Chevelle is quickly having the same career arc as In Flames. In Flames became one of a handful of semi-revolutionary metal bands in the 1990s by contributing to a new sub-genre, commonly referred to as the Gothenburg Swedish Melodic Death Metal sound, typified by guitar-riff-centric hooks, a combination of clean and death vocals, and the galloping rhythm style popularized by Iron Maiden. As In Flames became successful, insofar as metal bands go, their albums became ever more over-produced and under-performed/written. After their unfortunately-titled third effort "Whoracle", I became concerned, and by the 5th album I completely stopped caring. This is happening with Chevelle. "Wonder What's Next" was a very strong album, perhaps not at all revolutionary, but was foremost in melding the genres of power-grunge (i.e. Soundgarden) and pseudo-metal (i.e. SevenDust). They had the unique ability of crafting single-friendly hooks while also providing powerful live shows. By the time they released their third album, "Vena Sera", however, they had become a glossy retail commodity, losing all of their edge and creativity. It isn't just that the band puts out more of the same, it's also that the new isn't nearly as good as the old. The fact that I didn't even realize they released this fourth (full-length) album until I saw an advertisement on a bus, says a lot about their current status. The single climbed all the way to #4 on whatever nonsense chart tracks that shit, yet I was completely unaware. I would still go see them live, but this album is a muddled mess. You could take clips from the prior 3 albums, tape them together, and listen to it while you're working on something else. That is this album. You'll forget you ever listened to it, yet have missed absolutely nothing.C-
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