Everyone Quits Chimaira

Oy.

The four remaining members of Chimaira who are not vocalist Mark Hunter have all followed lead guitarist Emil Werstler out the door. Drummer Austin D’Amond, keyboardist Sean Zatorsky, guitarist Matt Szlachta and bassist Jeremy Creamer issued a collective statement to The PRP last night:

“In light of recent news, the rest of the band have decided to part ways with Chimaira. For us this was a great stepping stone, and an honor to play these songs live, and fulfill an incredible legacy. This was an an excellent platform to help continue playing music, when our collective bands [Dååth, Bleed the Sky and Dirge Within] either ended or went on a hiatus. Chimaira was an amazing experience and we look forward to future music endeavors with each other.”

Sources tell MetalSucks that the band’s just-completed (almost literally: it ended this past Saturday!) tour with The Plot In You, Upon This Dawning, Allegaeon, and Silence The Messenger was very poorly attended. We can assume that this was a factor in the dissolution of the band, although whether or not it was the sole reason for everyone’s departure remains to be seen.

As of this writing, Hunter has yet to issue any sort of response. The most recent message on Chimaira’s Facebook page, posted on August 26, is an upbeat solicitation for the aforementioned tour, while the most recent tweet from Hunter, posted on September 1 — two days after the tour ended — is about a McDonald’s employee’s inability to do basic arithmetic without the aid of a calculator. Tonally, these messages don’t suggest that there was any behind-the-scenes drama taking place within the band, but again, who knows.

I do think that this message Hunter tweeted the day after the tour ended is potentially telling, though:

“If you don’t like what you’re doing, you can always pick up your needle and move to another groove.” – Timothy Leary

— Mark Hunter (@chimairamark) August 31, 2014

A prophecy of this week’s events, or merely an unfortunate coincidence? We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.