| CD REVIEW Caliban |
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Band : Caliban Although this Ruhr Area German quintet has been one of the best-selling and most successful European Metalcore acts for years, it took me some time to check out what all the media were on about, and it’s only like 1 ½ years ago (or so) that I actually went out to buy some of the band’s albums (i.e. their 1999 album A Small Boy And A Grey Heaven – which I was able to get on vinyl – and 2004’s The Opposite From Within…which is only two out of the band’s collection of releases which, including this new full-length, contains 2 split albums with Heaven Shall Burn, and 8 albums). Still, I’m afraid I have to admit to not having been able to actually give the albums a decent listening session…which isn’t really a surprise, since I’ve never had to review a Caliban album [that honour always laid aside for former collegue Trik – check out his reviews for previous Caliban albums, posted 15/05/2007 (The Awakening), 28/01/2006 (The Undying Darkness)…these both released on Roadrunner, and 25/07/2005 (The Split Program 2: Caliban Vs. Heaven Shall Burn), issued through Lifeforce Records], and the list of stuff I bought-but-still-have-to-listen-to-decently is simply mindbogglingly large (“big” as a descriptive way just don’t suffice)! Anyway, leading up to being able to make my first review of a Caliban album, I got over-loaded by a backstock of releases that had come to the Concrete Web desk (due to our editor-in-chief’s having to concentrate on his job as representative for two record labels), and by the time I’d got to that backlog, reviews of the band’s new album had already come into the written press. So, I was surprised to read that some consider our Germans to have calmed down a bit in more recent years, deviating from its original raw sound. In fact, the reviewer at Aardschokeven claims the new album to sound rather anonimous and average! And in some ways I dó feel I have to agree! The compositions are kinda predictable in build-up, geared towards making the melodic side of things come through as much as possible, and on half of the 12 songs the guys use clean backing vocals! There’s still quite a bit of rawness and aggression but it’s been pollished up, embellished by a good portion of melancholy and emotionality…possibly in an attempt to please an as broad possible audience. I won’t go as far as to claim the new Caliban has less spunk than the last Tokio Hotel (sic Aardschokagain), and I feel this band had definitely made an album which will please a very wide array of people into aggressive music, but I dó agree that on the side of originallity, there ain’t too much here! In stead, the Germans have played on safe, bringing an album which is definitely proof of their instrumental capacities and songwritership, of a band coome to maturity! But what’s next? A Caliban Pop album (sorry for that last joke)? Feel free to disagree (the more controversy, the better, because it at least proves that you think for yourselves and do not take my words for Gospel truth!), and check out the two new tracks the band posted at myspace.com/caliban (also compare to the plentuful available older material)! If, after having listened to the whole album (preferably after buying it), you feel strongly enough about Caliban’s material to keep supporting ‘em, they’ll be on a European tour (following the US tour that’s happening NOW and will keep ‘em busy on the other side of the Atlantic til Oct. 10). So, Belgian fans can go and support the band by goin’ out to see Caliban play Hasselt’s Muziek-O-Droom on November 7. 82/100 Tony. |