CHEVELLE drummer SAM LOEFFLER has weighed in on one of the most contentious ongoing debates in live heavy music: the use of pre-recorded backing tracks during concerts — and his take is blunt.
Speaking with 99.7 The Blitz radio in May 2026, LOEFFLER confirmed that CHEVELLE operates entirely without tracks. "We have no tracks. We have nothing. We're just three guys," he stated plainly.
Then came the sharper edge: "Some of these guys, and I'm not gonna say who, aren't playing any of it." LOEFFLER stopped short of naming specific bands, but the implication was clear — in his view, some artists performing at the highest levels of the live circuit are essentially fronting a playback system.
In a moment of candid self-reflection, LOEFFLER admitted that learning other drummers were skipping complex double-bass patterns via pre-recorded tracks actually came as a relief. "I couldn't play that. It's insane," he said with apparent humor, acknowledging just how demanding modern metal drumming has become.
The debate around backing tracks isn't new, but it has intensified as production values have risen and touring technology has made pre-recorded elements harder for audiences to detect. For LOEFFLER and CHEVELLE, authenticity remains non-negotiable.
The band's latest album, Bright As Blasphemy, arrived in August 2025. They're set to tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN beginning September 2, 2026, in Camden, New Jersey — a co-headlining run where, at least on one side of the stage, every note will be played live.