Cave In
Heavy Pendulum
Release Date: May 20, 2022
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Heavy Metal, Post-Grunge
Record label: Relapse Records
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Album Review: Heavy Pendulum by Cave In
Very Good, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 7/10
Cave In will never be accused of being understated or referred to as subtle. The Massachusetts post-hardcore band is a no-nonsense four-piece outfit that spends most of its time in your face, musically and thematically speaking. There is something reassuring and life-affirming about their present reunification following the death of their bassist Caleb Scofield in a car accident in 2018, and I appreciate any band continuing to play music like this in the often very post-rock world we live in, but in the end it all boils down to writing songs that can hold your interest.
Based on rating 3.5/5
The wait is all we know. Comprised of 14 tracks across 70 minutes, engineered by the inimitable Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, Cave In's Heavy Pendulum sounds like a colossal beast coming slowly back to life, clawing its way across frozen earth towards the sun. There's no question that the hole Caleb Scofield left in this band - in the entire American metal scene - is one that could never be filled, even with the best efforts of Converge's Nate Newton, another dexterous and powerful bassist with a bellow that sounds like the cry of a wounded animal.
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