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Cave In Goes...Pop?!

by Ed Pisacreta

Metal fans will once again be disappointed by former metal giants, Cave In. Their newest release, Antenna, has vocals that more resemble Radiohead than Coalesce, and riffs more resembling Neurosis than Shadows Fall. Cave In has once again reinvented their sound, this time creating heavy, pop rock with a touch of space psychedelia.

Along the lines of their 2000 release Jupiter, Cave In has abandoned the grinding hardcore assault that made them cult favorites in the Massachusetts metal scene (their 1999 album Until Your Heart Stops is the pinnacle progressive metal album, flawlessly combining “chugga chugga” hardcore riffs with spinning waves of psychedelic sound).

This being Cave In’s first major label release, they obviously have been influenced by the pressures put on them by RCA to produce slick, easily accessible hard rock. But don’t get me wrong – a palatable album from Cave In is leaps and bounds ahead of the sugary sweet drabness of mall punk and nu-metal that is being shoved down our throats on the radio everyday.

Antenna starts off with the pulse raising, eardrum-awakening song, “Stained Silver.” Lead singer Stephen Brodsky’s lyrics are heart wrenching and beautifully sung. He undoubtedly has one of the most tragically passionate voices in the progressive rock genre. The song also has a deep, full low-end giving it a weighty wall-rattling rumble. The album continues on to the next track, “Inspire.” This song contains one of the heaviest riffs on the album. Its abrasive head-banger rhythm and the faint echo of a Slash-inspired Guns ‘n’ Roses tune is enough to make any rock fan raise the devil horns proudly into the air.

Some of Antenna’s most emotional points, however, are not the heavier tracks. “Beautiful Son” is perhaps Cave In’s most tender moment. John-Robert Connor’s drums are left out on this track, giving the song a lighter, more folk, less rock feel. That is, until the acoustic guitar is surpassed by a grinding effects-laden lead guitar part, giving the song a beautiful sadness that twists the soul.

Antenna is Cave In’s most concise, crisp, dare I say “pop,” album to date. People who are new to Cave In will find this record a refreshing sonic experience compared to the dismal array of crap bands that major labels like RCA offer the public consistently. More die-hard fans won’t be disappointed with Antenna either. The album contains some of Cave In’s most profound moments. Those fans more attracted to long eight-minute space ballads also won’t feel left out, with tracks like the sprawling “Seafrost” making this album a definite pick up. However, if you miss the good old days where Cave In rocked so hard it cracked your teeth, I’m sorry to say, the days of Beyond Hypothermia are long gone. Instead we are now presented with a much more mature, albeit polished Cave In sound, that reaches to take its listeners to a higher emotional level and succeeds with astonishing ease. Look for it out in stores in March.

Ed Pisacreta is a senior journalism major. Email him at Joevile2@hotmail.com.