The North Corridor by Chevelle, Review

The hard rock trio Chevelle recently released a brand new album The North Corridor with Epic Records. They announced the new album in May of 2016 and the first single, “Joyride (Omen)” was released the very same month. Chevelle also added that the first 2,016 pre-orders would be signed by the band; but later decided that all pre-orders would be signed due to the servers crashing when the preorders went live. Chevelle fans from across the globe are coming out of the wood work to get a hold of their signed copies. A few days after the release of their third bonus track for presales, The North Corridor was already topping the charts of ITunes Music.

Chevelle really sticks to their roots with this brand new release and aligns perfectly with their hard rock sound that keeps you interested from start to finish. Originally the band started as 3 brothers, forming in 1995, in the Chicago suburb of Grayslake, Illinois.  In 2005 the bassist and backup vocalist Joe Loeffler left the group to be replaced by Pete and Sam’s brother-in-law, Dean Bernardini.  Chevelle has in total released 8 albums during their musical endeavors and have sold over 4 million albums in the United States alone. This brand new album is set to reach the top of the charts as did many of their previous albums, keeping their momentum forward facing and at the peak of their musical pursuits.

“Door to Door Cannibals” opens the album with that tell-tale Chevelle hard rock sound, that’s been a staple in our playlists since their very first album. There is a lot of great musicianship incorporated into the first track. The first song on the album is a classic example of what to expect from anyone hearing Chevelle for the first time.

Turning up the tempo a bit as the track “Enemies” is up next in the playlist. This song is fast paced, top-beat and keeps the energy moving. It’s full of punk and blast beats and heavy breakdowns and I believe this track is certain to entertain even the harshest critics.

“Joyride (omen)” changes gears for a few minutes and brings forth a new feel and tempo, which can be interpreted as very technical and well written. I can see why the band decided to choose this song as the first single released from the album. This track is very obviously the band I have enjoyed listening too since Chevelle’s second album, “Wonder What’s Next” (October 8, 2002). The very first time I had heard of the band and truly the album that hooked me the moment I heard it.  “Wonder What’s Next” was certified Platinum by the RIAA after a debut at No. 14 on the United States albums chart, Billboard 200. When I heard the album for the first time I knew they were onto something, and they had a brand new sound that nobody had yet heard… and I loved it. Still do.

“Rivers” is full of steady interludes that build up into powerful versus and chorus’ that keep your attention peaked. I will just go ahead and say it, this is my favorite track on the album. I enjoyed hearing it for the first time and it is still stuck with me.

“Last days” is a solid hard rock ditty that brings the entire package. Simple. Powerful. To the point. This is the kind of song that everyone can relate to in some way or another and is not over-complicated and is easily absorbed. They put a lot of work into what is really as straight forward as a Chevelle song gets and I appreciate that aspect.
“Young Wicked” is a powerful song that really kicked their metal roots into high gear and got my blood pumping. I am a true metal head to the core and hearing Chevelle kicking off some really crazy guitar solos over some hard hitting drums, I can’t help but get excited hearing the heavier influences being brought to this record. This song is a real highlight of the album. The heavier side of Chevelle is very addictive.

“Warhol’s Showbiz” – Taking a stab at show business, this track highlights the fact that you must have thick skin and you must prepare for the worst if you plan on making a life in show business. At least that is what I am gathering from it. You are always taking hits on the chin and while you are in show business you never have an understanding of what beauty is, because of its warped sense of being. The show business industry is such a different world and for lack of a better way to describe it, you must forget about everything you think you know about how people are and hope you are cut out for the ride.

“Punchline” brings the band back down a notch in tempo and although the music seems to take a slight break from the hard-hitting and persistent groove that is present in most of Chevelle’s music, the song never really falls into the background. With mellow overtones and eerie vocals that are full of angst, I am finding myself sitting back and really enjoying the story the song seems to tell. There are a lot of great elements incorporated into this song including powerful vocals and some interesting guitar work that seems to wrap around the vocals.

“Shot from a Cannon” appears to be the one track on this album that has a much different feel and truly highlights the heavier side of the band. With heavy bass lines and heavier drum beats that are laced with guitar harmonics and lively vocals. This track is quite lengthy, standing at just over 8 minutes. It gives me a sense of some TOOL influences that really surprised me when I heard it for the first time. The length of the song didn’t deter me from enjoying it in full, even with my attention span, which is usually distracted around the 5 minute mark of any song.

As a whole “The North Corridor” put Chevelle back at the top of my playlists with great tracks such as “Rivers”, “Shot from a Cannon” and “Last Days” I feel as if the band truly delivered a solid record that was well written and quality material front to back. Give this new record a listen and hear for yourself why I have been a fan of this band since the day I saw them live with Korn and Breaking Benjamin in 2002.

-DJ Rob Chaoz – The Screamers Lounge
https://www.adrenaline101radio.com
https://www.Facebook.com/ScreamersLounge

Track Listing:
1. Door to Door Cannibals
2. Enemies
3. Joyride (Omen)
4. Rivers
5. Last Days
6. Young Wicked
7. Warhol’s Showbiz
8. Punchline
9. Got Burned
10. Shoot from a Cannon