Just over a year after the release of The Undying Darkness and six months after its European release, Caliban returns with a blistering new CD.
The German metalcore band's latest effort is The Awakening, another strong album. Caliban plays the typical fast metalcore songs with thrash guitars and monster breakdowns very well, but they add some diversity as well. They vary the tempos a bit, and the title track is an actual ballad.
There are still melodic vocals on this album, but the emphasis is more on the screaming/harsh vocals, which I think is a good decision. It adds more edge to the songs and balances out the melodic elements. Plus the screaming vocals are stronger than the singing ones. When it comes to European metalcore, Caliban has had several excellent albums in a row and are one of the elite in the genre.
