Have you ever wondered what would happen if Tool and Queens of the Stone Age conceived and had a baby? Probably not.... BUT IF YOU DID! Chevelle's 'La Gárgola' would be there 13.4 pound bastard child. Punchy, tight drums compliment the distant guitar sounds all throughout Chevelle's latest 'La Gárgola'. I'll have to admit, I was oblivious to this band until my roommate demanded that I check them out. He likes working out to them, and I can see why. 'La Gárgola' is a very intense listen that sounds like it could be an action movie soundtrack. Right off the bat you can hear the massive Tool influence on "Ouija Board". This lead singer has got pipes that you will want to write home about. He has a pretty nice screaming voice too. Track two "An Island" has a unique underproduced, fuzzy guitar sound to it. At first I thought it was bad production on this particular track. But I realized this is the only song with these qualities so I think it was a artistic choice. They have a tasteful use of the popular metal bass drop right around the mark 3:35 that makes for a nice impact moment. If you are too busy to listen to the entire album, make sure to check this one out."Stay there don't moveI think its got fangs.Watch if they turnBecome the villains." Track 3 "Take Out the Gunman" started to make me recognize how much these guys really sound like mid 90s Tool. The vocal melody in "Take Out the Gunman" sounds like it straight out of Tool's 'Ænima'. Skipping to track 6, they try to pull of the emotional ballad. This one did not work for me. I don't know why these heavier bands insist on trying to do these. Don't get me wrong sometimes they work, but "One Ocean" just feels forced. It ended up sounding like a Muse song. I like Muse, but its confusing when in the last song they were screaming in my face. It really kind of killed my mood too. The rest of the album gets boring for me. Luckily, there was one more diamond in the rough. "Choking Game" is another high octane jam that sounds like it belongs in the first half of the album instead of where it is located in the 7 slot. The second half of this album was a let down for me. If 'La Gárgola' kept up its pace it would have been much better in my opinion. All in all 'La Gárgola' had a promising beginning but just couldn't hold on to the intensity throughout. I am happy I finally got around to listening to this band, and would definitely recommend select tracks especially to people engaged in physical activities because they will get you going.
