Review Summary: An amazing progressive album that shows haters how great a rock band Chevelle really is.
After 3 years of listening to the previous Chevelle record, I was glad that there was a brilliant follow-up after Chevelle's average LP, "Hats Off To The Bull". They have been one of my favourite bands, and I started with Wonder What's Next when my oldest brother told me about them, I immediately loved them (I was 5 years old).
This was, I thought, a brilliant album, because now, the trio had stopped the constant "riff-verse-chorus" formula, but added bridges and included great pieces of music in their songs, which I think, is a definite step-up for this band. Starting with the reviews for each track, here's the tracklist once more:
1. Ouija Board (A brilliant song, how those first 30 seconds get broken by that riff and Pete's vocals. Speaking of which, his vocals were amazing on this album. Also a great rushed chorus with that super falsetto). 4/5
2. An Island (An even better song, this was easily the album highlight, with one of the catchiest and most menacing riffs I have ever heard, and a great bridge and some great vocals too). 4.5/5
3. Take Out The Gunman (Probably the 2nd best, tied to "Choking Game". A great selection for a single, very catchy and accessible tune, and quite different from other Chevelle highlights. The riff and cowbells compliment each other perfectly, and the chorus and bridge are absolutely superb!) 4.5/5
4. Jawbreaker (Weak-point of the album for me, it's an OK song and I like the riffs, but sometimes I think the transition from the menacing riff to the bouncy disco tune is quite ridiculous. But good song anyway, I love the ending.) 3.25/5
5. Hunter Eats Hunter (The darkest song on the album and a great follow-up to "Jawbreaker". The riff is fantastic, as well as the verses and the much disliked chorus, and the bridge is superb.A solid progressive track, and a quite underrated one too). 4/5
6. One Ocean (A very surprising Chevelle track and follow-up to the grim masterpiece, this song is a gem. Very beautiful guitarwork with the bass and drums, really liked it; a must-hear. And the duration just drags the beauty on, so don't mind it.) 4.25/5
7. Choking Game (One of my favourites off the album, THAT RIFF IS AMAZING. Pete's vocals and Sam's drumming skills are no exception, and the outro is one of the highlight moments of the album, even though the disco tune is quite cheesy.) 4.5/5
8. The Damned (A brilliant follow-up, this song never quite gets a mention. That mini-solo is absolutely epic and drunk, and this song is very shady and cool and just plain awesome.) 4/5
9. Under The Knife (A good track, and the shortest one yet. I was a little, mind you, a little disappointed with this one, even though it is pretty awesome, it lacked any discriminate skill the other songs had. The verses and chorus, however, are pretty great.) 3.5/5
10. Twinge (Probably the best closer after "Emotional Drought", I don't quite understand why people don't like this as much as the others. It is one of the most beautiful pieces Chevelle has ever made, and I'm half asleep when the dreamy chorus comes in. The song closes on a dark but wonderful tune) 4.25/5
"La Gargola" shows Chevelle's potential and shows haters how versatile they are, by making a progressive record that is very unlike their previous efforts. In short: this album is AWESOME.
