CHEVELLE — Wonder What's Next (review)

CHEVELLE — Wonder What's Next album cover Album · 2002 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Unitron
Wonder What's Next is the second studio album and major label debut from alternative metal band Chevelle.

With the band signing onto Epic Records, the band saw a huge boost in popularity, the songs "The Red" and "Send the Pain Below" saw the band gain lots of attention on alternative rock radio. While the radio is infamous for killing many good songs and albums, such is not the case with this release.

Despite owing a lot to their influences, the band started out with a pretty good debut. Wonder What's Next however, shows the band develop their own sound a bit more. Continuing from the title cut of the debut, the excellent "Closure" follows in it's wake retaining that same emotive quiet-loud contrast. "Don't Fake This" is another similar track that handles this trait well, with some strong screams from Pete Loeffler during the loud passages.

With the exception of the aforementioned "Closure", my favorites are the heaviest tracks like "Family System", the crushing "Grab Thy Hand", and the title cut. "Grab Thy Hand" especially, creates a wall of sound made of stark screams and punishing riffs contrasted with soft menacing passages and a droning atmosphere. There is also a very deep bass sound on the album, which is most exemplified in the aforementioned songs and the bass-led "An Evening With El Diablo", another favorite of mine.

Wonder What's Next is quite an improvement from the debut. While the band still holds on to their influences from Tool and Helmet, the production is louder and the songs are more memorable. I highly recommend this album for fans of sludgy alternative metal.

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