Artist: Caliban
Label: Century Media
Release: 2009
Runtime: 50:02
Rating: 3.5/5
Caliban, the Germans from Hattingen, have been on the music scene for more than ten years. They’re among the more important bands that carved a deep groove into the then-awakening metalcore in the second half of the nineties. “Say Hello To Tragedy”, a seriously goofy title for a new record, continues their body of work in their typical, recognizable European manner. A classic approach, in other words. With plenty of added melody.
Caliban draw their riffs from some of the elements of eighties thrash metal, which was enthroned by bands on European soil like Sodom, Kreator and Destruction. You can’t miss the common ground with their contemporaries Killswitch Engaged, if only because of Adam Dutkiewicz, who handled the mix, as well as a style that, in a track like End This Sickness, wins over Killswitch Engaged fans. When you listen to the chorus of Walk Like The Dead, even parallels with Korn aren’t out of the question. Caliban also owe a little to the Gothenburg lads In Flames, but in the sum total of all these influences, Caliban’s own recognizable approach clearly shines through.
The brutal vocals Caliban use are, on the new album too, a combination of the lower “cookie monster” growls typical of death metal and higher-pitched screaming, which is the stylistic obligation that comes with the “core” tag. On top of that, here and there they add an “emo-ish whine,” which shows up mixed with extreme vocals, especially in shaping the melody of the chorus. And the main thing is, it doesn’t bother you. It’s a trick Caliban have used many times in the past, and the guys stay faithful to it on the new album as well. Caliban are keepers of a toxically gloomy atmosphere, which they conjure up masterfully especially in the instrumental middle section of No One Is Safe, when keyboards join in in the background, further underlining this band’s great feel for placing an effective, polished melody.
The production is crystal clear, the guitars are sharpened to the max and cut dangerously, without letting up, through the album’s running time. It does feel like Caliban are simply repeating a well-tested formula with the new album, the one that made them a recognizable and respected force on today’s metalcore scene. But it’s worth noting an important fact: when you spin “Say Hello To Tragedy” too, you don’t get the feeling that you’re stuck with just one of the hordes of bands, served up especially by the American market in this genre, that look as alike as two peas in a pod. Caliban continue to be their own band, true to their own language, which has influenced the development of this genre in many ways in the new millennium, and “Say Hello To Tragedy” is their new album that will fit every loyal fan of this band like a glove!
Lineup
Andreas Dorner – vocals
Denis Schmidt – guitar, vocals
Marc Goertz – guitar
Marco Schaller – bass
Patrick Grun – drums
Production
Benny Richter
Tracklist
01. 24 Years
02. Love Song
03. Caliban’s Revenge
04. End This Sickness
05. Walk Like The Dead
06. No One Is Safe
07. Liar
08. The Denegation Of Humanity
09. Unleash Your Voice
10. All I Gave
11. In The Name Of Progression
12. Coma
