Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites

Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites is the first compilation album released by the American alternative metal band Chevelle on December 4, 2012. It includes remastered versions of several hit songs, along with a previously unreleased b-side entitled "Fizgig. Capping off over a decade of commercial dominance on the American mainstream rock charts, Chevelle do a victory lap of sorts with their greatest-hits collection, Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites. With hits like "The Red," "Face to the Floor," and "Hats Off to the Bull," among others, anyone even vaguely familiar with modern rock radio will find something recognizable here. Fortunately, part of what has made Chevelle an almost inescapable band has to do with their sound, which blends some of the best parts of straight-ahead hard rock with some of the drama and tension of art rockers like Tool. This left-of-center style helps to give Chevelle lend a nuance to their sound that many of their "tough but sensitive" post-grunge contemporaries lack, allowing them to be plaintive without necessarily needing to break out the candles and acoustic guitars. Of course, longtime fans already know this, so as a reward for them, the band has included an all-new track, the hard-hitting "Fizgig," a riff-driven stomper of a song that feels like a hard march. While the song is definitely a good one, your level of fandom is really going to determine whether you need this collection or not. However, if you're just coming to Chevelle, Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites makes for an unsurprisingly great place to start, with its 12 tracks just enough to hook you in without overwhelming you, and a selection strong enough that it would probably stand up to most any mixtape a fan would put together.