If you’ve ever felt that metalcore needs some bigger, heavier, darker balls, get yourself a copy of Gravity.
While it’s not a huge departure from Caliban’s previous records, it packs a punch with faster drums and a raw, spiky sound. To hell with flowery metaphors, too; Andreas Dörner’s guttural snarl of ‘You fucking prick/You’re dead/You make me sick!’ on opener Paralyzed gives an idea of the lyricism throughout. Amongst the bawled obscenities, though, are some positive messages about being comfortable in yourself (Who I Am) accepting and helping refugees (Walk Alone) and the evils of whaling (The Ocean’s Heart), where Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz adds some yearning backing vocals.
She isn’t the only guest; Heart Of A Coward’s Jamie Graham gets his own section on the classic metal-inspired Crystal Skies, which has some bizarre, Super Mario-esque fret-wrangling going on.
The tried and tested heavy verse/melodic chorus structure is untouched and the album gets a little predictable from the halfway mark, but true to their word, it’s wall-to-wall heaviness.
