Releasing a tenth record is not something many bands get to accomplish. Many of the ones that do often sound like a carbon copy of themselves after a few decades of being within the industry full time. The passion can subside, the inspirations pulled from every day experiences and youthful angst can diminish, and ultimately a listener can hope for a few tracks that harken back to the band's heyday while the rest is forgotten after a few listens.
Fortunately, Chicago-based Chevelle have not fallen prey to these clichés with their latest record, Bright As Blasphemy. The album in many ways feels like an homage to the band's career, while still expanding their sound from all angles. It's worth mentioning as well that guitarist and lead vocalist Pete Loeffler and drummer Sam Loeffler made the decision to self-produce this record within their own studio for the very first time in their career. Touring bassist Kemble Walters also assisted in the role of engineer, which makes the record even more of an in-house production.
While in no way a hard-lined "concept record," both the feel and ebb and flow of the instrumentals from one track to another and the lyrical direction of anger, cynicism, and reflection on religion and the world around us make the title of the album feel extremely pertinent to the entire theme. The album opener "Pale Horse" is as in-your-face as the typically ambiguous band can get with what singer/guitarist Pete Loeffler's belts into the microphone. "You looked for God / While Hawkins spells it out" and "I'll choose the back of the hand / Come Sunday, ain't buying the myth / A little risky / It's all just cobwebs till someone slips away," are just a few lines from the song that show the straightforward anger and resentment Loeffler is displaying towards religion. And knowing that both Pete and Sam grew up in a Catholic household, it feels especially personal.
"Pale Horse," along with the singles, "Rabbit Hole - Cowards, Pt. 1" and "Jim Jones - Cowards, Pt. 2" take aim at religion, authority figures, and the cowardice they inflict on the masses through gaslighting, brainwashing, and pulling a veil over reality at large. This feels like a much more pessimistic and dark approach to social commentary compared to their 2021 album N.I.R.A.T.I.A.S., but in many ways also feels like a sequel to the album as well.
"Hallucinations" and "Blood Out In The Fields" both have a much more somber feel while keeping the apocalyptic and deeply jaded feel alive. Lamenting over a deteriorating world and the contradictions of mantras and ideas around hope or freedom as everything around us deteriorates. Musically, these songs bring back feels of the softer side of Chevelle, from Hats Off To The Bull's "Envy," to La Gargola's "One Ocean," and "Twinge," as well as N.I.R.A.T.I.A.S.'s "Endlessly." Often the less appreciated aspect to Chevelle's music, but formative and well executed all the same.
Chevelle also refused to pull punches on some of the more aggressive tracks on the album, bringing back the feel that they had at the forefront of 2016's North Corridor, but with much more polished production. "Wolves (Love and Light," and "Karma Goddess" focus much more onto the riffs and break down rhythms along with grittier vocals.
A highlight of this record all in all is the encapsulation of Chevelle's more nu metal roots from Wonder What's Next and This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) while expanding on instrumentation and more lead and effects heavy moments that broaden the scope of theatricality and intricacy. The increased use of whammy and octaver pedal effects for solos and leads in "Rabbit Hole" and "Karma Goddess" is especially a welcome newer choice for the band to continue to include in their writing going forward.
The record ends with "Shocked At The End Of The World," and it feels like a clear finale to a dynamic and emotional rollercoaster:
"The way you spoke tonight was revolutionary / we climbed over walls / but the time was up."
"If it's the end of the world / Then it's the end of war / And if we feed off this / I'm dropping peace at your door."
These lines mixed in with crushing riffs, feedback ridden build ups, and Pete's chaotically dynamic vocals deliver the message. It's too late to save ourselves.
Chevelle is one of the few artists that has stayed largely consistent to a sound that their fans have loved since the early 2000's while still adding in new flares, sonic elements, and further testing the boundaries of how dark they will go with a record. The culmination of the end of days concepts, sludging breakdowns, signature pull off and hammer on riffs, and vigorous push and pull vocals create something that feels fresh and familiar within the same breath. In an era of many musicians falling into the ever elusive struggle to follow trends or have viral clips to push forward, it is refreshing to see a longstanding act doing their thing their way, and it totally fucking works.
Bright As Blasphemy is out now via Alchemy Recordings on all platforms and for purchase at Chevelle's official website.
