CHEVELLE
NIRATIAS
EPIC RECORDS
Chevelle will be releasing their latest album, NIRATIAS (Nothing Is Real And This Is A Simulation) in March. This is a hard rock epic with slightly progressive inclinations. As a follow-up to 2018’s compilation, 12 Bloody Spies: B-Sides And Rarities
NIRATIAS marks a major return for the band, serving as their first collection of truly new, original recorded material since 2016
The album starts with the sludgy stoner-doom metal waves of distortion of the instrumental track, “Verruckt”. The track rips, demonstrating fiery riffs and varying passages. Furthermore, the tones the band is channeling across the board – guitars, bass, and drums – sound fantastic.
While NIRATIAS may not be for everyone, there is no denying that, sonically, it is one of the best sounding rock/metal albums in recent memory.
The album follows up such a simple, yet engaging, instrumental track with “So Long, Mother Earth”, a song that builds naturally off the instrumental opener, giving the impression that the former serves as an extended introduction. The two together raise the bar for the rest of the album, and while NIRATIAS is a strong album, it never quite hits the heights of “Verruckt” and “So Long, Mother Earth”.
The remaining 11 tracks sees some absolute hits, alongside, lesser songs that seem to meander across a straight-ahead idea. While songs like “Self Destructor”, the melancholic ballad “Endless”, and “Remember When” are by no means weak songs, they simply fail to reach the high bar Chevelle have set for themselves on NIRATIAS.
Chevelle has written the soundtrack of the futured warning of the dystopian future that looks more like Blade Runner or Total Recall. The album ties together a tight recorded performance that sounds larger than life.
NIRATIAS marks a strong return for Chevelle. It’s equally compelling as it is provocative.
