CHIMAIRA Split With Drummer, Replace Him With SOILWORK's EVENSAND

CHIMAIRA have parted ways with drummer Andy Herrick and have replaced him with SOILWORK skinsman Richard Evensand.

CHIMAIRA frontman Mark Hunter called into "The Metal Show" in Cleveland Sunday night (January 4) and discussed the circumstances behind the lineup change. The following are several excerpts from that interview:

On Andy's departure:

Mark: "The other evening was the last show that our drummer, Andy Herrick, played with us. He has decided to leave the band to pursue his college degree, and kind of get off the road for awhile. I think he needs to detox, but not in the sense of drugs or alcohol or anything like that."

The Metal Show: Was this something that you guys saw coming?

Mark: "Yeah. It seemed like the more busy we got, the less interested he got in touring. I mean, he still went out and gave 110% at the concerts, but it was the other 23 hours of the day that you could tell that he was miserable in the situation of being out on the road and away from home and everything. He was away from his girl, and stuff like that. We were always making jokes for the past year and a half, going, 'When are you going to quit?' and stuff like that. You know, bustin' balls or whatever. But the harsh reality came on December 6th while we were in the middle of a tour. He just couldn't handle it anymore. It's not a personal thing or anything like that. It's not that he doesn't like us or we don't like him or anything like that. The lifestyle really isn't based for everyone, and like he says, you've got to live it and love it 100% of the day, which he really doesn't."

The Metal Show: Who is the new guy?

Mark: "As you know, we were out on tour with SOILWORK, our friends. The minute that we started telling everyone internally...what I mean by that is the band members and our crew and everyone that needed to know. Our drum tech ended up grabbing me and outside in San Francisco and he was like, 'Hey. The drummer from SOILWORK really wants to live in America and play. His dream is to play in a band and live in America. So, we didn't really approach him, because that isn't really good business, and like I said, we are really good friends with those guys. He wound up coming to us and saying that he'd really like to do it. So, the commitment has been made, and he's coming here January 10th. Business goes on as usual in the CHIMAIRA camp."

The Metal Show: What was the reaction like from the SOILWORK camp?

Mark: "I sat down with [guitarist] Peter [Wichers], who is basically the leader of the band, on the last week of the tour and said, 'Hey, this might be a reality.' He said that he knew and that if he was going to some stupid garage band, then he might be pissed off. But since he was going to our band...he didn't really, you know, give us his blessing, but he said that he understood. It's like what if Matt wanted to quit CHIMAIRA to go and join the FOO FIGHTERS. Would we be pissed at Matt? No. He's moving on to bigger and better things. They all respect the fact that we didn't approach him and weren't trying to steal the drummer from them. I think that band is definitely going to continue on, and I think that our friendship is going to continue on to its fullest."

Mark Hunter's entire interview with "The Metal Show" can be heard by clicking the "Hear The Last Show" link at www.themetalshow.com.

In other news, the following was Andy Herrick's official statement on his decision to leave CHIMAIRA:

"As many of you might know by now, I have decided to leave my brothers in CHIMAIRA to pursue other interests. This was a very difficult and emotionally taxing decision, and it was something I had been pondering for quite a while. Basically, I am really burned out on the touring lifestyle. It takes a special kind of person to be on the road 3/4 of the year, performing night after night. You have to live it and love it 100% or it will break you down. Unfortunately, the schedule got the best of me. I got to the point where I wasn't having fun performing anymore, and that is extremely hard to deal with.

"I plan on returning to college to finish my degree that's been on hiatus for 5 years. As far as drumming goes, right now all I know is that I have been very unhappy with my playing for a while, and after some time off I want to really improve in every aspect and become more well rounded as a musician. Perhaps even some session work could be in order in the future. Music has been a major part of my life, ever since I first started music lessons in 1986, and more so when I first picked up a pair of drumsticks in 1988, so we will see what happens in the future. I just want to take everything one day at a time.

"CHIMAIRA is in good hands now, with Richard Evensand taking over. I had the pleasure of watching him play on two tours with SOILWORK, and he is incredible. Trust me, you will all be saying 'Andy who?' when you hear him!

"I'd like to thank my CHIMAIRA bros for five years of great memories and accomplishments, my family and girlfriend for their support, Roadrunner Records, Scott Koenig, Stick Shefrin, Ian Friedman, our road crew, all the great drum companies I've worked with, all the great friends I made on the road, and all the great fans. I am fully confident in the continued success of the band, and I will be there supporting them 100%, just like you all should!

"Best wishes to everyone."

(Thanks: Chris Akin / Pitriff.com)