The Band
Chevelle is an American rock band formed in 1995. The band is composed of the Loeffler brothers.
Band members
- Pete Loeffler – vocals, guitar, bass
- Sam Loeffler – drums
The Album
Bright as Blasphemy is the tenth studio album by Chevelle, released on August 15, 2025.
Last week, while researching and watching Rise Against videos to write a post, I came across comments mentioning that Chevelle was also releasing a new album. The band name rang a bell. I remembered them from the late 90s and early 2000s, MTV days, and also the association of the name with the car brand. I listened to a couple of these new songs, such as AI Phobias and Hallucinations, and liked their guitar tone and vocals right away. It also made me feel nostalgic about those years, which is why I knew my next review would be of their new album.
The Songs
1. Pale Horse. The opening track. Powerful, chaotic, and unsettling, with a great breakdown.
This song critiques religion for lying and making us hope and believe that all our suffering will be worthy and left behind in the afterlife.
2. Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1). One of the singles of this album, great song too, about manipulation and blindly following those who control society.
3. Jim Jones (Cowards, Pt. 2). The second single continues the manipulation theme, but focuses on a cult leader who led their followers to a massive suicide.
A dirty guitar riff, a nice guitar solo, and a muddy sound that helps create the story vibe.
4. Hallucinations. It begins with a guitar note loop and vocals, followed by the bass and drums. Calmer, yet maintaining the disturbed style and ambiance that keeps you on your toes the whole time.
It’s about humanity listening and being influenced by leaders who use fear to control us.
5. Wolves (Love & Light). My favorite song on the album. It begins with a beefy, tasty guitar riff, heavy and catchy as hell. I love the vocals here that ramble between screams and different tones. The bass, the drumming, everything in this song is perfect, good guitar solo too.
Talks about manipulation and the dangers of following some people.
6. Karma Goddess. This has a grunge sound. Very good track, as well.
7. Blood Out in the Fields. Acoustic guitar and vocals, then the rest of the instruments join, along with some weird sounds in the back, that almost give the impression of being near a swamp or something like that. This creates the idea of being in a war. At the end, we can hear soldiers marching.
8. AI Phobias. This is super catchy from the first moment; it grabs you. The guitar riff in the back is amazing, and the drums’ hi hat supplies a rocker vibe.
Its name anticipates that it is about the fear that all these new technologies provoke in us, and what can happen with AI in the near future. This is another of my favorite songs on this album.
Another top guitar solo.
9. Shocked at the End of the World. The last track. Fast and heavy.
It’s a critique of the current bleak situations the whole world is facing now, that, with the peace excuse, they sell you the war, and they bring it to you to your door.
Solid way to end up a flawless album.
Final Thoughts
Chevelle has a similar tone to Tool, especially because Pete’s vocals sound very much like Maynard’s at times, even though they play more in the alternative rock genre.
The lyrics delve into social criticism of the times we’re living in, focusing primarily on technology, wars, and politics.
Chevelle’s new album is muddy, grunge work that sounds very 90s but up to date. I loved it. Nostalgic yet modern, at the same time, with a killer, dirty guitar tone.
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🎵 Album mentioned in this review:
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Tracklist
- Pale Horse
- Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1)
- Jim Jones (Cowards, Pt. 2)
- Hallucinations
- Wolves (Love & Light)
- Karma Goddess
- Blood Out in the Fields
- AI Phobias
- Shocked at the End of the World