“OH MY GOD! How fuckin’ amazing are Chimaira? Well let me tell ya. If you missed out on their tour around the UK then you have really missed out. But if you did manage to go then you were in for a real treat. I went to see them in Cardiff Engine Rooms and wow, the venue was tiny! I stood outside waiting with the other street-teamers eagerly waiting to get inside and meet the band. It was freezing cold and we could hear the band sound-checking for what seemed like hours! We eventually got in for the meet and greet and managed to talk with the band for about 10 minutes and I got both their albums signed and I got pics with band. As soon as this had finished we were whisked back outside where I met up with some mates and began queuing again! As soon as I got inside I made sure that I was right at the front against the barrier and that’s where I stayed for most of the evening! Every Time I Die kicked off the gig. As I hadn’t really heard much from them before I wasn’t sure what to expect, but wow they were truly amazing and blew me away! I was quite shocked as well because there was a guy standing next to me and he sang EVERY single word to all the songs they played and then he disappeared off as soon as Chimaira came on! Anyway, Chimaira’s set was gut-busting. ‘Implements of Destruction’ could be heard roaring around the building as the band came on stage and then they suddenly burst into ‘Power trip’ with Mark’s vocals piercing all ear drums within the radius of several miles around the building! It was an awesome set, much better than the one at Roadrage because they played for much longer (about an hour and a half). They mostly played songs from their new album such as ‘Cleansation’, ‘The Impossibility Of Reason’, ‘Pictures In The Gold Room’, ‘Eyes Of A Criminal’ and ‘Army Of Me’, but I was glad because they also played songs from their first album like ‘Let Go’, ‘Dead Inside’ and ‘Severed’. Now then, half way through the song ‘Severed’ the whole band went silent and all the lights went out and a spotlight focused in on their new and brilliant drummer-Ricky Evansand-then he burst into a 5 minute plus drum solo which was indescribably amazing! The gig was so thrilling that I didn’t want it to end and as it finished I could hardly breath because it got incredibly hot in there. As the doors opened at the end you could see clouds of sweat bursting out into the air! It was definitely worth it! All I can say is CHIMAIRA. Truly amazing.” Jonny Bayes