Chiefs – Tomorrow’s Over

A signature sound, but little variety

Chiefs’ Tomorrow’s Over distinguishes itself with its Jimmy Eat World-esque vocalist and standard metal guitar that is heavily present in each track. There isn’t a lot of variety from track to track, but it allows the album to have a homogeneous nature. The Chiefs seem to be trying to achieve a specific type of sound and stuck to it throughout the entirety of the album. Clearly, they are not trying to sell out to any of the genre trends of this year, and are unapologetically embracing who they are.

The album’s namesake track, “Tomorrow’s Over” has the most diverse sound of any track on the album. The drummer plays around with his beats instead of just keeping time and the guitarist coordinates with his power chords. While the Chiefs may have some similarities with other progressive rock bands singularly, it’s hard to compare their combined sound as a band to anyone else’s. They’ve curated their own sound and stay true to it. The standout tracks are “Peel” and “Like a Match.” “Like a Match” has a nice hammer guitar riff that carries the song from start to finish. “Peel” epitomizes what the Chiefs are here to do. There are angsty lyrics, a solid metal guitar solo and a lot of cymbal action on the drums. The Chiefs really know how to crank up the volume.

Tomorrow’s Over showcases the trio’s tendencies. The vocalist, guitarist and drummer are fairly constant. The vocalist doesn’t veer far from a comfortable range, the drummer keeps the tempo stagnant from track to track and the guitarist doesn’t vary the settings on his guitar. While the album is still quite enjoyable, it would have been nice to see each of the musicians take a few risks on a couple tracks. The addition of a slower, stripped down track, a bass player or any variation on the rhythm section would take this album to the next level.