Riff Police! Pull Over! #119: Chimaira Vs Pantera!

Back in 2011, Cleveland Ohio bruisers Chimaira were down to the last man standing in vocalist Mark Hunter. A gradual exodus of members started with bassist Jim LaMarca in 2010 before drummer Andols Herrick did likewise. The band regrouped with “The Age of Hell” but soon the writing was on the wall with guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold exiting stage left after Chimaira Christmas ’11. Hunter still wished to continue the band and with drummer Austin D’Amond be went on to recruit Dirge Within guitarist Matt Szlachta as well as trio Emil Werstler (guitars) Jeremy Creamer (bass) and Sean Zatorsky (Keys) from Dååth to complete a new line up. Collectively they managed a single album together in “Crown Of Phantoms“, a beast of a record produced by long time collaborator Ben Schigel.

Opening cut “The Machine“, as with the rest of the album, leans heavily on the traditional Chimaira influences as the culmination of three years of upheaval plays out on the record in typical fashion. The Groove that had served them so well on previous records is present but you may notice that the riff of that opening track is very similar to that of “Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)” by Pantera. There is little doubt that Pantera were an influence on Chimaira, Dååth and Dirge Within and “The Great Southern Trend Kill” is up there has yet another moment of Pantera magic, this time from 1996.