Post by thesoundmonitor on Sept 24, 2004 7:03:35 GMT -5
CALIBAN
The Opposite From Within
(Abacus Recordings)
A funny thing happened to me on the way to this review. Upon first listen I picked up on how the metal riffs had a hardcore tone and vibe to it. Then it hit me. This is how metalcore is supposed to sound. For too long bands have spouted the metalcore logo without truly delivering. Sure, they all play hardcore and they’ve turned the guitars “up to e-luven” but there’s a distinct lack of ‘metal’ there. Caliban however, reinvigorated metalcore for me.
Caliban cite more metal than hardcore bands as their influences and it really shows. They’ve toured with Slayer and have recruited In Flames’ frontman Anders for the production role, alongside legendary metal producer Andy Sneap (Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage, Machine Head).
I must commend the band for not starting their album with an intro, as track one bursts forth with both furious and clean sounding vocals. Whilst it’s not the archetype for the rest of the album, it does set the scene for what is to come. That is, an album of blistering metalcore tinted with some emo vocals and topics. As with almost every hardcore band, the clean vocals put me off instantly and as with almost every GOOD hardcore band, I’m usually won over after a few listens. The clean vocals provided by Denis Schmidts (who also plays guitar) are no exception.
‘Goodbye’ continues in the same tradition and appears to be about suicide however the first track to really make me dig the metal was the third track ‘I’ve Sold Myself’. It’s trashy intro gets my head banging as does track 5, ‘Senseless Fight’. I would love to see an entire album of this thrash hardcore sound. I remember saying the same thing when reviewing Devilinside. The album continues on in this fashion with convincing dedication. Sometimes angst and especially emo can sound very contrived. But not here.
Andy Dorners’ vocals are hard to decipher at times and I think knowing what the songs are about would give them a lot more impact. Speaking of impact, Patrick Gruns drums are the driving force behind a lot of the songs and I feel he restrains himself purposely to give them more of a hardcore feel. He offers little fills or variation, just a lot of double kicks in the same way Gene Hoglan does on the latest Strapping Young Lad album.
My only negative comment (besides the flirtations with numetal, but what hardcore band doesn’t do this?) is that contained in almost every track here are those little hardcore breakdowns. You know the part at the end of Metallica’s ‘One’ when they’re doing the militaristic stop/start drums? Well at least half the tracks have something along those very lines. Sometimes it’s annoying but most times it’s not even noticed.
With all that in mind, I’m now searching Ebay for their earlier releases.
There are so many great metalcore bands coming out lately and this is no exception. Whilst I’m still waiting (and hoping) for The Opposite From Within to jump out and take over my life like Vision of Disorder once did, there is nevertheless much on offer here and will appeal to fans of both metal and hardcore. An old cliché I know, but it’s true. damn it! In fact, it won’t just appeal, you will lap it up!
By Paul Irwin
www.calibanmetal.com
The Opposite From Within
(Abacus Recordings)
A funny thing happened to me on the way to this review. Upon first listen I picked up on how the metal riffs had a hardcore tone and vibe to it. Then it hit me. This is how metalcore is supposed to sound. For too long bands have spouted the metalcore logo without truly delivering. Sure, they all play hardcore and they’ve turned the guitars “up to e-luven” but there’s a distinct lack of ‘metal’ there. Caliban however, reinvigorated metalcore for me.
Caliban cite more metal than hardcore bands as their influences and it really shows. They’ve toured with Slayer and have recruited In Flames’ frontman Anders for the production role, alongside legendary metal producer Andy Sneap (Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage, Machine Head).
I must commend the band for not starting their album with an intro, as track one bursts forth with both furious and clean sounding vocals. Whilst it’s not the archetype for the rest of the album, it does set the scene for what is to come. That is, an album of blistering metalcore tinted with some emo vocals and topics. As with almost every hardcore band, the clean vocals put me off instantly and as with almost every GOOD hardcore band, I’m usually won over after a few listens. The clean vocals provided by Denis Schmidts (who also plays guitar) are no exception.
‘Goodbye’ continues in the same tradition and appears to be about suicide however the first track to really make me dig the metal was the third track ‘I’ve Sold Myself’. It’s trashy intro gets my head banging as does track 5, ‘Senseless Fight’. I would love to see an entire album of this thrash hardcore sound. I remember saying the same thing when reviewing Devilinside. The album continues on in this fashion with convincing dedication. Sometimes angst and especially emo can sound very contrived. But not here.
Andy Dorners’ vocals are hard to decipher at times and I think knowing what the songs are about would give them a lot more impact. Speaking of impact, Patrick Gruns drums are the driving force behind a lot of the songs and I feel he restrains himself purposely to give them more of a hardcore feel. He offers little fills or variation, just a lot of double kicks in the same way Gene Hoglan does on the latest Strapping Young Lad album.
My only negative comment (besides the flirtations with numetal, but what hardcore band doesn’t do this?) is that contained in almost every track here are those little hardcore breakdowns. You know the part at the end of Metallica’s ‘One’ when they’re doing the militaristic stop/start drums? Well at least half the tracks have something along those very lines. Sometimes it’s annoying but most times it’s not even noticed.
With all that in mind, I’m now searching Ebay for their earlier releases.
There are so many great metalcore bands coming out lately and this is no exception. Whilst I’m still waiting (and hoping) for The Opposite From Within to jump out and take over my life like Vision of Disorder once did, there is nevertheless much on offer here and will appeal to fans of both metal and hardcore. An old cliché I know, but it’s true. damn it! In fact, it won’t just appeal, you will lap it up!
By Paul Irwin
www.calibanmetal.com