Cave In – White Silence
Hydra Head 2011
In so many ways it almost seems as though Cave In evolved backwards. Whereas most bands mellow with age and embrace their melodic influences at a later stage in their career, these Massachusetts natives went down that route surprisingly early on. While the controversy that followed that era certainly marked a tumultuous time for the band, their recent trajectory has seen them heading back in an starkly aggressive direction.
Such it is then that they have returned full force with “White Silence“, an edgy lo-fi slab of distortion and grandeur. Truly Cave In have liberated themselves from preconception and are now listening only to their own internal muse. A gnarled concoction, “White Silence” plunders dreamy Beatles-esque melody and grace as much as it snaps and snarls like a feral beast.
While some may be quick to claim that the group are merely paying fan service by playing up both aspects of their criminally overlooked career. Repeated listens prove that there is not only heart, but passion behind the eccentric material on offer. Whether it be the Danzig meets droning mutated electro pop of “Iron Decibels” or the claustrophobic ‘moral eclipse’ featured on the albums asphyxiating title track; the group remain as malleable as they are molten.
Still, for all the artistic embellishments and unbridled outbursts, for once Cave In seem fully in control of their destiny. No longer questioning themselves and freed from the nomadic regiment of touring musicians, the shackles of adulthood appear to have not only given the group a firm grounding, but a realization that they are stronger when they draw from both their strengths, instead of favoring only one.
Certainly a divisive listen, the rawness and unapologetic nature of “White Silence” is half its charm. Sure the at times questionable fidelity of the record may rub some the wrong way, but it remains an intrinsic part of its allure, adding friction to the twisted and intertwined nature of the songs on hand. Early on Cave In sang “the end of our rope is a noose.” “White Silence” is the ropeburn that proves they’ve yet to reach it.
4 / 5
- USER RATING
- ( 12 votes, 4.42 stars )
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COMMENTS
Having seen these guys well over a decade ago, I’m glad they went the direction they chose. Everyone in the “Hardcore” scene back when dissed these guys for “selling out” and signing with RCA and putting out Antenna. I got into that album just last year and LOVE it. It’s seriously where they left off from Jupiter. Perfect Pitch Black introduced Caleb dominantly on the growls and people thought they went back to their Until Your Heart Stops sound. FALSE! It was just another approach returning to a more aggressive (yet less chaotic and reckless) songwriting style. Now with White Silence, everything has come full circle. Backwards evolution? Not exactly. I hear bits of other albums, sure. But each aspect makes me appreciate the older albums/sounds they resound. This is one of the more diverse, yet cohesive albums I’ve heard in rock in a VERY long time. Nothing derivative or emulative about any of it. These guys built their sound long ago – they just honed it further with another great album being on the lam for what? FIVE FUCKING YEARS?! Classic.
Me gusta
Am I the only one that never knows what the hell these reviews say? “the claustrophobic ‘moral eclipse’ featured on the albums asphyxiating title track; the group remain as malleable as they are molten.” Seriously, WTF does that even mean? I consider myself a somewhat intelligent person yet the reviews on this site just confuse the hell out of me. They always seem like the dude would rather be writing poetry instead of reviewing music, not to mention all the obscure references that seem to be in them that might impress some but just go over my head. I have no idea what Cave In sounds like and this “review” doesn’t do anything to help that which is a shame because they might be awesome. Would it be too much to ask for the metal genre/sub-genre to be listed so I know if I’m even interested in the band in the first place? /rant
^^Irrespective of your thoughts on the reviewer, the technology to actually find out what these guys sound like is right at the tips of your fingers, my friend! Ever heard of YouTube? What you could do is cue up a song or two by searching for the album and then listen to them whilst reading the review. Whatdoyathink!? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1l8qbUj2Ag&feature=related
Some wild shit going on in this record. “Sing my love” is a’bitchin’.
@lateraleye789: What’s wrong with some elegance to a personal opion? If you’re confused about a word or two get a dictionary. Hell, I had to use one to spell “elegance” right. Turns out the word is not spelled elag8nse as I originally thought. Clearly you’re just upset so,just imagine this drawing of boobs belong to Kate Beckinsale ( . ) ( . ) . There you go dude, female nudity and metal make it all better.
*opinion
Ha…bit of pot callin’ the kettle there..
@lateraleye789- most of the people who come to this site have been reading the dudes reviews for prob close to a decade… It’s like reading your favorite author, over time u understand his/her cryptic way of speaking and that’s a lot of the fun of reading the review… If u don’t get it, keep trying…
I find it easier to disregard someone else’s opinion by letting them know that I find them quite shallow and perhaps even a little pedantic. Nevertheless, great review and a first-rate album to boot.
And also I think it’s important to be a helpful friend to lateraleye. For instance here’s my personal interpretation of the review, and specifically the parts you mentioned:
The ‘claustrophobic’ effect of the opening track is quite obvious I think from the rising intensity of the vocals and the constant distorted riff pulsing in the background. I just get an overall feeling of suffocation from it, (in the best way possible har har). And all of this leading to the crescendo in the second half of the song and the introduction of the chugging palm-muted guitar pattern would possibly represent the moral eclipse Wook is writing about, not really too sure about this however.
As for the ‘malleable as they are molten” line, you only have to listen to the song he mentioned, (Iron Decibel), to make sense of this. The album’s ability to remain heavy and gritty is never compromised even as the songs diverge greatly in style. I thought this was the best and most accurate line of the review and quite honestly I haven’t heard this kind of versatility in song structure since probably Axe To Fall.
Anyways, 5/5 for me. This is going to be on my playlist for quite some time.
I personally like the ethereally bone-crunching dark gaze of the filibustering conundrum of the bass on this album. Hermetically speaking, the very tangible heaviness is intrinsically absorbed and flamboyantly displayed by the sensual interplay between coarse, saccharine guitar and the thrusting, penetrating rhythm of the percussion. All in all, it makes for an enjoyably maniacal, borborygmus-inducing aural assault.
Trovo questa musica pesante, ma sexy!
@Surly
Yes I realize I could search them out, my point is just that if I searched out every band on the site that I don’t know, I would spend all of my time watching Youtube videos. Also shouldn’t a review at least provide some sort of idea of what a band sounds like. It would be like reviewing a game and never mentioning what kind of game it was (FPS, RPG, etc.).
@wearesorta138
It wasn’t the words in particular that I don’t understand, it’s the way he puts them together. It seems pretentious to me and was wondering if it came off that way to anyone else. I’ve been reading the site for probably 6ish years and the reviews of stuff he likes never seem to make much sense, yet when he dislikes a CD it’s pretty clear as to why he didn’t like it. Also, thanks for the boobs.
@Kent Brockman
Thanks for the explanation but it seems for me to understand his review as you did I would’ve needed to already have listened to the CD which kind of defeats the purpose of reading a review for it.
@robichaud1
Exactly
I think a band like Cave In that’s been around for 10+ years shouldn’t need a ‘genre’ attached to the review. Especially a band like Cave In. “Hardindiepopmetalgazecore” doesn’t look to fancy.
@American_Natemare
Just cause they’ve been around for that long doesn’t mean everyone knows who they are and for people that don’t know who they are I think it might be helpful to list that kind of info. The record label gets listed, is that really necessary? No, but it’s cool to have for anyone that’s interested, just like a genre might be cool. Perhaps they are unique snowflakes in this metal world that defy classification but I have a hard time believing that they can’t be described by a more conventional genre than that.
So like…?
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Cave In – White Silence
Hydra Head Records 2011
Genre: Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995, in Methuen, Massachusetts. After several members changes in the late 90′s, their lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records. Their early albums were prominent releases in the independent metalcore scene. After this release, the band started experimenting with other genres. Cave In later received mainstream recognition for their 2003 RCA Records album Antenna and its lead single “Anchor,” which had an overall alternative rock style. The group went on hiatus in 2006 and later reformed in 2009 with the release of a new EP, Planets of Old—a release that saw a return to Cave In’s earlier and heavier sound. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_In)
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There you go wook. Preface your reviews with the bands history from wikipedia.
Nope, more like the genre, that’s a summary of the band. For example, metalcore or alternative rock as mentioned in the wiki quote and I don’t even need the actual word ‘genre’ just the ‘metalcore, etc’. When I said ‘that kind of info’ I was referring to the genre and only that. I figure it would only take the dude an extra couple seconds and I think it would be useful to his readers. If I’ve never heard of Cave In or whoever but I know that they play metalcore, doom, etc. I think it would give people an idea of their sound that his reviews (for me) seem to lack at times. Of course he doesn’t have to do anything I just thought it might benefit others as well when they’re looking for new music.
Oh..ok.
Jesus christmas dude…Wook has gotta be laughing his balls off reading this shit. Goodness gracious. Cave In is a band that’s been around for a very long time now and if you have no idea on what they sound like then you are truly living in a closet. There have been a few occasions where I read Wook’s review on a band I never heard of before (when Dredg released El Cielo) and I didn’t act like a douche about it if he didn’t state what the exact genre was…figure it out for yourself if it wasn’t mentioned. Is it the end of the world? Good grief man.
High five, Charlie Brown!
Why should specific genre tags define if you want to look into them more or not? Good music is good music, be is acoustic or metal or hip-hop – to the listener, of course. Besides, you very well could hate some of the positively reviewed artists and love some of the negatively reviewed artists, and you won’t know until you listen to them yourself. If there are that many bands on this site that you’ve never heard of that it’s going to take you that much time to do a little research I suggest you head over to the Billboard 100 charts.
I like big words I have trouble pronouncing…oh, and this album is the tits!
i tryed listing to antenna, didnt exactly get into it, (ps i think its cause of a review on this site) and this album is interesting, but reminds me a little of today is the day whom i am not a big fan of, ill vote after a few more listens, thanks for the review gave me something to check out for the week, if u cant understand the language and the star system and then go to myspace to listen to it then ur probably slow and shouldnt listen to heavy music cause u probably beat ur head into a plaster wall while listing to it..
Antenna and Tides Of Tomorrow are probably my favorite. I think they’re both underrated albums based on what came before them.
Also, calling Cave In metalcore is a joke.
@stuckpig
Never said it was the end of the world, just said it might be helpful to some readers who as you put it, have been living in a closet (like me apparently) and have never heard of a band. Also I think my original post came off a little more serious than I had intended.
@adamonfire
There are certain genres of metal that I like and some I know I don’t; knowing the genre would be helpful to me to know if I’m even interested to begin with. Does it guarantee that I will like it? No. Perhaps you know all the bands that the reviews on this site cover but I don’t and I was merely suggesting it as I thought it might help some out.
@southpawchew
I understand the language, I just don’t think it gives me a very good idea of what the album sounds like, especially if I’m not familiar with them. Also I understand the star system perfectly, no worries on that one. I guess I just figure if the review doesn’t make it clear what they sound like and I have to go listen to them on some other site or have to listen to the CD to understand the review, what is the point of the review? Isn’t the purpose to help me decide if I want to buy the CD or not?
Those 4 previous posts with a little over a paragraph a pop could have been circumvented with this here link:
http://www.myspace.com/cavein
I don’t even know how the reviewer could possibly sum up the listening experience. I usually find a listening experience pretty subject, say when listening to something for the first time compared to the fifth time.
……Be careful getting out from under that rock – you may need sunglasses to adjust. The Chilean miners did, anyways.
Subjective, as in an adjective. Doi!
@philippeletigre
I agree it is subjective and I’m glad I don’t have to try and describe this stuff, but the point of a review is to try and provide an objective (usually) description and judgement of, in this case, a CD. If I wanted to go to Myspace and search their music section I would. I read his reviews in search of new music in an attempt to cut out the legwork that is usually required to find awesome new music. I have liked some of the CDs he’s positively reviewed in the past and I usually agree with the negative reviews as well. My whole point was just that I came away from reading this review with no real idea of what this band sounds like (which wasn’t the 1st time w/his reviews). I was really just curious if it was only me or if anyone else felt like that and perhaps hoping that someone might clarify it (which Kent Brockman did).
Even if you list an umbrella genre it’s not like the entire album will fall under that category. If you were to take a Cage the Elephant album, for example, you’ll be constantly running from one end of the spectrum to another.
True, but it might give clueless closet dwellers like myself who have never heard the band a bit of context or a rough idea of the band’s sound that would compliment his more eloquently-phrased reviews.
A wiser man than I once said “never make decisions based on others opinions”. I’ve been perusing this site probably over 10 years now, and it’s gotten me to pick up albums from bands I’ve never heard of quite a few times, but I don’t treat the reviews as a basis of opinion, rather a gateway of discovery. I skim through the reviews (yes, SKIM, not dissect or mentally engrave), keep the high (or low) scores in mind, then I listen to the album for myself, but never to determine whether or not to listen to it at all. I’ve seen shitty reviews on here and still went and got the album to decide for myself. And most of the time it still sucks, but fuck it, it’s all part of the experience. Wook has always been elaborate and descriptive of some genres of music that are almost impossible to categorize or describe, similar to a person describing peculiar colors to a blind person, not everything can be lumped up or easily explained. And your video game review analogy falls along the same path. Same goes for movies. Read the reviews, remember the key points whether good or bad and experience it for yourself and then decide. I don’t think the small amount of review’s he does do are meant to sway you one way or the other, but more to bring your attention to something you may not already be aware of, be it a band or album, and a brief disclaimer as to what you can expect. Then it’s on you. This isn’t “Rotten Tomatoes” or “Game Informer”, and if you come to this site for answers and explanations, be prepared for disappointment.
Holy shit, how long have the old reviews been at the bottom of this site? So so so many years of good memories right there. @lateraleye789, flick thru a few dozen off those champ and you will see the way things are, and allways have been, done round here.
So i went and got this album after reading all Wooks review and everyones comments and am totally blown. It is truly among some greats to score a 4, hell im still stoked King Mungi scored a 3 all those years ago. I noticed Antenna was giving a 4.5, but that is just the magic of such a subjective medium as music.
I’m dissipointed I can’t find Wooks review of Earthtone 9′s Arc Tan Gent and other old reviews. 5/5 Wook, really?
While we’re digging through old reviews…Wook gave Die Trying’s one and only album a 2.5…a half point higher than Avenged’s City of Evil. I stopped taking Wook seriously after that point.
You want a genre for Cave-In? File it under “Super Awesome”
Speaking of old reviews anyone remember Vent (eventually had to change their name to Audiovent) they were the younger siblings of Incubus. “Papa’s Dojo” was awesome.
Seems pointless for me to keep up with the whole classifications, anyways. And who cares. Well, if I hear a band is emo then I’ll probably stay away. But then again, they call Sunny Day Real Estate emo, and I luuuh dem.
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“Tides of Tomorrow” is one of the best summertime albums.
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Can’t remember if it was the name of the band or song but Milkburn, on one of the 2001 reviews? They were one of the Deftones worshippers like Relative Ash.
Relative Ash, I remember someone showing me a song by them thinking it was a new Deftones song. I swore it was for like 3 weeks until someone else told me who it was.
Flicking through the review archive is great entertainment. I can’t believe Powerman 5000 – Destroy What You Enjoy only got a 1.
All this Limp coverage makes me wonder: was BigDumbFace ever reviewed?
BigDumbFace – Duke Lion Fights The Terror!! – 3.5 – http://www.theprp.com/thevault/reviews/bigdumbface.shtml
HAHAHA Most triumphant Colonel! What a dizzy midget orgy acid trip that was.
Gull if ur out there, i would love some boyhitscar to make this trip especially special.
@Lateraleye789 i totally agree with your initial comment. I believe most writers want clever descriptions and pull out a thesaurus for help. By doing this they use words that they don’t normally use and leave the reader confused. I’m somewhat intelligent and I notice this with a lot of publications. OC weekly is the worst for me on writing reviews and leaving me without an understanding of their opinion. Wooks reviews are 50/50 for me on understanding his opinion. I don’t think having a genre description would help though. I understand your reasoning but a lot of bands on here you can’t label with a one word description. Maybe a link to a track from the album would help. Either way I relate with your statement.
Oh and check out cave-in. They have a diverse catalog. Jupiter, beyond hypothermia, & until your hear stops are great entry albums. The newer albums blend all their stylings into one. You will dig them if you like bands like coalesce, botch, converge, hopesfall, failure, the life and times, hum etc….
@Jas
Glad to see I’m not the only one. However, while I realize that some bands are a little hard to classify I think all can be called something. They may not fit as neatly into that genre as others but I’ve yet to hear a metal band that couldn’t fit into some kind of genre (then again I have been living in a closet or was it under a rock? I forgot which). I agree though that if you attach genres too strictly or ignore music simply because of the genre you can miss out. I just think when I’m reading a review the genre helps me sort of imagine what a band sounds like which will give me a good jumping off point to better understand all the elegant/poetic/whatever descriptors in the review.
I’ve listened to Converge, not really my thing. Kind of disappointing too cause I’ve heard lots of good stuff about them, but when I listened to them it just wasn’t for me.
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