Chevelle is an alternative metal band from Chicago, Illinois. They can be one of the more defining bands of the genre that doesn’t get a lot of attention, as people call the genre more of a mainstream rock or alternative rock. This is their second CD, entitled
Wonder What’s Next, and is the album that got them so popular. Pete, Joe and Sam Loeffler, all brothers, started this band in 1997, and are still together to the date, although I think they kicked Joe out because he was complaining too much. This album is a big progression for Chevelle, as they improved their guitar playing, bass playing, and drum playing. The bass hugs the guitar way too much on this album, unlike in TTOT(CDUI). Dean Bernardini is the new bassist after Joe was forced out in 2006.
This album contains some very good guitar lines, some very soft guitar lines and can rock as hard as you would want it to be. Pete does a great job doing the dual vox/guitar duty, as he plays very technical, and straight to the point. Songs like
Family System and
Grab Thy Hand. Family System starts out very soft, and features a delayed guitar intro that leads perfectly into the band kicking off the album. This emotional rush of everybody on the same page is flashy on the album, but when they are on the same page, you get some kick ass rock. Grab Thy Hand is a great example of this, as it features the typical low tuned guitar, but some great screaming by Pete.
The three singles, were the highs and lows of this album.
Send The Pain Below, Closure and
The Red, were all good tracks, but gave the band too much mainstream success. Send The Pain Below has only four chords the entire song, except through the bridge, and that gets really annoying for hearing the same thing Over and over again. Closure is probably the best of the three, at least musically, coming very close with The Red. Closure has a minor feel to it and is somewhat progressive in a sense that it moves through the elements of the song. The Red is a song that got these guys some notice, and do a great job of the song. Everything about it is very close to being perfect, the lyrics are great, the guitar is very close to being flawless, and the drums add a great rhythm section.
There are the songs that also just kick ass, some of which I have mentioned. Some more, like
Forfeit, An Evening With El Diablo, Wonder Whats’ Next and
Comfortable Liar do a great job of showing the hard side of Chevelle, proving that you do not have to be explicit, and still have a good time while you rock out. The bass intro to An Evening With El Diablo is a very good intro, and it really sets the tone for the album. Pete does some good singing.screaming, and it shows his range. Not just in this song, but on the whole CD. The lyrics are about lots of stuff, like him growing up, rejected bf/gf, and the list goes on.
Pros
Very good hard rock, when they are all on the same page
Pete’s singing
Good rhythm section
Cons
Bass lines hug way too much
Gets repetitive after a lot of listens
Could have added a solo or two
Recommended songs
Family System
Comfortable Liar
Closure
The Red
Forfeit
Grab Thy Hand
An Evening With El Diablo
