Caliban - The Opposite from Within

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Forest: Sold Out
Jul 5, 2003
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Indiana
Caliban – The Opposite from Within
Abacus Recordings – October 5th, 2004
By Jason Jordan

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There’s no doubt in my mind that metalcore fans will lap up Caliban’s latest with fervent enthusiasm. Honestly, The Opposite from Within retains enough quality to garner at least lukewarm reviews. But – simultaneously – the band don’t offer material that outperforms their competitors within the same genre.

“The Beloved and the Hatred” gives a rather accurate glimpse into the group’s sound; they’ve 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). “I’ve Sold Myself” doesn’t 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 isn’t really that bad, but it’s 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