Chevelle - Vena Sera

The brothers Loeffler have been slowly but surely carving out a niche for detuned melodic metal since Chevelle’s 2002’s mainstream breakout Wonder What’s Next. But after bassist Joe acrimoniously bowed out last year, vocalist/guitarist Pete and drummer Sam kept plugging with brother-in-law Dean Bernardini. The skinsman discusses the pros and cons of keeping it in the family.

Chevelle’s image has always been “anti-image.” How weird is it having this soap-operatic element to the band with Joe departing?

LOEFFLER: Well, in the past it’s always been about the music; it’s never been about the politics or the religion or anything else that some bands choose to focus on. We’re really sort of trying to play it down, because there’s not that much to it. We were together for almost 11 years as a band. Every good thing we did as a band, we did together. But it ran out. I don’t think bass playing was Joe’s thing any more. We just never really got along. The problems we had unfortunately weren’t band-related; they were personal.

How important was it for you to keep it in the family, making the transition from your brother to your brother-in-law?

LOEFFLER: Did we anticipate it? Every day. Did we prepare for it? No, we did not. That’s why we asked Geno Lenardo, the guitarist from Filter, to fill in for six weeks while Dean learned all the parts and everything. We’ve been friends with Dean since I was 18, so gosh, it’s been 14 years, right? And being able to play in a band with him after all this time was very natural. I think it’s pretty stunning that he learned [the catalogue] as fast as he did. I mean, he learned every song that we ever wrote really fast.

Much has been made of your influences—Tool, Deftones, Helmet—but this album seems like the most comfortable you’ve ever been as Chevelle.

LOEFFLER: That’s an interesting way to put it. I wonder if that’s true. Certainly I would think that the more records you write, the more you come into your own and figure out what it is you like about music. I don’t know… I think our tastes and ideas have changed, definitely. We were very opposed to doing things like harmonies. We didn’t really do vocal effects before; we just did Pete singing on different parts. But he’s still coming from a dark place. I compare it to… how you say it is how people get it. Like if you’re talking to your dog and you’re saying in a sweet little voice, “I’m gonna get you! I’m gonna saw you up in the frying pan!” it’s still a pretty terrible thing to say, but since you say it nice, people get a different idea of it.

You can pre-order Chevelle’s upcoming release, Vena Sera, here.

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