Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Cave-ing In, And Ending My Slumber



I'd like to tell you that my lengthy hiatus was due to obligations as a turtle racing trainer in the Canadian plains, or that I was chosen as an undercover agent for an extraterrestrial protection agency tasked with determining whether Dave Mustaine was abducted and cosmically influenced, but I have no such grand tales. The fact of the matter is that I'm back, and have mostly caught up and absorbed all the jams and news that flew by during my reprieve.

One of the more noteworthy occurrences was the release of White Silence, the newest album by the supreme enigma of American heavy music, Cave In. Even those with little experience listening or following the Boston act fronted by the ceaselessly ambitious tandem of Stephen Brodsky and Caleb Scofield should be familiar with the damn near absurd spectrum of stylistic and sonic changes Cave In have gone through during their two decade tenure. The differences between their early and far more metallic releases like Until Your Heart Stops and the alternative-rock phase that were ushered in by Jupiter and fleshed out on Antenna are starker than a new-born's ass in the sun. 2005's Perfect Pitch Black combined the two phases with significant success, and it looked like Cave In were poised to carry the torch for the more alternative side of metal for good until a hiatus separated them in 2006.

Click through the jump to listen to "Sing My Loves", the lengthy and powerful third track on White Silence.

Now we're here in 2011, and Cave In are back with their return record, naturally released by long time label Hydra Head Records (also home to most of the seemingly innumerable Stephen Brodsky/Caleb Scofield bastard child side projects). And unsurprisingly, Cave In have followed through where Perfect... left off. White Silence is a perfect storm of Cave In's back catalog, also exhibiting the sounds cultivated in relative acts, most notably Zozobra and Old Man Gloom. More importantly, it proves Cave In's style, which was formerly heavily entrenched in the late 90s metalcore scene, is still relevant and adapting. White Silence is a high water mark for metallic post-hardcore today, beautifully crafted and a true album in every sense of the word. Check out 8:00 minute epic "Sing My Loves" below, courtesy of the Hydra Head store.

CAVE IN - Sing My Loves by H.H.R.

It's good to be back, kids.

- Jack

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