This Present Darkness (EP)
This Present Darkness is the debut EP of American heavy metal band Chimaira. It sold more than 10,000 copies,[1] gaining the attention of Roadrunner Records and paving the way for Chimaira's debut album, Pass out of Existence. Two songs, "Painting the White to Grey" and "Sphere," were re-recorded for their aforementioned 2001 release.
| This Present Darkness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | January 11, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | November 1–3, 1999 at Spider Studios in Strongsville, Ohio | |||
| Genre | Nu metal | |||
| Length | 34:28 | |||
| Label | East Coast Empire | |||
| Producer | Ben Schigel, Chimaira | |||
| Chimaira chronology | ||||
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Background
This Present Darkness is said to be much rawer than the modern day Chimaira. It was later re-released and remastered with two previously unreleased bonus tracks but with "Satan's Wizard" removed. This version came with the Dehumanizing Process DVD released on October 26, 2004.
Track 13 is entitled "Empty" (6:23), track 14 is entitled "Silence" (3:21), and track 69 is a joke song entitled "Satan's Wizard" (2:07). Tracks 6-12 and 15-68 each contain 3 seconds of silence.
The hidden tracks, "Empty" and "Silence" were recorded with original bassist Andrew Ermlick. The band wanted the songs to be part of the EP, and they also wanted Ermlick to be part of the record. However, they didn't have the money to bring him in to re-record them so they used the demo versions of the tracks. The two tracks were hidden so that the CD could be sold at the price of an EP.
"Empty" features guest vocals from Rob of the band Canister.
"Silence" features guest vocals from John Marino, Doug Esper, and Dan Pelleteir.
The sample at the end of "Sphere" is taken from the film The Shawshank Redemption, a favorite of the band members'.
"Satan's Wizard" is not a live track; fake crowd noise was added to the recording, and the high pitched vocals are done by Ben Schigel of Sw1tched (the producer of this EP). At the end of the song, he deliberately mispronounces the word 'Chimaira'.[2]
Album art
The person who appears on the front cover is a heavily edited photo of drummer Andols Herrick.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Chimaira.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Present Darkness" | 5:17 |
| 2. | "Painting the White to Grey" | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Divination" | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Sphere" | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Lend a Hand" | 4:47 |
| 13. | "Empty" (Song is not listed) | 6:23 |
| 14. | "Silence" (Song is not listed) | 3:23 |
| 69. | "Satan's Wizard" (Song is not listed) | 2:07 |
| Total length: | 34:28 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Present Darkness" | 5:17 |
| 2. | "Painting the White to Grey" | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Divination" | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Sphere" | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Lend a Hand" | 4:47 |
| 6. | "Empty" | 6:23 |
| 7. | "Silence" | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Gag" | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Refuse to See" | 3:29 |
| Total length: | 39:30 | |
Personnel
- Mark Hunter – vocals
- Rob Arnold – guitar
- Jason Hager – guitar
- Rob Lesniak – bass (tracks 1-5)
- Andrew Ermlick - bass on songs "Empty" and "Silence"
- Andols Herrick – drums
References
- "Exclusive Interview with Chimaira Guitarist Rob Arnold". MetalSucks. November 19, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- "Additional Information". Additional Information. November 21, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2012.