Cockfighters

It’s been 20 years since Chavez released their second and final studio album ‘Ride The Fader’ but in late 2015, Matt Sweeney, Clay Tarver, Scott Marshall and The James Lo resumed operations, once again ensconcing themselves with John Agnello at NJ’s Water Music, ignoring the label’s demands for a full-length album and instead delivering 3 knockout punches that prove these godfathers of art metal (for fuck’s sake, please don’t actually call them that — or tell them we said it) are as idiosyncratic, inventive and anthemic as THE LAST TIME THEY TOLD US THEY WEREN’T GOING TO TOUR.

With an influence and corresponding fan devotion that far outstrips their short-but-sweet discography and limited tenure(s), the Men Of Chavez remain one of Matador’s most beloved bands and quite possibly a high water mark for 1990’s cerebral hard rock. For the quartet to emerge from hibernation, despite having myriad other professional and artistic demands on their time (google that shit if you music, but we’re talking multimedia heavyweights) is an unbelievably welcome surprise, not unlike having an extremely expensive printer mistakenly delivered to your orifices that no one ever comes looking for (this actually happened to us back in the early ’90’s and I am sorry to say it is the only example of another pleasant surprise I could think of).

All kidding aside, ‘Cockfighters’ is a more than brilliant addition to the Chavez oeuvre, one you’ll desperately clutch whether you’re an acolyte of longstanding or simply a desperate member of Clutch.