SPAWN.COM >> CULTUREBOOM

HOLLYWOOD NEWS
updated 04.03.2009

TOP TEN LISTS
updated 04.06.2009

NEW RELEASES
for week of 03.02.2009

PRICELESS EMAIL
updated 02.09.2009

Refine and sort the list of entries to find just what you're looking for.

1. Show entries from:

2. Sort entry list by:

3. Start list with:

4. Skip to page:

Discuss any of the topics in this section on our CultureBoom Message Board Forum.

CultureBoom Forum >>

Have a suggestion for the CultureBoom section?

Let Us Know >>

Subscribe to the Spawn.com CultureBoom RSS Feed to get instant notification of new entries.

>> CultureBoom RSS

SPAWN.COM >> CULTUREBOOM >> MUSIC REVIEWS >> 04.11.2007

MUSIC REVIEW: CHEVELLE
Category: Music Reviews
Posted: Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Chevelle: Vena Sera
Epic Records
Past Ozzfest headliners and Chicagoans Chevelle have recently released their fourth album, Vena Sera, which should bring them a great deal of commercial appeal. Band members Pete and Sam Loeffler (brothers) and Dean Bernardini (brother-in-law to both), have maybe given us the best Chevelle has to offer, but I am left wondering if this release will find the band any new converts?

Vena Sera feels like it was conceived for the masses, i.e., metal fans looking for another decent album with a few catchy tracks. There is nothing wrong with creating such a radio-playable album, however, most fans might have a hard time hearing much more than white noise on Vena Sera. For Chevelle fans, this is a heavier album with more of a pulse than Wonder What’s Next or This KInd of Thinking. There are some great screamo moments on the album and little jewels where surging guitar riffs spill over onto a haunting chorus like on “Humanoid.” The addition of Dean Bernardini on bass gives a charge to the trio’s sound and highlights Pete Loeffler’s lingering vocals. There is fullness in the band’s effort, particularly on “Saferwaters” and “Midnight to Midnight”—two of the best tracks on the album.

My favorite track is “Straight Jacket Fashion,” for two reasons — one, because here, Chevelle sounds sooooo much like Tool and well, I really like Tool. It’s been well-publicized that Tool and A Perfect Circle are influences for the band, but Loeffler is definitely channeling Maynard here, and does it (to his credit?) flawlessly. The second reason “Straight Jacket Fashion” is my favorite track has nothing to do with the song itself. It is because this song title summarizes, in my opinion, the band’s identity — they seem to have surrendered the idea of having a distinct personality and are okay with their label dressing them up as they see fit. It would be great to see them take their talent farther, wider, deeper, in a way that didn’t “bind” them into being compared to better bands that preceded them or “imprisoned” them in metal monotony.

“Antisaint” and “Get It” are both worth a listen but may not leave you changed. Hopefully, on their next effort, Chevelle will discover themselves.

- Rachel C.

Bad Good
1 2 3 4 5

DISCUSS THIS ENTRY >>

<< BACK TO ENTRY LIST

<< PREVIOUS ENTRY| NEXT ENTRY >>

SUN:MAY.19:2013


	New McFarlane Toys ‘Assassin’s Creed’ Figures Hitting Stores This Fall Only The Best Take The Field For MLB Playmakers 4 Series Four Of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ TV Action Figures Announced New ‘Halo 4’ Deluxe Figure Announced For Fall Baltimore Ravens Immortalized In Super Bowl 3-Pack New Updates On The Second Series Of ‘Halo 4’ Action Figures!


	Enter your e-mail address to sign up for the Todd McFarlane Update, the official newsletter of the McFarlane companies.



	Who do you want to see as a Walking Dead TV figure? Shane Walsh Lori Grimes Glenn Andrea Dale Horvath More Zombies!

The views and opinions of authors expressed on this Web site do not necessarily state or reflect those of Spawn.com, McFarlane Toys, Todd McFarlane Productions, Todd McFarlane Entertainment, its companies or subsidiaries. All content is intended for entertainment purposes only.