Customer Reviews

Opposite From Within

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Contrary to what some are saying, Caliban is not a Killswitch Engage rip off. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Killswitch Engage, but Caliban's "Opposite From Within" is better than anything the aforementioned (and suddenly popular) band has released yet. Almost everything on this disc is some of the most melodic yet savagely brutal melodies to be found in the metal world today, and fans of bands like In Flames and Mnemic will find plenty to admire here. "I've Sold Myself", "Goodbye", and "Stand Up" are solid headbangers, while "My Little Secret" is just plain amazing. It's nothing groundbreaking to be sure, but Caliban isn't trying to be, and they deserve as much attention, maybe even more, that bands like Killswitch Engage are garnering. All in all, this is one band and album that is definitely worth checking out.

don't get me wrong here.. im not one of these people saying caliban are a killswitch engage ripoff but.. ever since they sold themselves to roadrunner these german metallers have been doing something thats not really them (or wasn't really them).. theres a fine line between melody and brutality and making the two have just the right balance (killswitch's first two albums did it perfectly).. its not that any of the songs are particuarly bad its just they sound so FAKE.. its like they wrote 2 minutes of heavy stuff and some roadrunner exec. came along and said: 'we need to insert melodic bits with boyband vocals here, here and here'.. and hey presto! we have a caliban album.. and its not just caliban that are guilty because so many metalcore bands are doing it now and none of it sounds very natural (demon hunter's new album is another obvious example).. despite all of that its alright to listen to for a couple of days but im not expecting it to join the likes of tool, gojira, isis, (early) metallica, etc. on my permanant playlist.. theres just nothing particuarly deep about it for a repeated listening experience..

Caliban's "The Opposite From Within" is just one of those records that comes along so unexepectedly. Easily matching some of the top metalcore releases of 2004 (most notably Unearth's "The Oncoming Storm" and Killswitch Engage's "The End Of Heartache"), Caliban brings much to the table and completely annihilates a lot of the competition. Caliban doesn't do anything drastically different from the melodic metalcore style we've all grown accustomed to by now, they easily show their musicianship over younger newer bands just cropping up in the scene. Having more than 7 years of being a band under their belt, Caliban offers a record that any fan of the genre will fall in love with. But What surprises me the most is that these guys are relatively unknown, even at a time when Metalcore is at it's Zenith. I could easily see these guys getting the kind of attention Killswitch Engage or As I Lay Dying does. All I can think is that they most be alot bigger in Europe than they are here.

Ok first off, a lot of people are gonna tell you "yea they sound like a german Killswitch Engage", which is kinda true and kinda not. It's true that the two bands share a lot of similarities, most notably their nact for writing beautifully aggressive music, but I wouldn't see much more of a comparison than that. Actually to me, Caliban is much heavier than Killswitch Engage, and much more melodic at times. That may sound almost blastphamous to some (keep in mind I am also a huge KSE fan), but it's entirely true. Caliban shows throughout the entire cd, they can play some of the most blisteringly melodic metalcore around. "The Beloved And The Hatred", the opening track, shows this illustration perfectly. Seemlessly switching between tortured screams, and beautiful melodies, Caliban basically introduces you to what they are about. The clean vocals are actually done by one of the guitar players, not the main vocalist/screamer Andreas (which if anyone has seen the video for "The Beloved And The Hatred" or the band's live show, you would know). Tracks like "Goodbye" and "Senseless Fight" are a couple of my personal favorites, but honestly it's so hard to choose favorite songs on this cd, as I can't really find a bad one on here. Caliban's breakdowns are even pretty interesting, and easily fit in with the beautifully crushing music, and are sure to ensight dance floors everywhere they are played. I constantly find myself listening to this cd entirely, it's just that good. After 4 albums of perfecting their style, Caliban have reached their pinacle with this masterpiece, and I can only see the band going up from here.

If you're a fan of heavy metal or hardcore, then I highly recommend this cd to you. It was easily one of the best records of 2004, and more than a year after it's release I find myself still listening to it just as much as I did right when it came out. If you like any kind of melodic metalcore, especially Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying, I guarantee you'll love these guys. With Metal and Hardcore being so big right now, I wouldn't be surprised if these guys see at least some kind of success. They don't necessarily re-invent the wheel, but with "The Opposite From Within", Caliban definitely perfects it.

We've had a string of metalcore bands (Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Lamb Of God, Unearth, God Forbid, etc.) come out with some good heavy music over the past couple of years. Now some think that metalcore is really a mix of thrash and hardcore which is true, but part of it comes from European bands like Soilwork, Children of Bodom, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc. We now come to the german band Caliban. I think when they first came out, they immediately showed this force which gave the impression to the other bands something like "ok, you done good. Now step back, and let the Europeans show you how it's done." Not saying Caliban does it better, but there's this feeling of freshness to the music that rivals some. If you enjoy any of the metalcore bands I've mentioned, Caliban should be right up your alley.

Awsome cd from Caliban. Their best and most melotic i think. Sounds ALOT like killswitch but german style. almost every song is great exept for My Little Secret which is the most emo song ive ever heard from a metalcore group. Even more gay than The End of Heartache ( the song ). Anyway, great metalcore cd from this somewhat unknown band. If you love killswitch get this you wont be dissapointed.

To the people who think that Caliban took a look at KSE's playbook and ripped them off, you need to do your homework. Caliban RELEASED their self-titled debut in 1998. It was most likely recorded in 1997, 3 whole years before KSE released their self-titled debut. SO...those people don't now what they are talking about. The Opposite From Within is Caliban's sixth (6th) studio release, and by my count KSE only have four, do the math, it's that simple. Caliban are a very underrated band playing some brutal metalcore that only the German's know how. As far as I'm concerned they are the campions of German metalcore. Awesome, awesome CD buy it, you will not be disappointed. Another sick metalcore band (more emphasis on the METAL, then on the CORE) is Cataract. Buy all of their albums as well. Brutally heavy stuff!

First off and straight to the point this is a very good cd. Caliban are insane, but there is one thing that annoys me and that is f#*kheads that write music reviews about genres they dont even like. WTF!!!! the music is obviosly gonna suck if you don't like metalcore. If your into metalcore then i suggest you have a listen.

high pitched screams accompanied by a very melodic singer makes that part of the album good. the production is top notch, and the breakdowns and 2 step make this band germany's finest export. sorry guys rammstein is #2. they are great live

Caliban's music has been progressing since the debut album self titled, mature has been demostrate in this album since 1997.
Is true that own some in common; Killswitch Engage riffs but not at all either the alternating sweet chorus voices and the agressive lead vocal voice. Reaaly a like very much this album,
sound clean, good quality production and the most important: the "Lyrics" are a plenty good way to think about life...
If you like killswitch engage, chimaira or demon hunter don't hesitate.

After the brutal, dirty assault of Shadow Hearts, this CD really disappointed me. Although they maintain most of their heaviness, I can't help but feel that with this CD Caliban were really trying to get into the mainstream. I would say now that this CD is really rather emo. Superior emo, granted, but emo none the less.

Still, it was catchy enough, and I didn't get bored, so it's worth a listen if you prefer the less heavy, but more melodic bands.