CHIMAERA


Chimaera was the continuation of the speed metal band Red Blaze and was active up from October 1985, when singer Nico joined the band.

Fronted by Nico the new music Ard (bass), Willem (guitar), Danny (guitar) and Jan (drums) came up with changed to a melodic form of speed/thrash metal, with quite varied song arrangements and often high-pitched vocals. Three Red Blaze songs were rewritten to become Chimaera songs and a couple of new ones were made. After having composed five songs and before any recordings or gigs were done, on September 3, 1986, a small amount of Chimaera T-shirts came out, hand printed by Jack (later a.o. active as Toner Low drummer, Only Entertainment guitarist and Eternal Nightmare bassist).

October 18, 1986, (exactly one year after the first rehearsal with vocalist Nico) Chimaera set up some lent equipment of the band Night Stalker at their shared rehearsal space. The band played live and recorded the songs Beyond The Veils Of Life, Lost Fate & Destiny, Torture Of The Innocent / Count Of Sin and Instrumental Blaze. These songs were meant for a demo tape entitled Scenes Of Mankind. However, due to the not too good sound quality of the recordings the tape never got released. Toward the end of 1986 Chimaera added She Took An Axe from Flotsam & Jetsam to their rehearsal room setlist.

In January 1987 drummer Jan quit the band. Bassplayer Ard decided to move behind the drumkit, and bassplayer Hans and guitarist Jack (both of underground metal magazine Speed-Zone) joined. With this three guitar line-up some songs were rehearsed and Diamond Head's Am I Evil? was covered. Early March plans were made to record a new rehearsal room demo on professional mobile studio equipment, but by late March Chimaera came to an end. Jack (later a.o. guitarist for thrash metal band Indulgence) and Hans already left earlier in March. Chimaera never played live, but their rehearsals were regularly visited by friends and local rock and metal musicians.

After Chimaera folded guitarist Danny became a member of the thrash metal band Lunacy (continuation of Necromancer, with which band he already had played since January 1987), followed by vocalist Nico in June 1987. Guitarist Willem later formed hard rock cover band Streamer. Bassplayer and short-time drummer Ard joined local thrash metal band Judgement with later Toner Low members Jack (drums) and Miranda (guitar, but bass in Toner Low) and from late 1989 until mid 1993 was the singer for prog thrashers Donor. Ard and Danny would play together again in the one-gig project Stormtroopers Of X-mas Lovers' Entertainment in December 1999.