FOR WHOM THE (TODD) BELL TOLLS
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 2:31pm by Axl Rosenberg
Chimaira vocalist Mark Hunter recently revealed that “Todd ‘dead-eye’ Bell has returned to do some more filming… for a dvd to come with the new record.” And while I’m sure I don’t have to tell Chimaira fans, I still want to tell everyone else: this is great fucking news.
If you’re not familiar with Bell’s preview Chimaira DVDs, you’re truly missing out. The first one he made, The Dehumanizing Process, followed the band from the creation of their breakthrough album, The Impossibility of Reason, all the way through the touring cycle for that record. It’s a very raw and honest-feeling document of a working class metal band, like the anti-Some Kind of Monster; in this day and age of spin spin spin, it’s pretty amazing to see Chimaira being so upfront with regards to their feelings on radio-friendly singles, butting heads with Roadrunner Records, the departure of drummer Andols Herrick and the problems with his replacement, Ricky Evansand (no “creative differences” here).
Bell’s follow-up was the “making of” DVD that accompanied the band’s most recent offering, Resurrection, and while it’s somewhat less detailed than Process, it is that movie’s de facto sequel. If it features less drama than Process, it never seems like it’s because Bell was censored so much as it seems like there was actually just less drama in Chimaira at the time; Herrick had returned, they were recording in sunny Florida instead of freezing ass Cleveland, they’re not all broke, and everyone seems more or less legitimately happy. Half the DVD seems to consist of band members playing pranks on one another (or, better yet, the viewer). Combined with Process, this DVD really makes you feel like you know this band, at least as much as anyone can know a band simply through a DVD. It does not, in other words, feel like a piece of propaganda (and if it is propaganda, it’s really well made).
Bell also made the documentary that accompanied the original Roadrunner United CD in 2005. It’s somewhat less intimate – again, no drama this time, for obvious reasons – but no less fun to watch than the Chimaira DVDs.
In short: I was hoping that Bell would be invited back to continue his ongoing visual biography of this band, and I’m elated that he has returned. Everything I hear about this album just makes me that much more excited for its release.
Here’s a clip from The Dehumanizing Process in which the band debates whether or not to include a radio-friendly song on The Impossibility of Reason:
-AR
I don’t even like Chimaira’s music that much, but the clips I’ve seen from these pieces have been top-notch. I’m fascinated by the ups and downs of a functioning band, so it’s always good to get a closer look at that type of thing. I look forward to seeing this on YouTube eventually, if anything.
The Dehumanizing process was a great fucking DVD. It really let you dive into their heads. I’m definitely getting the new DVD. I’d love to see an in depth look at life after Roadrunner for them.
I really like when people don’t try to have radio friendly stuff, but I hate when bands try or force it to not have radio friendly stuff. A band that loves what they do and do what they do will truely not care if they have radio tunes or not.
And while Stay the same didn’t go on impossibility of reason, “Down again” did. That had Radio written all over it.
I find it ironic that this band tries to be so “brutal,” when the rare melodic/catchy moments are the only thing I like in their music. I find Mark’s singing to be atrociously mediocre and passionless, and even worse live. And some of their riffs are just zzzz… but I do respect Rob and his drive to succeed, and I’d never try to take that from them.