fit for an Autopsy, Reflections, Oceano, and I Wrestled a Bear Once)
The show opened up with two local bands playing, and well, let’s all be happy they weren’t a notion of things to come for the night. I’m not sure if it was ill preparation or just the pressure of opening for some stellar acts, but the locals dropped the ball on this one. They seemed to have problems of every sort…from instrument difficulties, to long stuttering pauses in between songs, and what seemed to be nerves in their voices, regardless if it was during clean vocals or demon like screams. The verdict? Weaksauce.
Following the openers, Reflections stepped up and took control of the venue and everyone in it. By the midway point of the opening song they managed to have the whole floor turn into a huge mosh pit full of flying elbows and spin kicks. Continuing the barrage were Fit for an Autopsy and Oceano…two very heavy metal bands who both put on a good show filled with hard hitting guitar riffs and demon like “pig squeal” vocals that really got the crowd out of their shell and into circle pit after circle pit. But let’s not forget to mention the two bands everyone came for, I Wrestled a Bear Once and Chimaira. If you haven’t seen IWABO live, put it on your bucket list because you are missing out on some technical guitar riffs, unique female vocals, and their ability to connect with every single person in the crowd during and in between songs.
There is a reason Chimaira have been around for Fifteen years and are still going strong. Not only did they have an innovative style that set them above every other band of the new wave American Metal, but they possess an array of songs that enable them to put on a clinic. From Mark Hunter’s (vocalist) intensity on stage to their ear piercing guitar riffs, they leave their presence known before the first song is over. While on this tour you can expect Chimaira to play songs off their most recent release “Crown of Phantoms,” to the old-school favorites “Resurrection,” “Power Trip,” and even “Pure Hatred.” This tour is still in its early stages so check out the dates when it comes to a city near you. Oh yeah, brush off your moshing boots and go to a show, because a tour this badass doesn’t come around very often!
© Logan Rendulic, The Rock Tribune 2014
Chimaira, a set by logan.rocktribune on Flickr.
The Rock Tribune 