Stunted Growth, Perhaps?

I've had a thought recently, and it's been bugging me. I've always been very supportive of a band's evolution. I've always said that I don't want to hear the band that sounds the same from one album to the next, even if it means that their sound develops in a direction leading away from the sounds I usually like. If I were to hammer out a list right now of my favorite bands, they would all be bands that have a distinct sound from album to album. Except for one.

I really like Chevelle. With their use of heavier guitar riffs, interesting chord structure, melodic choruses, and occasional screaming, they come of as pretty unique (to my ears, anyway). They have found their way into my favorite bands because I'm not just hooked on one or two albums. I own and love four of them (there are five). And while I may not love every single song on each album, there are certainly several on each that I absolutely love. I've seen them live twice (with a possible third time in my future), and they are just as great in person.

So what's been bothering. I was listening to a couple of their albums back to back this weekend, and that got me to thinking. The sound across their albums is really interchangeable. Like I said, all of my favorite bands grow and change over time. If I were to hear a song I didn't know by them (if you could find one), I would be able to tell you what album-era it came from. But Chevelle...probably not. I hear a difference from their first to second album, but after that...it's like they found their sound and were satisfied with that. I mean, it's a good sound. I own and love my copies of albums 2-5. But to not grow as songwriters...

This doesn't make me lose respect for the band or love them any less. I was just a little shocked to notice that hey, whaddaya know, I really do like a band that hasn't evolved in years. It makes me wonder where they would go from here, if they did start moving in one direction or another. Would I like that new sound? Would I wish that they had stuck to the old formula? I don't know...Anyway, I just thought I would share that with you.

Here's "Well Enough Alone" from their fourth album, Vena Sera.