The Illinois brothers Loeffler have leveraged their familial bonds for deeply engaging hard rock since the mid-1990s. Still, it was not until the release of their 2016 album, their eighth studio album overall, that they proved their heaviest record to date. Entitled “The North Corridor,” it was the album by which CHEVELLE started to make substantially bigger waves on this side of the Atlantic as well. Sure, I’d heard “Send the Pain Below” from their sophomore, double-platinum album “Wonder What’s Next” (2002) at some point, but generally the band had remained relatively unknown in Finland. They have visited Finland only once so far; in 2017, they warmed up for DISTURBED and AVENGED SEVENFOLD, and for some reason, we haven’t seen them in this neck of the woods ever since. I’m not so sure CHEVELLE‘s slow-grinding, almost grungey hard rock was the best match for these two bands (as you can read for yourself from this live report), but this particular album did impress yours truly back in the day. I guess the winning recipe was all about the band’s flirting with the “Ænema” era TOOL sound. Sure, CHEVELLE‘s music is by far less progressive and all, but there was something vaguely familiar in these angst-ridden musings. The riffs are deliciously heavy in the best early-1990s Seattle fashion. The fans (not to mention Pitchfork‘s snobs) seem somewhat divided about this endeavor, though. Some fans even regard the album as the low point in their career, but c’mon! What’s there not to like? Guess I was one of those who mistook the album’s relentless volume for depth and its oppressive atmosphere for emotional depth back in the day, or something…
The selection kicks off with a bang. “Door to Door Cannibal” rolls out the band’s trademark tricks in one fell swoop – that is, the grunge-laden guitar riffs and vocalist Pete Loeffler‘s signature muffled vocals. The lyrics are vague enough to be interpreted in a myriad of ways – from taking them as a depiction of a near-death experience to a sly stab at that one religious sect marketing their brand of salvation from door to door. Either way, the song is a straight-up killer that’s right on par with the band’s old bangers.
The opener was not the lead single, however. That honor fell to “Joyride (Omen),” which is another infectious banger just like a lead single should be. Yeah, the song is a bit tense, and coming to think about it, so is the album as a whole. That means, obviously, that in the wrong mood, this album might not work at all. I reckon that explains the bad reviews it got back in the day. There isn’t that much contrast between the softer parts and the oppressive pummeling. It’s almost as though the album grabs you by the throat in a chokehold and won’t let go until the last note has faded into silence. However, when that’s exactly the vibe you’re looking for, then this album is a winner.
That said, there are some novel, maybe even unexpected elements scattered here and there. For instance, “Punchline” boasts a synth bassline over electronic drum beats, and, as if this wasn’t enough to startle the alt-metal puritans, the band throws in some cool banjo licks. Then, in “Rivers,” the angst-ridden crooning is accompanied by some flamenco-tinted guitars. Still, the coda of the song is probably best described as the most intense moment of the whole album. Other memorable moments, at least in my books, were (and still are) “Warhol’s Showbiz” and the epic closer, “Shot From a Cannon.”
While the album may not offer the best bang for the buck if you’re one of those Greatest Hits type of listeners who prefer the blockbuster hits, it must be said that “The North Corridor” plays best when listened to from start to finish in one go – yes, even though it’s basically just one continuous stream of relentless tension without release. As such, it is by far one of the band’s most cohesive selections – plus, it has a couple of top-tier bangers, too. Sure, it helps if you were a grunge or a nu-metal kid in the 1990s. Maybe I wouldn’t listen to this selection too many times in a row for the said reason – or, at least, I would need to put on some ambient hipster music afterwards.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Door to Door Cannibals
- Enemies
- Joyride (Omen)
- Rivers
- Last Days
- Young Wicked
- Warhol’s Showbiz
- Punchline
- Got Burned
- Shot From a Cannon
Lineup
Pete Loeffler – vocals, guitars
Sam Loeffler – drums
Dean Bernardini – bass
Label
Epic
