Written by:	D.T. Metal
Published:	October 02, 2013
Event:	Chimaira: Crown Of Phantoms North American Tour 2013
Location:	Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Galleries:	Chimaira, Threat Signal - Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, USA - 13th August 2013 by D.T. Metal (30)

August in sunny and warm Colorado and by midafternoon a line to get into the Black Sheep already had formed; nice! But to be honest, this was no surprise to me since when Chimaira is in town, the place is usually hopping.

Since I have seen Chimaira a whole bunch over the years and (un)fortunately with all types of different line-ups, I was wondering who I would see on stage this time around. Luckily the members haven't changed that much from last time, with Matt Szlachta (ex-The Bloodline-when it was still Dirge Within) and, besides Sean Zatorsky on keys, yet another Dååth member, bassist Jeremy Creamer, being the only new additions. Well, in all fairness, Emil Werstler (Dååth) was plucking the 4 string last time and now switched back to guitars once Rob Arnold left.

Chimaira anno 2013 in a nutshell: founder and front screamer Mark Hunter, three members from Dååth, the aforementioned ex-Dirge Within dude and Bleed The Sky's Austin D'Amond on drums - seriously, google (or check here on Metal Storm) their line-up changes over the years - wow. BUT, despite the fact that the personnel changed over the years, Chimaira is still a force to be reckoned with and will kick your ass live. Period!

(Also check out my interview with Mark Hunter in which he talks about the musical effect of the new line-up)

Anyways - before Chimaira had the chance to rip Colorado Springs a new one, the support bands on the bill did an awesome job to get the audience in the right mood. After the local opener, Tampa's own Dark Sermon took the stage. Not bad, and after I figured out WHY the name sounded so familiar - they were also on the Barge To Hell cruise last year, I could kick myself for missing them TWICE on the boat. Oh well, we learn from our mistakes, right? And The Browning were up next, but due to ? hmmm, ? honestly I can't remember why I missed their set; but I did. Moving on.

Threat Signal finally made it into Colorado Springs right before they were supposed to hit the stage. Due to a small break down or simply not leaving early enough the day prior to get into town; whichever the case was, they were very late but were ready to shred. AGAIN - I also had the opportunity to see them live on another cruise (the 2013 edition of 70000 Tons Of Metal) and totally missed them. At least that time around I didn't miss out since I had seen them a couple times before. (I had a short chat with the band after their gig and will post it as soon as I get my a** into gear)

Threat Signal was still touring in support of their self-titled album which came out in - 2011. Alrighty then, but in their defense, the line-up change bug also went viral with the band. Anyways, they played a good show and some of the songs I remember were: "Rational Eyes" and "A New Beginning" off their 2006 debut Under Reprisal, and "Comatose" off 2011's Threat Signal.

Then it was finally time for Chimaira to take the stage and as expected - they kicked ass! Opening their set with "The Flame" (2007's Resurrection) was indeed very fitting, since the Chimaira flame is still burning strong and (hopefully) won't burn out anytime soon. "Year Of The Snake" came right afterwards, and right then and there I knew we all would be in for an awesome set.

Like I mentioned before, last time I saw Chiamaira, the now guitarist Emil Werstler was in charge of the bass thump, but let me tell you this, he is no slouch on the guitar; and neither is his partner in crime, Matt. Don't get me wrong, I do miss Rob Arnold as well as Matt DeVries, since both have been such a vital part of the band for so many years, but the (semi) new dudes slay pretty good as well. Change can be good and in this case, the chemistry within the band clearly reflected on their stage performance.

Mark Hunter was SO relaxed on stage, not that he wasn't before, but it seemed like he really enjoyed himself immensely that day, but all bets were off when he sang (screamed) "No Mercy", a song off their current release Crown Of Phantoms. Pure energy on stage - no prisoners - NO MERCY.

Even though the venue was not filled to capacity, those in attendance clearly enjoyed the performance and the mosh pits were rather wild at times. Mark did a great job of engaging the crowd but the highlight, at least for me, during the evening was when he picked up the guitar and played the opening notes of (I believe) "Severed" - nice.

All in all it was a good night at the Black Sheep and it ended way too soon. But for some more pictures of the show, check out the gallery page.

Setlist: