Wikipedia, the ever-accurate source of information that it is, describes Chevelle as “an American alternative metal trio,” and that’s a pretty concrete description. So, with its sixth studio album and latest release, “Hats Off to the Bull,” the question is whether the band blazes new trails or simply sticks to what it knows.
The album, comprised of 11 tracks and 43 minutes in length, relies mostly on Pete Loeffler’s heavy guitar and solid, yet strained, vocals. Filling out the rest of the trio is Sam Loeffler on drums and Dean Bernardini on bass.
The first track on the album, “Face to the Floor,” which is also the first single released, opens with Loeffler’s heavy power chords playing a pretty catchy melody. Unfortunately, this melody doesn’t really do anything different throughout the rest of the song and quickly becomes repetitive. However, it could be a good thing for those who like the melody a lot.
The first track really sets a tone for the rest of the album, as most of the songs follow a similar pattern. This means that a lot of the tracks end up sounding very similar. It isn’t until the fourth track that the band attempts to explore a different path.
“The Meddler” is at least a little distinct, but even on this track, the guitar gets a little repetitive and doesn’t really do much. By the time the chorus comes in, the guitar is back to its comfortable power chords.
While there are little differentiations like this among all the tracks, the most noticeably different is “Primma Donna,” a pretty slick acoustic guitar and vocal duet. This song really lets Loeffler showcase his guitar talent, and is the first track on this album that gives an indication that he can do more than strum repetitive chords. Unfortunately, the guitar is relegated to background filler as the vocals take over most of the duties.
As far as vocals go, the entire album is consistent, but while Loeffler’s vocals are suitable for the type of music that Chevelle makes, they sound like a lot of other bands in the same genre. Really, the entire album sounds like a lot of other bands, and there’s not much here to set it apart.
The longest track is four and a half minutes, while the shortest is just over three. It feels like, for the most part, every single track is trying to be a radio-friendly single. While there’s nothing wrong with radio-friendly singles, an entire album made up of them starts to get repetitive and really doesn’t push the sound of the band forward.
In the end, listening to just one song off the new Chevelle album is like listening to the whole thing. Not to say that song isn’t good in its own way, but it doesn’t need to be heard 11 times in a row.
““ Matthew Overstreet
Email Overstreet at moverstreet@media.ucla.edu.