Callisto - True Nature Unfolds
Earache - MOSH301CD - 28/03/2005
By Patrick Walsh
Re-releases can be odd beasts, especially when mediocre albums are given the re-release treatment for no discernable reason other than the possibility that the label needed to scrape their own shit-barrel for some extra revenue. Thankfully, every once in a while we can bear witness to a re-release of some gem that, for whatever reason, went by completely overlooked the first time. Callisto's True Nature Unfolds falls into this bracket, and as far as debut albums go, this is a stormer.
Inhabiting a similar headspace to Neurosis, Isis and Cult of Luna can be a risky business. The days when every half-assed 'dense' 20-minute EP that Hydra Head shat out recieved plaudits for sounding like 'Neurosis on acid' or whatever are now in the past, and bands that wish to sustain their relevance in the post-hardcore environment need to do a little more than bleed their peers. Finnish four-piece Callisto may borrow core elements of their sound from the aformentioned leaders of this movement, but True Nature Unfolds weaves its own organic atmosphere, moving from ethereal soundscapes to swathes of immense riffwork that may be epic in scope but remain tight and focused throughout. As a result, True Nature Unfolds in an immeasurably listenable platter.
That's not to say it's in any way soft however, Callisto are able to truly turn on the heaviness when it's called for, and their ability to match the light with an inescapable darkness does wonders for them. Added to this is a superb employment of vocal variation that goes beyond the prequisite hardcore screams into the realm of death grunting, rasps and even a nice female accompaniment at times. Furthermore, Mieszko Talarczyk's (RIP) production skills lend True Nature Unfolds a professional yet dirty air that makes this a truly atmospheric journey at times, even moreso than many of their peers in fact, and thus Callisto must surely have a bright future ahead of them. A stylish debut that deserves to be heard, and now has a second chance to shine.
8.5/10
Official Earache Records website
Earache - MOSH301CD - 28/03/2005
By Patrick Walsh
Re-releases can be odd beasts, especially when mediocre albums are given the re-release treatment for no discernable reason other than the possibility that the label needed to scrape their own shit-barrel for some extra revenue. Thankfully, every once in a while we can bear witness to a re-release of some gem that, for whatever reason, went by completely overlooked the first time. Callisto's True Nature Unfolds falls into this bracket, and as far as debut albums go, this is a stormer.
Inhabiting a similar headspace to Neurosis, Isis and Cult of Luna can be a risky business. The days when every half-assed 'dense' 20-minute EP that Hydra Head shat out recieved plaudits for sounding like 'Neurosis on acid' or whatever are now in the past, and bands that wish to sustain their relevance in the post-hardcore environment need to do a little more than bleed their peers. Finnish four-piece Callisto may borrow core elements of their sound from the aformentioned leaders of this movement, but True Nature Unfolds weaves its own organic atmosphere, moving from ethereal soundscapes to swathes of immense riffwork that may be epic in scope but remain tight and focused throughout. As a result, True Nature Unfolds in an immeasurably listenable platter.
That's not to say it's in any way soft however, Callisto are able to truly turn on the heaviness when it's called for, and their ability to match the light with an inescapable darkness does wonders for them. Added to this is a superb employment of vocal variation that goes beyond the prequisite hardcore screams into the realm of death grunting, rasps and even a nice female accompaniment at times. Furthermore, Mieszko Talarczyk's (RIP) production skills lend True Nature Unfolds a professional yet dirty air that makes this a truly atmospheric journey at times, even moreso than many of their peers in fact, and thus Callisto must surely have a bright future ahead of them. A stylish debut that deserves to be heard, and now has a second chance to shine.
8.5/10
Official Earache Records website
Didn't this just come out a couple months ago, when the band was called Cult of Luna and the album was called "Salvation"?
