CHIMAIRA: 'The Infection' Track By Track

Cleveland, Ohio's CHIMAIRA will release its new album, "The Infection", in North America on April 21 via Ferret Music and in Europe on April 24 through Nuclear Blast. The CD was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City with Ted Jensen and Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, AGNOSTIC FRONT, TERROR, THE ACACIA STRAIN). "Sonically, this album sounds amazing," vocalist Mark Hunter wrote on the group's web site. "Ben [Schigel, producer], Zeuss [who mixed the CD] and Ted did an amazing job making our vision come to reality. The album has exceeded everyone in this band's expectations."

"The Infection" track listing:

01. The Venom Inside
02. Frozen In Time
03. Coming Alive
04. Secrets Of The Dead
05. The Disappearing Sun
06. Impending Doom
07. On Broken Glass
08. Destroy And Dominate
09. Try To Survive
10. The Heart Of It All

CHIMAIRA guitarist Rob Arnold has offered the following track-by-track breakdown of "The Infection"'s ten songs:

01. "The Venom Inside"

Rob Arnold: "This was the third song written for 'The Infection', and we knew right away that it was going to be the albums' lead-off track. 'The Venom Inside''s sludgy-sounding body is surrounded by an epic intro and outro. As an early indicator of what's to come over the next nine tracks, you might get the feeling that you're in for something special."

02. "Frozen in Time"

Rob Arnold: "With a dynamic range of ups and downs, 'Frozen in Time' takes you through a whirlwind of riffage. From the track's explosive intro to its ferocious bridge, you're left constantly guessing at what's to come. But by the end, it all makes sense. A true monster, in my opinion."

03. "Coming Alive"

Rob Arnold: "With its slithering intro and verse riffs, menacingly heavy vocals, and destructive drums beats, 'Coming Alive' is exactly what it proclaims...A band coming to life in every aspect. The lyrics may perhaps foreshadow some what of a different meaning, but we'll leave that up to the listener to decide."

04. "Secrets of the Dead"

Rob Arnold: "A song that went through many structural changes throughout the writing process, 'Secrets of the Dead' turned out to be a band favorite. Chris Spicuzza shines on this track as he conducts a circuit board symphony from behind his station. Catchy, heavy, intelligent, and packed with groove, this one has 'crowd pleaser' written all over it."

05. "The Disappearing Sun"

Rob Arnold: "Arguably the albums heaviest and darkest track, and our first ever tune written in drop B, 'The Disappearing Sun' hits you like a ton of bricks. Andols puts on a clinic with his crafty double bass work, creatively placing his notes in unconventional spots. This song defines 'riff-tastic,' and will have you humming its melodies all day long."

06. "Impending Doom"

Rob Arnold: "A trippy, eclectic track that ended up becoming much more than we had ever expected. The core of this song was created very early in the writing process, and it took months to bring it to its culmination. 'Impending Doom' is the perfect mid-album breather that sucks you way down into the depths of depression."

07. "On Broken Glass"

Rob Arnold: "Like a bull in a china shop, 'On Broken Glass' rips you through a thrilling onslaught. This fret board frenzy is a juggernaut that takes you to hell and back. Good luck figuring out the picking on this one, kiddies!"

08. "Destroy and Dominate"

Rob Arnold: "This drob-B beauty was written late in the writting process. It's extrememly heavy, so we recommend lifting with the knees, and not with the back! Look out for 'Destroy and Dominate' to be 'The Infection''s video premier sometime soon."

09. "Try To Survive"

Rob Arnold: "'Try to Survive' was the first song written for 'The Infection' back in June 2008. It set the mood for what was to come. When Mark [Hunter, vocals] and I sat down to begin writing the album, the first notes plucked became the intro riff for this song, and we knew we were on to something."

10. "The Heart of it All"

Rob Arnold: "I had written the clean intro bit a few months before we started writing for the Infection, but was unsure how it would fit into the CHIMAIRA realm. After Mark and I had compiled a batch of heavy-ass riffs deemed 'instrumental-worthy,' we put the two sets of ideas together, and it kicked ass. We hadn't written an instrumental in a few years, so knowing that we were going to do one and that we had months to write it really helped shape this one into an epic track."

CHIMAIRA filmed a video for the track "Destroy And Dominate" last month in the band's hometown. The group's longtime videographer Todd Bell directed the clip, which is expected to debut online later this month.