CHIMAIRA COMING ALIVE THIS JULY
We’ve known that Chimaira and filmmaker Todd Bell were working on a new full-length DVD pretty much since the recording of The Infection – heck, we’ve even seen a small preview of its contents. But now that DVD has a name, a release day, and – bonus! – a CD component: Coming Alive will be released on July 20 via Ferret. In addition to a new four-part, Bell-directed documentary that covers a year and a half in the life of the band, the DVD will feature a concert film of the band’s tenth annual Chimaira Christmas hometown show from this past December, the awesome “Making of Resurrection” doc that was part of the bonus DVD for that album, plus a documentary made up of forty minutes of home video footage. And, oh yeah, then there’s that CD, which is the audio from the Chimaira Christmas concert.
If you’ve never seen any of Bell’s prior collaborations with Chimaira – like the aforementioned making-of for Resurrection, or last year’s one for The Infection – well, you’re missing out. They’re honest and insightful documentaries that really convey a you-are-there feeling. Because Bell is there with the band while they’re going through whatever they’re going through at that moment, you’re never rarely just watching talking head interviews or looking at archival footage; you’re actually getting to watch a story unfold. It’s awesome. The last full-length Bell did with the group, The Dehumanizing Process, was really one of the best portrayals of a struggling young band I’ve ever seen. Like that DVD, Coming Alive takes its name from a song on Chimaira’s most recent release; but there’s obviously a waaaaaaaaay different tone to this title, which, along with some of the lyrical themes on The Infection, leads me to believe that Chimaira are a lot happier now than they used to be. So this should be a very different animal from its predecessor.
Chimaira are one of the best, if not the best, reasons to go to Mayhem this summer, and before that tour kicks off, they’ll be doing some dates by themselves and some dates with their Mayhem-mates, Shadows Fall. You can get the complete Chimaira tour itinerary here here. And shortly around the launch of that trek, we’ll have a new interview with vocalist Mark Hunter. Get stoked.
-AR
