Chevelle — Sci-Fi Crimes

You're forgiven if you didn't think Chevelle were still around.

The alt-metal trio sort of faded into the background after the radio success of their 2002 hit "The Red," but on Sci-Fi Crimes, their fifth (!) release, they're eager to prove they're still alive and kicking. And angry, of course.

In some respects, not much has changed in the Chevelle camp. Singer Pete Loeffler still sounds frighteningly like Maynard James Keenan, and appropriately, the music still sounds like a more accessible Tool. '

Yet here they veer a little further away from the stoner-metal side of things, choosing to turn up the screaming aggression instead. Speaking of tools, I swear the guitar riff in "Mexican Sun" was ripped off from Bush's "Machinehead." Does anybody consciously try to rip off Bush? We might have a first.

Chevelle bursts out of the gate with "Sleep Apnea," a dirge-y introduction that sets the tone for the rest of the album: fast, slow, loud, repeat. "Letter From A Thief" combines a solid backbeat with some impassioned chorus vocals, but when they fully tone it down a notch for the slower "Shameful Metaphors," that's when the real punch of the melody and slick production hits you. If you were or still are a grunge fan, I guarantee you'll feel at least a bit affected — even if you won't admit it.

Although there are no real standout tracks on this album, it remains consistent throughout and has a pretty great flow. Sci-Fi Crimes will without a doubt appeal to two camps: angry teenagers and anybody who longs for postgrunge/nu-metal's halcyon days of the late-'90s.

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