Working from the basic foundation they established on Gone Glimmering,
Chavez spins off into new territories on their second album,
Ride the Fader. Equal parts post-hardcore punk and prog-metal,
Chavez's music is intellectual guitar rock -- riffs are fractured and self-consciously asymmetrical, winding in on themselves and then turning inside out. What prevents
Ride the Fader from becoming a tedious, pompous exercise in experimental rock is its visceral directness, combined with detail.
Chavez is a powerful, muscular band, capable of giving their densely packed songs a startling immediacy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine