Cleveland, OH based metal band Caligula is the definition of FRESH.
They list their genre as Metal/Death Metal, but what sticks out to me the most upon my first few listens are the ridiculous vocals of singer Anthony Shields. This guy sounds like he's taking lessons right out of the deathcore books. He has excellent control of his absolutely evil sounding voice, drawing comparisons to deathcore greats such as Alex Kohler (Ex Chelsea Grin) or Jonny Davy (Job For A Cowboy).
So what happens when a death metal band mixes it up with a deathcore style vocalist? Awesomeness. You get complex riffs (I'm not talking your typical chugging deathcore breakdown riffs here) matched up with straight blood curdling screams. This is a band that's not afraid of technical riffs or blast beats, but also one that doesn't rely on one or the other exclusively. It's a great blend of styles and places them in a unique position going forward.
Their first single "Era Of Perdition" comes out of the gate swinging. This song is FAST and HEAVY. It's a thoughtful piece as well, addressing humanity's unwillingness to learn from our mistakes, and the fact that humans have been subjecting each other to slavery in one form or another throughout history. Being that it's such a fast song, it winds up coming in at a relatively short run time, only just 3 minutes. The official video is a little misleading as well, because they left a whole extra minute of silence on the end of the track. I like this song a lot though, it's solid. This single is quite fresh, having been released on July 3rd, 2018.
Their BRAND NEW single "Disillusion" is literally the freshest thing out there, released less than an hour before I type this review. This single features the same tones as their first single, which leads me to believe that they were recorded at the same time, or at least in the same place. This song allows Shields to show off his pig squeals, which are impressive. Okay, pig squeals aren't for everybody. They're not long enough to take over the track. More fast riffing here, and a really cool tom riff at about a minute in. These guys don't let up the breakneck pace at all, and wind up with another 3 minute song here. Kevin Curtis (Drums) shows off on the double bass for this track as well.
Dan Fortuna (Rhythm Guitar) and Erik Hendershot (Bass) deliver pummeling riffs that change as quickly as they began. Josh Shaffer (Lead Guitar) gives off tasty leads without being overly flashy or long. In the future, I would like to hear Shaffer have a little more time for his solos, which may extend the track length just a little bit. This band also seems to have a penchant for very abrupt endings.
Caligula will punch you right in the face and then suddenly disappear. If these first two songs are an indication of their overall style, they are BRUTAL. Fans of old school Job For A Cowboy, Aversions Crown, and Thy Art Is Murder will enjoy this band very much. I look forward to hearing more from this band, and I encourage YOU to check them out for yourself. Stay metal, my friends.
"ERA OF PERDITION" & "DISILLUSION"
Type: Released singles
Release date: July 3rd & July 31st, 2018
Label: Self released
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THE VERDICT:
4 out of 5 Skulls
This is Erik, the bassist of Caligula. Thank you for the kind words. You don't know just how appreciative we are after read this. We will have more coming in the near future... Maybe even a song that is 3:30 seconds long... Lol. All jokes aside, thank you and we'll keep you informed of everything in the future.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Thanks for being a good sport about it, and please keep 5 Skull Reviews posted!!
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