This Type Of Thinking Could Do Us In

by

Chevelle

Edit

I bought this CD having not heard one song off of it yet, thinking how much I loved Wonder What's Next and Chevelle, and just thought since its Chevelle it should be worth my money. Well it definitely is. I think its ten times better than Wonder What's Next. They have matured so much in their sound. I noticed on WWN that on some songs it was the main riff that carried them. But on This Type of Thinking, its the riffs, the vocals, the drums, everything that makes every song on here great. So I guess I'll do the ol' rate-song-by-song method here, but to me, that's what is effective to reviews I read...

And I'm not going to rate the songs all close to ten, I'm rating them how they really are.

1. The Clincher - 8/10 - Awesome start to the CD. I was hooked from the first ten seconds. I enjoy the beat of the cymbals with the guitars at the beginning and end.

2. Get Some - 9/10 - This song contains one of the best moments on the album, and that is its bridge. It has the quick riffs of the guitar that Chevelle is known for and the vocals and lyrics sound great.

3. Vitamin R - 8.5/10 - Fortunately I hadn't heard this song before I bought the album so I wasn't tired of it when I first listened to the CD. It is comparable to "The Red" because of the short strums of the guitar during the verses. But when the pre-chorus comes, Pete's high vocals are so beautiful, and the chorus' bursting in sounds very good.

4. Still Running - 8.5/10 - This is the hardest song on the album and has the rock-out ability that "Prove to You" and "Wonder What's Next" had. I would love to watch them play this song live.

5. Breach Birth - 7.5/10 - The only reason I rated it lower is that I'm not real big on the lyrics. "Molds"? But still, the chorus rocks hard and is pretty good.

6. Panic Prone - 8/10 - One of the slowest songs on the album, it stays steady until the bridge, at which the vocals burst into a melodious, long, high note and it speeds up. I enjoy that shift change every time I hear it.

7. Another Know It All - 9/10 - When Pete says "I'll take any...thing thats not bolted down" with such anger, you really get into it. Those aggressive lyrics go well with the aggressive instruments.

8. Tug-O-War - 9.5/10 - Don't judge the song by the title, because I did and I quickly changed my mind. This is my second favorite song on the CD, mainly because of the awesome chorus.

9. To Return - 7/10 - The weakest song, with okay lyrics and more simple vocals and guitars.

10. Emotional Drought - 10/10 - My favorite Chevelle song and one of my most favorite songs ever. The pre-chorus and chorus are so freaking badass that I probably listened to this song 30 times in a row. It has a catchy beginning, good verses, and then that pre-chorus and chorus kicks in...and then is followed by the real hard rocking bridge with screams, guitars, everything. This song has every element.

11. Bend the Bracket - 9/10 - Just like Wonder What's Next, they end the album with a slow song. Although "Bend the Bracket" isn't acoustic like "One Lonely Visitor" is, Pete Loeffler's long, slow vocals sound great. The lyrics in the chorus are captivating: "The war is on, too weak, to move, call it off, sorry, refused..."

I am very, very impressed with Chevelle with this new release. I now respect them more, as they have put all the elements together on one extraordinary album. If you liked their previous efforts, you won't be disappointed.

I've been a fan since I first dicovered Point # 1 sitting on the shelf in a record store. I loved it but knew that the potential to be better was in there somewhere. Than they released "Wonder Whats Next" which was so beautifully melodic and yet it maintained so much of the aggressively heavy sound from the first album. It was a beautiful mixture of both worlds and it worked perfectly. The album is almost perfectly divided into melodic and heavy sections. The lyrics felt really focused and they accurately captured certains feelings and concepts (such as closure and forfeit.) The third time around is unfortunately playing it really safe, its not that I mind so much that they stick to what they are good at, but they seemed to have lost alot of the melodic intensity of the second album. Gone are the melodies in favor of super heavy riffs that blend far too easily into eachother. The lyrics are pairs of words that have no connection to one another, and are very hard to decipher. They have lost the focus they once had. The ballads are very standard and don't really break any new ground. Don't get me wrong, there are some very choice tracks on this record and if you want heavy, you got it. Hopefully they will be more willing to take more risks with their sound, because todays music is far too concerned with sounding heavy and much less concered with actually creating melodies you can sing along too. In order to last in the industry you have to be willing to take creative risks and be willing to change your sound. This way of creating music, really could do you in.

Peter's voice is the one aspect that has improved with every record. Some may say he sounds like a certain singer from a band about wrenches and screw drivers. This may be hard to understand, but many people have similar singing voices, and Peter holds his own very very well. The only problem is its really hard sometimes to make out what he's saying at times. I don't mean to complain so much, but the gushing reviews need to be a bit more objective. Chevelle is still a great band with alot of still untapped potential. This album is a great listen, but far from being the best album of the year.