Somewhat of an ambiguous word gravity’s meanings are manifold. Describing the severity of a situation, the idea of the physical property tethering to the planet. Now with their brand new album Caliban create their own meaning to the word. Returning since their Ghost Empire the band utilise all properties of their chosen title. Anvil heavy riffs, severe lyrical situations ensuring that they will captivate you in their gravitational pull.
[tracklist]
- Paralysed
- Mein Schwarzes Herz
- Who I Am
- Left For Dead
- Crystal Skies
- Walk Alone
- The Ocean’s Heart
- brOKen
- For We Are Forever
- Inferno
- No Dream Without A Sacrifice
- Hurricane
[/tracklist][details]
[length]45:00[/length]
[record_label]Century Media Records[/record_label]
[release_date]25th March 2016[/release_date]
[/details]Much like the play the band are named after, Caliban conjure up tempestuous sounds on their latest release. Going for the jugular the Germanic destruction is highlighted on “Mein Schwarzes Herz“, meaning my black heart, the song is arguably one of the heaviest on the record. Down tuned guitars and triplets are the order of the day here, contrasting nicely with previous arrival of more hook focused “Paralyzed“. Recording with not only a member of the band but an outsider has done wonders for the band. Focus remaining on tight knit songwriting yet given a polished sound that still retains a certain grit.
Being very much the underdog of the Metalcore world Caliban have been on a trajectory with a steep gradient. With the oversaturation of bands in the late two thousands it’s fantastic to see the band are still unleashing belting choruses in “Who I Am“. Yet with this new record the band move almost into Tech Metal territory, owing in part to the down tuned guitars sees a slight migration to the modern times. “Crystal Skies” highlights Caliban’s vocal performance on the album with a rousing chorus that brings that triumph of adversity mindset. Not to mention a brief guest appearance of Heart Of A Coward‘s Jamie Graham. It’s clear to see that though band might be firmly rooted in mid two thousands there are nods to their peers in the age of 2016, “The Ocean’s Heart” being a prime example of the non descript down tuned chug.
A definite live favourite, the bounce of “Left For Dead” will see fans jumping out of the crowd into the pit with a breakdown that does exactly what it says on the tin. Nevertheless the band do not break revolutionary ground, yes the album might be heavier but if you were looking for a revolutionary change of sound then it is doubtful that you will hear it. Despite this the likes of “For We Are Forever“and “Walk Alone” will rouse the band’s fans to no end with yet another superb chorus featuring a solo whilst smacking down in the song’s latter section circle pit devouring break. Even the likes of “brOKen” may well have been done before but the quasi ballad injects a melancholic edge to the band with particularly clever use of gang vocals along with singer Andy who screams emotion on the track. Caliban might not be the most experimental of band but like German automotive are a well assembled, meticulously thought out machine and one that has just had a tune up to 2016, which once it gets going is incredibly hard to stop.
[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]If you’re a fan of the band you’ll find plenty love to about the album and more, for the newcomers to Caliban’s sound their foray into excellent song writing brings them into the Metalcore limelight of the modern day.[/why]
If you like what you read / heard then you can pick up a copy of the brand new album here!
