We were listening to a playback over the PA, and I sang along with some vocal ideas. “I remember recording ‘Strange Reflection’ in particular. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but thankfully, we worked with Andrew Schneider to mix the demos in a studio. “He was also particular about wanting to make the album in studio. “Caleb played on every song,” Brodsky said. Knowing that this album would benefit the Scofield family was really the guiding light.”Ĭulled from jam sessions and recordings that started in late 2017 and early 2018, Brodsky and bandmates guitarist Adam McGrath and JR Conners pushed forward on Final Transmission, knowing that each song had to have Scofield on it for it to be even considered. “Caleb could be very particular about quality control, and we kept that in mind as we went along, doing the bare minimum to finish what was started. “There were definitely moments like that for me,” Brodksy said. Still, as the band began work to complete the album, Brodsky had second thoughts. “Looking back, I think doing all that helped us mentally prepare to piece together what became Final Transmission. Doing the work definitely strengthened relationships and also brought a sense of healing. benefit shows had a lot of moving parts, and it took the cooperation of everyone involved to make things run smoothly. “There was Caleb’s memorial, Roadburn, the Boston benefit show. Songs like these feel like they should be accompanied by wavering, slow-motion images of the band walking through a desert.“There were other things to focus on first,” Cave In vocalist/guitarist Stephen Brodsky said. In “Waiting for Love”, Brodsky’s smooth singing resonates when stretched across a trudging, swinging tempo. The title track and “Blinded by a Blaze” carry a noticeable 1990s alternative rock sound, featuring vocal harmonizations reminiscent of Alice in Chains. Heavy Pendulum gets sludgy and grungy at times. On a rare occasion, McGrath takes lead vocals on “Reckoning”, a powerful ballad akin to 1980s hard rock but with the utmost sincerity. Listeners can find impressions of Black Sabbath to Motorhead to Neurosis, whether intentional or not. Without sounding derivative, Heavy Pendulum feels informed by classic metal bands, complete with soaring guitar solos and bands that defined lesser-known subgenres. Similar guitar licks creep and tingle along “Searchers of Hell”. “Careless Offering” boasts high registered guitar licks complimented by Newton’s mammoth-sized, woolly bass. Lead guitarist and singer Stephen Brodsky and rhythm guitarist Adam McGrath’s guitar work is tighter than ever, executing grooving and nimble-fingered progressions. Cave In’s basslines haven’t been this compelling since 2003’s Antenna. Newton brings his signature crushing, rumbling bass tone to their music, illuminated in songs like the steadily powerful “Blood Spiller” and the bluesy “Nightmare Eyes”. Newton’s presence and Scofield’s absence have changed Cave In’s sound dynamics. Based on their close relationship, Newton may be the only musician who can complete the band and further Cave In’s longevity. Cave In and Converge often shuffle members into different formations as fellow Massachusetts metalheads, resulting in multiple side projects (including Old Man Gloom, Mutoid Man, Kid Kilowatt, and Converge’s 2020 collaborative album, Bloodmoon: I). Both bands have held close ties since Cave In’s inception. Nate Newton of Converge fame has been absorbed into the group as their bassist, filling Scofield’s vacant position. You can feel their pulse through this album. It feels more genuinely metallic than what they reached for with 2005’s Perfect Pitch Black and 2011’s White Silence. It’s balanced, spirited, and catchy in a way that their other albums haven’t been. Heavy Pendulum sees Cave In refreshing their intensity with a sense of enthusiasm. But as devastating as coping with loss has been for the remaining members, Cave In lives on. Unfortunately, 2019’s roughly-cut Final Transmission is Cave In’s last round of songs with their late bassist, Caleb Scofield, and arguably the most organic they’ve sounded in over a decade. However, this album sees Cave In sounding more tenacious and well-put-together. Nevertheless, they have a range they stay within – extreme metal and a more alternative rock sound, much of it infused with spacious ambiance – and Heavy Pendulum, released through Relapse Records, is no exception. The Massachusetts band has never made the same record twice, which can be exciting in its unpredictability but can also be inconsistent. After every full-length release, Cave In recalibrate their sound.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |