Not to be confused with the similarly named groove metal band from Cleveland, Ohio

Chimaira

Chimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...

.

Chimera were a Northern Irish alternative

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band that saw brief, but notable fame in the mid-nineties. They have been frequently compared to the Sundays, Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...

 and the Cranberries

The Cranberries

The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...

.

History

Chimera was formed in 1990 and included members Eileen Henry (vocals), Steven T. Emerson (bass), Ted Laverty (guitars), and William Vincent (drums).

In 1993, Chimera released their first U.K. album, Lughnasa, but later had to buy back all of the copies due to contractual problems. That album contained two singles, "Ellis Bleeds" and "Cyan Daze".

They were highly praised in their early years by the UK press, earning UK's NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

"Single of the Week" award. Because of that award, record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Chris Nagle began working with the band. Nagle had previously worked with bands such as Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...

, Joy Division

Joy Division

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...

, New Order

New Order

New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...

, and the Smiths

The Smiths

The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...

.

Chimera's U.S. debut was 1995's Day Star EP, released on Grass Records (now Wind-up

Wind-Up Records

Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world...

). The release contained four songs, and some would later be rerecorded for 1996's Earth Loop, their only full-length album released in the United States. Following the release of Earth Loop, Chimera spent most of 1996 in the U.S. touring. They performed with many popular alternative bands, including the Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps were a British trip-hop band formed in Hartlepool, England in 1994. They are best known for their first album Becoming X and particularly the singles "6 Underground", "Spin Spin Sugar", and "Tesko Suicide" from the same album...

, Blur

Blur (band)

Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...

, the Pixies, and Throwing Muses

Throwing Muses

Throwing Muses is an alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originally fronted by two lead singers, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, who both wrote the...

. That year the single, "Catch Me," garnered modest airplay on some U.S. alternative radio stations.

After 1996, there were rumours of another album to be released in 1998, but that album never surfaced, perhaps due to financial difficulties with Grass Records. The band have not been heard from since.

Members

• Eileen Henry (vocals)
• Steven T. Emerson (bass)
• Ted Laverty (guitars)
• William Vincent (drums and percussion)
• Anthony Monaghan (live guitar)

External links

• [ Allmusic Bio]
• Yahoo! Music