Caliban The Opposite from Within
Abacus Recordings October 5th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Theres no doubt in my mind that metalcore fans will lap up Calibans latest with fervent enthusiasm. Honestly, The Opposite from Within retains enough quality to garner at least lukewarm reviews. But simultaneously the band dont offer material that outperforms their competitors within the same genre.
The Beloved and the Hatred gives a rather accurate glimpse into the groups sound; theyve tapped heavily into the Killswitch Engage formulas. Goodbye begins with a fluid introduction, and I found myself enjoying the lulls (when the guitars drop out of the mix completely and we hear just drums). Ive Sold Myself doesnt veer from the path paved by the first couple tracks. Stand Up, however, is completely enrapturing due to its excellent riffage. Unfortunately, the aforementioned song loses momentum by its conclusion. Senseless Fight features a bevy of clean vocals that are unremarkably average. The screams are consistently well done nevertheless, and the latter should not detract from the overall listening experience. Certainty Corpses Bleed Cold is about the time I wish Grun (drums) would lay off the double-bass for a while. The song is easily describable as pedestrian. My Little Secret, One of These Days, Salvation, Diary of an Addict, and 100 Suns seamlessly blend together: similar traits riddle each track, differentiation is few and far between, and your attention span will probably have waned entirely by the time you reach My Little Secret.
The Opposite from Within isnt really that bad, but its simply not up to par with other purveyors of metalcore. Lamentably, a great number of bands even labelmates trump the group by offering superior songwriting, musicianship, and emotive outpourings. Caliban, for me, were mostly a fruitless investment.
6.5/10
Official Caliban website
Official Abacus Recordings website
Abacus Recordings October 5th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Theres no doubt in my mind that metalcore fans will lap up Calibans latest with fervent enthusiasm. Honestly, The Opposite from Within retains enough quality to garner at least lukewarm reviews. But simultaneously the band dont offer material that outperforms their competitors within the same genre.
The Beloved and the Hatred gives a rather accurate glimpse into the groups sound; theyve tapped heavily into the Killswitch Engage formulas. Goodbye begins with a fluid introduction, and I found myself enjoying the lulls (when the guitars drop out of the mix completely and we hear just drums). Ive Sold Myself doesnt veer from the path paved by the first couple tracks. Stand Up, however, is completely enrapturing due to its excellent riffage. Unfortunately, the aforementioned song loses momentum by its conclusion. Senseless Fight features a bevy of clean vocals that are unremarkably average. The screams are consistently well done nevertheless, and the latter should not detract from the overall listening experience. Certainty Corpses Bleed Cold is about the time I wish Grun (drums) would lay off the double-bass for a while. The song is easily describable as pedestrian. My Little Secret, One of These Days, Salvation, Diary of an Addict, and 100 Suns seamlessly blend together: similar traits riddle each track, differentiation is few and far between, and your attention span will probably have waned entirely by the time you reach My Little Secret.
The Opposite from Within isnt really that bad, but its simply not up to par with other purveyors of metalcore. Lamentably, a great number of bands even labelmates trump the group by offering superior songwriting, musicianship, and emotive outpourings. Caliban, for me, were mostly a fruitless investment.
6.5/10
Official Caliban website
Official Abacus Recordings website
