Hard rocking, alternative metal power-trio Chevelle have returned with a new release, 12 Bloody Spies. Interestingly enough, the new collection of songs is not the band’s ninth studio album, rather a collection of B-Sides and rarities from their near two decade prolific run as one of the genre’s most consistent rock outfits.
Following up 2016’s fantastic The North Corridor, 12 Bloody Spies is a fun and varied collection of songs. Brilliantly, the band chose to list which album these were linked to and with that knowledge in hand, it makes for a fun exercise of hearing the various eras of the band reflected through these tracks. And within these twelve tracks. Chevelle comes through in the same great way they always do. There are the in your face, heavy tracks (“Debt To The Earth”), fresh, exciting new versions of classic songs (“Sleep Apnea”, “The Clincher”) and absolute burners (“Sleep Walking Elite”).
Even though not a studio album, 12 Bloody Spies has a familiar sequencing that lines it up with some of their studio albums. You don’t really get the feeling this wasn’t intended to be an album because the tracks come and go and flow so smoothly. Great pacing throughout.
Chevelle excel with fantastic, vocals, sharp lyrics and just a killer rhythm section pulsing each song along. There is an abundance of these great characteristics all over this album. Any of these songs could have fit perfectly onto one of their albums. These are not throw-away tracks left off albums for being weak. These aren’t’ songs just thrown together just to put something out. That’s not how Chevelle rolls. And when you think about it, their integrity, their passion and their work ethic is what have kept them so good, so consistent and so exciting when a lot of their peers who debuted during the early 00’s have kind of disappeared.
12 Bloody Spies tows the line between greatest hit album and studio album because if you took out the two new versions of former songs and played the other ten, you could see it being a proper studio album- similar to Weezer’s Death To False Metal. But rather than just take their singes and hits (of which they have a ton- five of which reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock charts and fourteen to hit the top ten), Chevelle gave their fans a really strong, really fun collection of songs to hold them over until the band’s ninth studio album arrives.
There’s no doubt that for those that love Chevelle they will love 12 BLoody Spies. But what is truly shocking is that there is enough here that could actually entice new fans. 12 BLoody Spies doesn’t pander to Chevelle fans only. And again, therein lies the brilliance of Chevelle. Always rocking. Always kicking ass. And always growing. That there my friends is the true mark of a great band!
Check out 12 Bloody Spies in stores today!
