The Used

"The Used emerged flipping two middle fingers at what passed for the rock n' roll status quo while snatching platinum, gold and silver certifications in North America, Europe and Australia and kicking open the doors of MTV and the Top 10.

Now freed of the shackles of corporate bureaucracy and even the limitations of geography (half the band now lives abroad), The Used is creating the most spirited and vitally essential work of their career.

Imaginary Enemy arrives with the wrath of a hurricane, railing against the mainstream media distractions that keep the populace complacent about poverty, disease, war, famine and the seemingly inevitable police state decimating privacy. Even as humanity grows more interconnected through technology, self-absorbed narcissism keeps much of the West with a nose in a smartphone and their empathy obscured. As The Used's lyricist/frontman Bert McCracken declares: "We need new heroes – or no heroes at all. We need more leaders and lessTwitter followers."

"It's a very challenging record," says bassist Jeph Howard, who co-founded The Used with McCracken, guitarist Quinn Allman and the group's original drummer in 2001. "We've never gone this deep into these issues. This record has a lot to do with the world and what's going behind the scenes. We hope that the people who are asleep will wake up and help"

Opening the album with a song called "Revolution" was no accident. Whether it's the book-burning depicted in the music video for "Cry," or any number of geopolitical topics covered across Imaginary Enemy, The Used aim to incite via a series of high-minded questions. They aren't placing a decisive value judgment on the state of the world so much as they are demanding critical thinking and group participation.

The album's provocative cover art features an old-school punk style montage of a variety of politicians, cable news pundits and religious leaders. The announcement on The Used's Tumblr page surrounding the release of Imaginary Enemy included these words from the group's frontman:

"Some view art as a way of escaping reality; others view art as mirror reflecting our sometimes sad society; we believe art can be a weapon, used to shape the very world we live."

"The basis of any revolution starts with education," says McCracken. "We're not pushing a specific message, we're just trying to open the discussion. We want people to ask questions, like, 'what is the War on Drugs? What is the War on Poverty? The War on Terror?' The only way to change the world is to learn about it first."

The rich experiences gathered as an international touring act and living abroad has helped to inform The Used's worldview. Howard moved to Central America; only Quinn remains in the band's native Utah (Whitesides is in Los Angeles). McCracken, who now calls Australia home, has immersed himself in the work of 18th Century Scottish enlightenment figure Adam Smith, revolutionary socialist Karl Marx and "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" author and philosopher, Paulo Freire.

"There's a systematic problem with this distracted, throwaway generation in that we don't feel responsible for anything. Everything is someone else's problem," the singer explains. "The truth is that

all of humanity is interconnected and depends on each individual. We're directly responsible for what's going on in this world."

It may seem crazy for the hardscrabble scallywag lead singer who openly talked about drug use to be talking about individual responsibility. But the newly centered McCracken is more lucid than ever, keenly observant of everything around him. "Yeah, maybe 10 years ago, I was too young to embrace these ideas," he concedes with a self-aware chuckle. "But as far as changing the world? People are confused as to what that takes. It takes conversation. Identifying problems is the first step toward solving them."

The Used's reputation as innovative torchbearers and post-hardcore pioneers in the aggressive but emotionally melodic heavy music scene speaks for itself. The Used (2002), In Love and Death (2004) and Lies for the Liars (2007) boast empowering anthems that endure in the hearts and minds of fans across the globe. The band's influence stretches across Active Rock and Alternative Rock radio, the subcultural artistic acolytes who populate the various stages of the Vans Warped Tour and the groups covered by publications like Kerrang!, Rocksound andAlternative Press.

The band's first album with drummer Dan Whitesides, the adventurous Artwork (2009), featured dirty, vicious songs without jettisoning the pop-infused sensibility of their earlier work. It was the band's only album that didn't involve producer John Feldman, who returned forVulnerable (2012), the first album from The Used to be released through their own Anger Music, in partnership with Hopeless Records.

Like every record from The Used, Imaginary Enemy is a diverse affair, filled with extremely heavy songs, fast upbeat tracks and more beautiful, peaceful material. The group struck a balance between the raw, quickly recorded intensity of last summer's self-produced The Ocean of the Sky EP and the sound of the band's first three albums. The Used returned to Feldman with 20 new songs, plus 30 leftover ideas from the Vulnerable and EP writing sessions.

"We got into the studio and decided to scrap everything and start over," Howard reveals. "We wanted to try something completely different, which was a little scary. After working on all of this music, suddenly we're starting over. It was terrifying."

The band switched up the recording process, as well. Allman would record dummy guitar tracks for McCracken to lay his unique and easily identifiable voice over. Vocals were first to be finished; the finalized versions of the music came last. "We got to play around with the sound we enjoyed on The Ocean of the Sky," adds McCracken. "We like things to sound a bit out of tune, a bit messy." A looser, more vibe-inspired recording process coupled with Feldman's keen ear resulted in an album that sounds free of overthinking yet as expansive, big and accessible as anything out there in the heavy-but- melodic landscape dominated by The Used.

The visceral, raw performances on Imaginary Enemy are akin to what The Used have always done live, whether back in the day on Ozzfest, Warped, Projekt Revolution or Taste Of Chaos, at major festivals, or the 2012 charity sponsored tour which raised funds for the It Gets Better Project. The big hooks found throughout the songs will energize longtime fans and new believers alike. The dark undertone prevalent in their classic songs is still there, but it's all infused with a motivational positivity designed to both destroy and rebuild.

Like everything else in The Used's career, none of Imaginary Enemy would have been possible without the band's devoted fans. "We've really become aware of what this music really means to us and to the people we've touched around the world," McCracken says. "I recognize that we have the ability to inspire people to maybe smile. And we wanted to expand on that power, the power of art, to motivate."

Chevelle

CHEVELLE open yet another doorway on their seventh full-length record, La Gárgola [Epic Records]. After nearly two decades together, six albums, and countless sold out gigs, the Chicago alternative rock outfit—Pete Loeffler [guitars, vocals], Sam Loeffler [drums], and Dean Bernardini [bass, vocals]—confidently sail through uncharted waters and emerge with a collection that's equally intricate and intimate.

Certainly, it builds upon the group's impressive foundation, including the 2002 platinum-selling genre staple Wonder What's Next and the gold-certified follow-up This Type of Thinking Could Do Us In as well as experimental epic Sci-Fi Crimes and, most recently, 2011's Hats Off To The Bull, which respectively debuted at #9 and #19 on the Billboard Top 200. However, their signature style naturally morphs into a powerful and passionate new beast, otherwise known as La Gárgola—Spanish for "Gargoyle."

"I don't want Chevelle to sound like every other rock band out there," declares Pete. "On this album, we experimented with a lot of stomp boxes, vintage amps, effects, and tools that we never had in the past. It nods to the spirit of Sci-Fi Crimes, but we went further than ever. I had a clear path I wanted to follow."

"This is a little more alternative," Sam adds. "It's still us, but it stands out."

The trio augmented its creative arsenal both musically and lyrically. Pete immersed himself in the classic work of fellow Chicagoans the iconic Ministry, culling an industrial sensibility for his latest compositions. That's most prominent within the bruising guitar throb of "Jawbreaker" and the apocalyptic haze of "The Island" where electronic percussion collides with fuzzed-out six-string twang.

"My brother always swore off drum machines," laughs Pete. "I wanted that fast, dark, and aggressive tone so I bought him an electronic drum kit as a compromise. We wrote in an industrial way, adding something else to what we normally would do."

At the same time, when he wasn't writing or riffing, Pete was religiously watching The Walking Dead in addition to horror classics such as Rosemary's Baby and the original Friday The 13th series. A direct correlation happens on their self-proclaimed "zombie song", "The Damned", which packs a fast and focused punch. Overall, Chevelle breathe fresh life into their music from multiple angles.

"I've always liked horror films," the frontman continues. "Watching them is like riding a roller coaster. Your heart rate goes up, and that's perfect for our music. I talk about so many dark subjects on the album. That's why the album title fits. A gargoyle is a very creepy and cool creature for what it means and depicts. These mythical demons are so fascinating because it's actually socially acceptable to put them on the corner of buildings!"

In order to capture their own newfound fire, the band teamed up with Hats Off To The Bull producer Joe Barresi [Queens of The Stone Age, Tool, Coheed and Cambria] once again. They retreated to his Pasadena, CA studio and embarked down an unmapped path together in late 2013.

"You don't want to repeat yourself," affirms Sam. "Joe always pushes us to try new things. He's not content to let us fall into a formula. He wants to seize something different with each song. Every record has to take on its own identity, and he gets that. As an artist, you have to progress."

The first single "Take Out The Gunman" reflects that progression. It locks and loads an ominous guitar lick with a snap before the singer's voice begins to transfix with a breathy verse and booming hook. Simultaneously, it examines a looming social issue without prejudice or pandering.

"Clearly, we have an issue right now with mental illness and those afflicted getting guns," Pete explains. "This is a scenario of someone dealing with that and their perspective as they try to get out of the situation. It's a heavy topic, and there's no easy fix or solution. Every day, there's a shooting in the news. You can't ignore it. The subject has weighed heavily on me. I didn't want to go into my personal feelings though. I just wanted to talk about the situation. How do you get out of it and fight back? Maybe it will make people think and spark up a conversation."

Elsewhere on the record, Chevelle ebb and flow throughout "One Ocean". The track meanders from elegant soundscapes punctuated by horns into a thought-provoking hum from Pete.

"This is more of a serious song," he says. "It's about being called to the ocean for some reason. Every time I'm on the West Coast, I've enjoyed the Pacific. I had been reading up on the ocean's health. If we keep polluting it constantly, that's going to catch up with us. We can't live without it. It's totally different for us."

"We've never written a song like it before," Sam concurs. "That was a special one because everybody really felt it. It's one of our favorites."

Ultimately, Chevelle are inviting everybody to join them in this space.

"This record is more of a fantasy world," concludes Pete. "I don't want to write about fucking breakups. I hope La Gárgola takes people somewhere else. I wanted to create something fun in a dark way. It's meant to be an escape. That was the focus." — Rick Florino, February 2014