Caliban
“Shadow Hearts”
(Prosthetic Records)
Foreign metal is apparently becoming popular in the states, and after listening to Caliban’s newest release, “Shadow Hearts,” you can understand why they are receiving the attention that they are. Not necessarily groundbreaking, this offering falls into the category of Poison the Well and the like, as if that were a bad thing. Not to take away from Caliban however, because they may play a style that has found itself to be popular as of late, but they play it extremely well. You’d think that the drummer had his legs cut off and replaced them with a “boxing nun” rigged up to a high powered engine revving at 180 miles per hour. The vocals are crushing and they fuse in “real” singing as well, which could be considered to be bordering on lame…that is until you listen to them. The beats are definitely something to reckon with, and they flow the songs along with creative and well-played leads, riffs, and harmonies. Look for Caliban to rock the United States in April, and don’t miss one of the skinniest sings in the world scream his life out on stage.
