Customer Reviews

Perfect Pitch Black

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some reviewers don't seem to understand the circumstances regarding this release. "Perfect Pitch Black" is a collection of songs culled from three separate recording sessions and includes demos from what was to be the band's second album for RCA. These demos were given a few production related embellishments, but they still retain a rough edge inherent to any unfinished product. Even Stephen Brodsky himself admitted that the lyrics weren't fully flushed out. So it seems premature to compare this release to any one of the band's fully conceived albums. However, there are still a lot of great musical ideas going on in "Perfect Pitch Black". This release would be considered excellent by any other bands standards.

I've been a longtime fan of Cave In, including each of the band's musical incarnations to present. To me, this release signifies a band that has rediscovered its love for music after an ill-fated relationship with a major label. Cave In could have easily quit after being dropped from RCA. Instead, they quickly released a collection of songs which only hint as to which musical direction the band will take next, and since then the band has toured virtually non-stop. Given the tumultuousness of the band's past few years, what more could you ask for. Save the comparisons for the bands upcoming full-length album with Converge drummer, Ben Koller.

For those new to Cave In's music, I'd recommend investigating the band's brutal roots ("Until Your Heart Stops") and its space rock aspirations ("Jupiter") before coming up to speed with this release.

After being dropped from RCA following 2003's "Antenna" (yet another amazing band abandoned by the big corporate music world), Cave In rightfully returned to their true home on Hydra Head records and quickly turned out their follow up, "Pitch Perfect Black." Thus far this album seems to have garnered a mixed bag of reviews, some describing it as a glorious return to the band's roots and a phenomenal mixture of "Jupiter" and "Until Your Heart Stops", while some are simply describing it as polished off demos put together as a full length. Neither description is really a correct classification for this album. While the band does incorporate elements of their older sound on this release (particularly Steven's return to the tortured metalcore vocals he was known for on "Until Your Heart Stops" in places), this isn't a glorious hardcore rebirth or anything of that nature. In fact "Pitch Perfect Black" is actually a fine stepping stone in the always evolving Cave In sound, and one that rightfully connects everything the band has done in the past to everything they are doing right now.

First, like mentioned above, it should be noted that "Pitch Perfect Black" isn't a phenomenal mix of "Until Your Heart Stops" and "Jupiter." Although Steven brings back his screaming vocal style in places, musically this sounds nothing like the Cave In on either of those releases. Of course there's the spacy guitar progressions that the band has been flirting with since their heyday ("Paranormal" and "Ataraxia" both have groovy, atmospheric feels) and there's somewhat of a return of the brooding assaults of UYHS ("Trepanning" probably being the most obvious straight-ahead rocker), but there's also a lot of differences. In fact "Pitch Perfect Black" could more correctly be described as combination of every album Cave In has put out so far. There's the melodic leanings of "Antenna", the lush soundscapes of "Jupiter" and the hardcore roots of "Until Your Heart Stops" all sprinkled nicely throughout the record. Songs like the opener "The World In Your Way" and "Paranormal" take the progressive-meets-hardcore approach and run rampid, incorporating screaming vocals and wild guitar dynamics, while moody pieces like "Down The Drain" and "Tension in the Ranks" give the album an obvious sense of balance. There's also plenty of twists and turns like the band has always been known for to keep the listener on their toes and maintain a constant level of surprise.

This was a much needed album in the Cave In discography. It has the right draw to win back the hardcore elite who are in love with "Until Your Heart Stops", and the sensible progressive appeal that attracted fans to "Jupiter" and "Antenna". The incorporation of all ranges of their sound was a really great move on the band's part, as it proves that Cave In still continue to be on of the most creative and overlooked bands in music. While it's not some glorious "Jupiter" meets "Until Your Heart Stops" mix, for what it's worth "Pitch Perfect Black" is a great treat for fans who have been wanting to see the band explore even further realms of their sound. With a rightful return to the label which they were always truly at home with, Cave In sound better than ever, and this album leaves much anticipation for what the group will pursue in the future. Until then "Pitch Perfect Black" bridges the gap between the past and present.

I would give this album 4.5 stars. This album maybe Cave In's second collection of demos that's been scattered online for centuries before this albums release but there's still meaning in buying this album. Some of the songs weren't released before and the old demos are polished up to a mirror shine and sound better. This album is quite refreshing after Antenna (considering a lot of fans completely left after that album and never gave the band a second chance). I can honestly say I'm a fan of Cave In...just not a fan of Antenna. This album brews a nice balance (terms of the music itself) between Until Your Heart Stops and Jupiter. It's somewhat heavy but not on the level of Beyond Hypothermia and still maintains to be catchy much like Jupiter and Tides of Tomorrow.

Everyone should get this album if you're a fan of Cave In or want reassurance that this band hasn't sold out.

This is quite possibly my favorite Cave In release. I first heard them back at "until you heart stops." I love rock music more than I like hardcore/metal, but I do love both. So when they came out with the "creative eclipes ep" I was plenty happy and "jupiter" just blew my mind. "antenna" was awesome too. Why do people think that because they made it onto a major label that they sold out and became "pop"? Thats stupid! "antenna" is a great album.

Now we have perfect pitch black:
This is "Jupiter" meets "Until your heart stops" but better.

1. Perfect pitch black- this is just an intro, only 32 seconds that glide right into...

2. The world is in your way (5:10)- This song is just great, this song has a driving groove then when the chorus hits they give us that old hardcore singing and some double bass. His hardcore voice is still as good as it was on "until your heart stops" grade- 5/5

3. Off to ruin (4:38)- This song is pretty heavy and choppy. That makes the lead guitar riff much more up front. The clean singing and heavy singing rotate without the song itself really changing. grade- 4.5/5

4. Treplanning (4:07)- OK, so this song starts right up with hardcore singing and a fast upbeat feel. Definitly the heaviest song on the album. grade- 4/5

5. Paranormal (7:03)- UM, exuse me, but another reviewer complained about this song. I have to disagree. This is probably my favorite Cave In song. Period. The opening acoustic guitar into the ultra-cool spaced out electric guitars with a very jazz-like offbeat drums just grabbed me. Then, it goes into a chorus with hardcore singing. After about four minutes it calms for a breakdown with some nice ambient guitars that build into a finale. When it climaxes at the finale the drum kick into a drumroll with accents before repeating the original verse. Truely a great song. grade-5/5

*end of the songs with hardcore singing*

6. Down the drain (4:28)- This song has no drums. Some nice droning electric guitars in the backround with a very simple but atmospheric acoustic riff up front. Kind of upbeat too. grade- 4/5

7. Droned (3:00)- Remember when cave in covered Failure's Magnified on the "creative eclipses ep"? They still like Failure! This song reminds me of "wet gravity" by Failure. Very good songs (both Droned and Wet gravity) grade- 4/5

8. Ataraxia (5:26)- This is an instumental. It starts off with a grooving drumbeat fading in. I'm already bobbing my head then heavy guitars come in. It just grooves from there on out. Very good song. grade- 5/5

9. Tension in the ranks (3:17)- I consider this the weakest song on the album. it still good. The drumroll/guitar melody is good and it has a cool climax at the end. grade- 3.5/5

10. Screaming in your sleep (3:24)- Another "failure like" song and this one is better than the first one. His vocal patterns are great and so is the guitar solo. Very cool song. grade 5/5

Most of these songs were recorded in 2004, so they are all still newer than antenna. "Down the drain" and "Drones" are from 2003 and on their very limited "bootleg" cd.

Also, on a final note- this cd is good for driving around, especially the freeway.

*If you like bands that mix rock with hardcore i highly recommend The Postman Syndrome and their album "terraforming"

Honestly this is the best cave in CD ive encountered in an awefully long time. I started listening to cave in with "beyond hypothermia" and i've seen them change from metal to pop to "MTVized" and now back to what us original cave in fans admired in the first place. The CD is basically a depiction of the decade that cave in has been in business; metal songs, pop songs, and comibations. The lyrics reflect cave in's attempt at "making it big" and now breaking from those major recording industries and returning to (what i think is a better label) Hydra Head Records owned by Aaron Turner of ISIS and Old Man Gloom. "The World is In your Way," "Off to ruin," and "Down the Drain" are some of the best cave in songs ive heard yet. True cave in fans won't be dissapointed; but, you will still here some lengthy repetive riffs (such as Ataraxia and Trepanning) which knocks down the CD's perfect score. It's not "jupiter" but its pretty damn good.

I'll just say it right now, when Cave In is on top of their game, there's very, very few bands that can even come remotely close to the genius that is this band. Anchor, while mildly entertaining, was a bust by just about everyones standards and RCA nearly destroyed a great band and just shows you how awful major labels generally are. Thankfully, Hydrahead has brought us the album that should have came after Jupiter complete with the return of ::Gasp:: heavy vocals! Even though these are basically polished off demos packaged as a full length, these songs are so well written it's not even funny. If you ever wanted to know what Cave In would sound like if they took Jupiter and Until Your Heart Stops, threw it in a blender, and mixed up every style and sound they've ever done then Perfect Pitch Black is for you. There's a few tracks that don't do much for me but tracks like "World In Your Way," "Off To Ruin," and "Trepanning" this is a more than a worthy purchase. Cave In has rediscovered themselves and is slowly proving to me that their simply one of those bands that can do no wrong when their given the creative freedom to fully express themselves. I can't wait to see what they'll do next.

Yeah, so I'm the third person to use the album name to convey what the album is like.

I'm very excited with this new direction of Cave In. It's exactly what I wanted, an interesting blend of their newer stuff (minus the pop) and their older stuff. However, this is exactly where Perfect Pitch Black falls short. The clean and screaming vocal parts don't blend together at all; it goes straight from a soothing melody to a grating vocal pattern accompanied by blazing, heavily distorted guitars.

Aside from the two instrumentals, the first four songs convey the style I just described, while the last four songs sort of go in the direction that I wish Antenna had gone. While definitely a different breed of songs than the ones found on the band's earliest albums, they fit the band better, and are generally less cheesy than the ones on Antenna. The last four songs only have clean vocals.

Also, the song "Paranormal" never seems to come full-circle. Clocking in at seven minutes, it just flubbers around the same few riffs, droning on but never really going anywhere.

All this aside, this is definitely an album worth picking up. It will be interesting to see what direction the band goes in next, as each album seems to bring us a different style of music. If anything, no one can ever accuse them of being a one-trick pony.

I'm glad I'm just going to be the second person to review this album (unless other reviews are being seen fit by Amazon at this time), so it won't be that redundant when I point out the fact that this album is made up of demos basically. But to hear just how great they sound with a little studio polish is nothing short of amazing. It really makes you wonder how a band can labor for months and months on something sometimes, when you really could just demo something and have it sound just as good (or in the case of many demos, a lot better). Then again, this is Cave In, and they're great at what they do... so maybe they just don't need a lot of time to make something great.

Anyway, after a disappointing run in the big leagues, Cave In are back at home on Hydrahead records. If you're familiar with the demos, it might take awhile to actually think of this CD as an actual album. But the more you listen to it, the more cohesive it becomes, and you eventually forget that you've heard these same exact songs in a rougher form some time before. This is a Cave In album through and through, and a mighty fine one. Does it break new ground like "Jupiter"? No. Does it show their softer, mushier side like "Tides of Tomorrow"? No. Does it show that a band can really sound great even if they do go completely mainstream like with "Antenna"? No. It doesn't really break any new barriers for the band, but it doesn't seem to retread any paths already taken by them either. Of course, old-time "fans" (and frankly, they really aren't fans if they can't appreciate ANYTHING the band has done over the last five years) will complain that there's still too much actual singing and melody. Trust me, those reviews will come to this site in time. But for fans of stuff from circa 2000 on, they should find nothing too wrong with this album at all, because the band is just doing what they always do best - writing good songs.

Even though this is a collection of the demos they had floating around for the last few years, its a VERY solid Cave In release. This is the album that they should have put out after Jupiter.

...except for the James Hetfield "YEEEAAAHHH!" vocals. Seriously. Dead ringer for the guy. Listen to tracks 2 and 3 to hear what it is i am talking about. YEEAAAHHH!