12 Bloody Spies: B-Sides and Rarities collects remastered versions of a dozen rare tracks from the siblings-led Chicago alt-metal institution. The compilation eschews the usual career overview formula for something a little more fan-centric, with radio highlights like "Send the Pain Below," "The Red," and "Face to the Floor" taking a backseat to untested material like "A Miracle" and "Sleep Walking Elite." That both of those aforementioned cuts traffic in stadium-ready hooks, soaring melodies, and just enough innovation to set them apart from the sonic bloat of more rudimentary contemporaries like
Seether and
Finger Eleven should come as no surprise, as that formula helped
Chevelle carve out some sizable slices of active rock-radio pie over the previous two decades. In addition to the sort of brand-new material,
12 Bloody Spies includes updated versions of fan favorites "The Clincher" and "Sleep Apnea," the latter of which -- despite its stripped down, MTV Unplugged-style treatment -- manages to retain all of the nervy energy of the original. ~ James Christopher Monger