The Brothers Loeffler continue the evolution of their band, Chevelle's, 1990s alt-rock cum nu-metal sound to one merged just slightly enough with the type of elements that make MUSE the number one sci-fi rock band of the 21st Century, and deliver their best album since they dove head first into sci-fi themes and album artwork with 2009's Sci-Fi Crimes with their new release Bright as Blasphemy (2025).
It's pretty incredible that Chevelle, now on the hard rock/alt-metal scene for 23 years due to their breakthrough second album Wonder What's Next (2002), have remained not only popular with the rock crowd, but actually interesting. While there was definitely a lag in creative songs that defined the era between Hats Off to The Bull (2011) through The North Corridor (2016). Things started getting compelling again with NIRATIAS (2021), even if that album dangerously skirted the edge of prog-rock parody with its subject matter and themes. It was getting pretty common to assume that Chevelle peaked with Vena Sera (2007) and Sci-Fi Crimes (2009), but that might not be a safe assumption after Bright as Blasphemy (2025).
With songs structured around Pete Loeffler's thick, heavy, and overdubbed guitar playing, which often repeats the same heavy riff for ninety percent of a song's length, Bright as Blasphemy might seem like a rehash of albums and sounds past. Instead, the band recalls their best work of the past while adding slight shifts in sound and atmospherics that evolve the songs to a point where they are not only fresh, but are advanced enough to fit the frame of the sci-fi/dystopian themes that the band is trending towards thematically. Much like MUSE makes use of heavy guitar, and electronic flair to craft a futuristic sound that fits their sci-fi leanings, Chevelle employs simple guitar based distortions that, to the trained ear of the Chevelle fan, shift the sound significantly, even if the overall effect is not as dramatic as MUSE's shifts in sound. Stand out track "Karma Goddess" embodies this musical shift perhaps the best on the new album. It's one of the tracks nestled in the middle of an album of songs where every song is worth being set on repeat...
...and that's the beauty of Bright as Blasphemy. The songwriting here is much better than the band's middle albums where songs would drag and sound repetitive, enough so that a complete sit down listening to a mid career Chevelle album was a rarity. Bright as Blasphemy is a first note to last reverberating riff complete listen, top to bottom. Does it help that the album is a taunt 39 minutes? Perhaps. The runtime helps make the album such a great uninterrupted listen, though. Chevelle pull it all together: heavy riffs, new sounds, acoustic and electric guitar, rollicking drums, and interesting themes with zero fat and zero waste. Every note, every lyric, every breath is perfectly placed and justified. There is no other Chevelle album that can boast to perform this perfectly.
Stand out tracks:
-"Pale Horse"
-"Wolves (Light and Love)"
-"Karma Goddess"
-"AI Phobias"
-"Shocked at the end of the world"
No comments:
Post a Comment