Do you remember where you were when you first heard the song “Point #1” by Chevelle, this weeks highlight band for Music Review Tuesday? I remember where I was. I was sitting in our living room with our kids watching “Ten Most Wanted“, a video request program on TVU. TVU is a 24 hour Christian music video channel on Sky Angel satellite. The song was debuting on “Ten Most Wanted”. My boys and I like their kind of music, so when the song had finished we all looked at each other and kind of head banged and smiled in approval. Chevelle was originally formed in 1995 by three brothers, Pete, Sam, and Joe Loeffler from Grayslake, Illinois. Their musical genre vacillates between alternative metal, hard rock, and post-grunge. The band name was conceived from the name of the boys’ father’s favorite automobile, the Chevrolet Chevelle.

The album I am reviewing is “Vena Sera” which was released on April 3rd of 2007. The album title is latin amd translates to “vein liquid” which, according to Pete Loeffler, represents the blood Chevelle put into making this album. This album is the first one recorded with new bassist and brother-law Dean Bernardini. (For more on the departure of the youngest Loeffler, go to the Wikipedia site.) The album debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200, and sold 62,000 copies in the first week of release. The first track “Antisaint” roars out of the headphones with some neat minor chords, and has a really cool guitar riff with a nice, hard driving bass presence. This bass sound is pronounced throughout the album. The next track is “Brainiac”. This song has a nice, pure driving snare drum beat that drives the song with the signature guitar rhythms of Pete Loeffler. Track number three is “Saferwaters” and the most melodic song on the record which is saying quite a lot because most of the Chevelle songs have an impressive melodic tone. The chorus sings:

That world is calling
So I’m crawling back to sea
Against the surge of waves that
Held us in that ancient grip beneath
Retreat to safer waters

The next song is called “Well Enough Alone“. It is about the events surrounding the departure of former bassist and brother Joe Loeffler. The song begins with a heavy sigh which I believe signifies the frustration experienced by the band through the ordeal. The song is very well done and is your typical hard, melodic Chevelle staple song. It rocks!!

The album highlights are “Antisaint”, “Safewaters”, “Well Enough Alone”, “Humanoid” with it’s Iron Maidenish guitar riff, and serious lyrics about facing the day for what it is, “Paint The Seconds” with it’s blend of acooustic and palm-muted electric distortion guitars, and the rare guitar solo on the album, “I Get It” which is the current single release getting a lot of air play on the local college radio station.

The album tone and sound is much better than their previous release “This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)” and a much shorter title. The songs are all very good and well mixed. I like the different sound of the bass on this album. Kudos to Dean Bernardini the new bass dude. I have been listening to this album since it’s release last year so it has had plenty of time to grow on me. It is one of, if not the best release in it’s genre for 2007. I give it five stars out of five. In a passing note, Chevelle with special guest Finger Eleven are coming to Omaha and performing at the Sokol Auditorium Aril 20th. Our family is going how about yours? Rock On!!

Check out the video for “Well Enough Alone” below.