Considering the record industry is allegedly dying, Chimaira must really be doing something right.

The Cleveland-based six-piece metal band, which plays at The White Rabbit on Friday, Dec. 7, has seen its album sales rise with each subsequent release, which can't be said for many of their mainstream counterparts. Chimaira's latest album, March's Resurrection, debuted at No. 42 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart — a career-best for the band.

But that solid debut almost never came, as strife within and around Chimaira nearly led to the band's demise before Resurrection was recorded. Chimaira lead singer Mark Hunter talked about the tension, and the resulting catharsis provided by Resurrection, in a conversation with 210SA.

210: First off, where did the band's name come from?

MH: When we started, we were looking for band names, and we had your typical adjectives and words that sounded tough. I saw Chimera, and I thought, “What is that?” So I looked it up in the dictionary, and it was a mythological creature consisting of disagreeing creatures, forming into one monster. That pretty much sums us up. There were a couple of different spellings, but we chose this one because it looks more symmetrical.

210: In an age when record sales are dwindling, how have you guys managed to continue charting better with each release?

MH: We've always had the philosophy of slow and steady wins the race, as the cliché goes. With all the hard work and touring we do, we make new fans, and I think they're the types of fans that realize we take our craft very seriously. We don't just put out an album to put out an album.

210: You're a noted movie lover, and you've even incorporated some moves into your songwriting. Is your DVD collection pretty much what we'd expect from a metal singer, or do you have a copy of “When Harry Met Sally” stowed away in the back somewhere?

MH: I actually do own that movie and pretty much everything else. My favorite genre is probably the cheesy B-action martial arts movie. I love those, anything from the Shaw brothers up into the Van Damme and Seagal era. I don't know why, but when I was younger, they amazed me and inspired me. Now, they're great comedies.

210: Speaking of movies, Chimaira had a song a few years back on the “Freddy vs. Jason” soundtrack. What was it like playing on the soundtrack for a movie featuring two horror legends?

MH: That was pretty much it for me, and that was one of the biggest highlights of doing what we do. I was waiting for that movie for 10 years, and to be a part of it was great. I don't go to the theater that much, because I usually buy the movies. But I went to the theater and sat there, watched the whole (Chimaira) song and walked out with a s**t-eating grin on my face, like mission accomplished.

210: Did you like the movie?

MH: I didn't hate it, but I thought they could have done quite a bit more. But I did think Freddy had some great lines.

210: What caused the previous tension within the band?

MH: I think we're six individuals that really didn't know each other before we started the band, and we had to grow up together like brothers. You have those arguments and bickering and whatnot that any family of young punk teens is going to have. When it comes to the business side of things, we were pretty much frustrated with Roadrunner Records (the band's former label). The Impossibility of Reason (from 2003) was doing really well and starting to take off, but we had no support from them whatsoever. We worked so hard to get to that level and needed them to make it a home run, but they weren't there for us . . . It was really disconcerting, and that turned to bickering and animosity . . . Once we got off the label, we were able to regroup as individuals. But honestly, had we not been granted our wish to be let go, we would have disbanded.

210: So it seems like Resurrection is a pretty significant title for where Chimaira is these days.

MH: We were reborn and just totally revitalized, ready to pick up where we left off during The Impossibility of Reason days, when everything was going well. We got back to that. Even if it's not measured in terms of success, it's measured in terms of getting along and having a good time.

210: You're from Cleveland, which has been dubbed by some as “the mistake on the lake.” Here's your chance to defend your city.

MH: I really think it's like any city in the Midwest. I don't see it any differently than Pittsburgh or somewhere else. Just traveling all around and having the opportunity to see everything I've seen, I wouldn't call any other place home.

CLINT HALE | 210SA