Chevelle: Point #1

Squint Records

While all three cats in this Chicago trio share a pop who builds street rods, that ain't why we included them here. And Chevelle doesn't play anything even remotely resembling hot rod rock either, if that's what you're thinking. Simply put, this record kicks. Take that as a warning: Sissies with heavy-rock phobias need not apply. Check “Skeptic” for details—calm as a summer breeze one moment, raging like a twister the next.

Such is the Chevelle strategy for peak performance: Soothe and stun like a good sleeper always does. And while Pete Loeffler's emotive vocals, the crunchy death metal foundation, and the manic sense of dynamics may draw some easy comparisons to Tool, ultimately it's the songwriting's strength that lifts Chevelle above the sum of its parts.

—John Pecorelli

Hot Rod magazine