Chimaira

6:30 p.m. Friday, December 4. Pop's, 401 Monsanto Avenue, Sauget, Illinois.

Chimaira's latest album, The Infection, crashed the Billboard album charts in April and landed at No. 30. But no matter how well received the Cleveland metal sextet's albums are — and credible metalheads line up to drool about them — listening to its CDs is like watching a mixed-martial arts champion work out in a gym: They knock around some heavy stuff, but they never quite cut loose and start ripping off heads. And so while you won't find yourself humming the monstrous "The Disappearing Sun" or the sweeping instrumental "The Heart of It All," their live versions will make you pump your fist. On this tour, Chimaira is playing a 40-minute set, which promises to contain at least one tune from each of its five albums. Expect a minimal stage set, with a lot of lights and even more shredding from Rob Arnold, one of modern metal's great axmen.