Formation, Point #1, and ''Wonder What's Next'' (1995–2003) Chevelle formed in 1995 in
Grayslake, Illinois, when brothers
Pete Loeffler and Sam Loeffler started enjoying and learning to play music. Pete started playing guitar and singing while Sam began playing drums in their parents' garage. Their youngest brother Joe Loeffler joined the band replacing Scott. The band started playing small outdoor concerts and clubs around
Chicago,
Illinois, with Joe being only 14 years old. Two singles were released from the album with accompanying music videos, "
Point #1" and "Mia". The songs received
GMA Dove Awards in 2000 and "Point #1" in 2001. The album received an award for "Hard Music Album" in 2000 by the Dove Awards. The album was well received by
Phantom Tollbooth and
HM Magazine, yet was criticized for its repetitive song structures by Jesus Freak Hideout, a Christian music website. The band released the single "
The Red", which reached No. 3 on the
Mainstream rock charts, and the video was played in regular rotation on
MTV. ''Wonder What's Next
soon peaked at No. 14 on the United States Billboard'' 200 album chart. Brian O'Neil of
AllMusic stated the album "offers uniqueness not often heard in more commercial fare, no mean feat." and "
Send the Pain Below", the latter of which reached the No. 1 position on both of the
mainstream rock and
modern rock charts. Chevelle was nominated for three awards at the
2003 Billboard Music Awards. One as a band and two for their song "Send the Pain Below". and a live
DVD,
Live from the Norva on October 14, 2003. On the tour with Disturbed, Chevelle appeared on the tour compilation album, titled
Music as a Weapon II, featuring the songs "The Red" and "Forfeit". Chevelle held their first major headlining tour, from November 1 to December 17, 2003. Sam also told the
Chicago Tribune, "Our faith is still extremely important to us, but it's also very personal. None of us feels being a rock band on stage should be a pedestal for preaching".
Line-up changes, This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In), and Vena Sera (2004–2008) This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) was recorded in early 2004 and was released on September 21, 2004. The album debuted at No. 8 on the
Billboard 200, and was certified
gold by the RIAA six weeks later. Two other singles were released from the album, the titles of which are "
The Clincher" peaking at No. 3 on the Mainstream rock chart, and "
Panic Prone" which peaked at No. 26 on the same chart. After the release of the album, the youngest of the brothers, Joe Loeffler, was dismissed from Chevelle. Due to different stories from the band members, it is unclear whether he was fired or left the band of his own accord. and continued playing small tours in 2005 with
Geno Lenardo from the band
Filter. In August 2005, the Loeffler brothers' brother-in-law and longtime friend, Dean Bernardini joined the band as their newest bassist.
Vena Sera was released on April 3, 2007, debuting at No. 12 on the
Billboard 200, and sold 62,000 copies during its first week of release. The title of the album translates to "vein liquid" in Latin, representing the blood Chevelle put into making the album, according to Pete. Corey Apar of AllMusic states that "
Vena Sera probably won't disappoint fans, and it didn't, if for the sole fact that it basically sounds just like Chevelle's other albums". He noted that the song "I Get It" "has a relatively lighter underbelly than the rest, which is a nice change of pace, but it's ultimately too little, too late". followed by a headlining tour with Finger Eleven and
Strata in May and June. The second single from the album, "
I Get It", was released on June 12, 2007, and a video for the song debuted on MTV on November 27, 2007. In July of the same year, Chevelle toured Australia as a supporting act for the band
The Butterfly Effect. On the tour in Australia, Chevelle's band manager Rose died of cancer, much to the distress of the band. The band posted a notice saying, "Most items are labeled 'Chevelle' and if you notice anything suspicious on
eBay or other online resellers selling 'authentic' Chevelle items... guitar, basses, drums, amplifiers, risers, backdrops, tee shirts... please call the police..." A month later in an interview, Sam Loeffler stated, "Of the 14 guitars, we got two of 'em, and then we got some amplifiers back and our monitor system. So it's really, I mean it's cool because it's kind of like Christmas, only really weird. People have been calling us and saying, 'Hey, I bought this or that', and you know, we're just doing our best to buy it back from them. And certainly the issue is not a money issue, it's about having the pieces of gear that you did all your records with." The new album, titled
Sci-Fi Crimes was released on August 31, 2009, peaking at No. 6 on the
Billboard 200 album chart with sales of about 46,000, the highest entry onto the chart to date for the band. The album was praised by Jared Johnson of AllMusic for taking a step in a new direction in regards to the lyrics. Pete Loeffler normally wrote lyrics about personal subjects. However, on
Sci-Fi Crimes he wrote of stories including apparitions, conspiracy theories, and erratic sleeping conditions. In January 2011, Chevelle released a live CD/DVD combo,
Any Last Words. The album's first single was titled "
Face to the Floor", which reached No. 3 on
Billboard's Rock songs chart. The album debuted at No. 20 on the
Billboard charts and sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release. Also, a compilation album of band favorites called
Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites, was released to stores on December 4, 2012. The compilation includes 11 songs and a previously unreleased track titled "Fizgig". Recording and production finished early in 2014, and the band announced on February 1 that the album, to be released April 1, 2014, would be titled
La Gárgola (Spanish for "the gargoyle"). Lead singer Pete Loeffler describes that the album is about "the dark underbelly of American culture." The first single from the album, titled "
Take Out the Gunman", was released on February 3, 2014. The other singles from the album are "
Hunter Eats Hunter" and "
An Island". The album reached the top of the Rock Album chart in April 2014. Chevelle was nominated for four awards at the 2014 Loudwire Music Awards. The categories were, Best Rock Band, On May 10, 2016, the band announced that their new album would be titled
The North Corridor, which was released on July 8, 2016. The first single from the album is "
Joyride (Omen)" which became their fifth song to reach No. 1 on the
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. and "Rivers". In October 2018, Chevelle released a compilation album titled,
12 Bloody Spies, featuring B-sides, covers, rarities, and remixes. On August 1, 2019, the band launched a craft beer in collaboration with
Revolution Brewing. The beer the band launched is a German-style
Helles Lager and is called La Gárgola named after the band's seventh album.
NIRATIAS and Bright as Blasphemy (2019–present) In June 2019, the band announced that they entered the studio with long-time producer
Joe Barresi. Along with the announcement drummer Sam Loeffler said they have been writing material for a year-and-a-half, meaning the process of making this album has taken longer than usual. The band released a music video for their new song, "
Self Destructor" on January 8, 2021. The song is the lead single from their upcoming ninth studio album,
NIRATIAS (an acronym for "Nothing is real and this is a simulation") which was released on March 5, 2021. On February 19, 2021, the band released the third single from the album, "Remember When". On March 5, 2021, the band released the fourth single from the album, "Endlessly". On March 8, 2021, the band announced that ÆGES guitarist and vocalist, Kemble Walters would be their new touring bassist. In a March 17, 2021, interview with Loudwire, Pete Loeffler states that despite the band selling over six million albums, they haven't gotten any money out of it. The money all went back to Epic. He blames it on signing a bad contract early on in his career. On May 1, 2021, the band released a music video for the song "Mars Simula". "Self Destructor" was included in the 2021 film, ''
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. The band toured in September and November 2021 in promotion of the album, calling the tour, "The NIRATIAS'' Tour". The November dates were later canceled and the band stated it was due to "changing circumstances beyond our control." In 2022, the band was nominated for Rock Artist of the Year at the
iHeartRadio Music Awards. In April 2022, the band canceled one concert and postponed another due to Sam testing positive for
COVID-19. In June 2022, the band announced that they were entering the studio to record their tenth studio album in November or December, with plans of releasing the album in 2023. It will be their first release without a major record label due to their contract with Epic Records ending. In March 2024, it was announced that Chevelle had ten songs recorded for the new album. The band went on a US tour in September 2023 with
Three Days Grace and
Loathe. In July 2024, the band announced that they signed with a new record label, Alchemy Recordings, and that their tenth album was tentatively due to come out in September or October that year. However, both release dates were missed and the album was delayed to 2025. On March 25, 2025, the band announced a new tour, with supporting acts
Asking Alexandria and
Dead Poet Society. The tour began in August 2025. The following day, they released the single "
Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1)". In an interview with
Full Metal Jackie on KLOS' "Whiplash", drummer Sam Loeffler stated that their tenth album was self-produced. He described the process as "The hardest thing we've ever done [and]...probably not worth it, but we did it, and we can say we did it." On May 28, 2025, the second single, "Jim Jones (Cowards, Pt. 2)" was released, alongside an announcement for the band's tenth studio album,
Bright as Blasphemy. The album was released on August 15. The band toured with
Dead Poet Society in April 2026. == Musical style and influences ==