Chevelle

You come to Chevelle for the good hard stuff, and they never back down. The title track isn't skipping -- that's how the puppy plays, and it's good for hearty headbanging. The band peals out lyrics amid an intriguing balance of heavy rock melody and screaming metal. "Send the Pain" is hard to shake once you've heard it, while "Closure" plays with striking flow.

Chevelle's formula becomes clear a few tracks into their second album. For most of these
eleven songs, Illinois' Loeffler brothers -- Pete, Sam and Joe -- lay dark, churning riffs over
stuttering brontosaurus stomps. Then Pete struggles with repressed emotions ("I liked
having hurt/So send the pain below, where I need it"), and resolves the song -- if not the
issues -- with a throat-shredding scream. Not surprisingly, the disc is a mirthless a... More >