CALIBAN
Dystopia
CENTURY MEDIA Metalcore long-haulers power up their emotional rollercoaster
Caliban’s 13th release is a dark, heavy effort from a band still pushing their melodic metalcore sound forward. There are a generous amount of solid tracks here and the feeling of hope runs alongside anger throughout. Phantom Pain is craftily uplifting, Alien offers a sea of melodic layers, the clean vocals of Annisokay’s Christoph Wieczorek on the title track help blend groove and aggression, and Dragon, featuring Job For A Cowboy’s Jonny Davy, is a rollercoaster of the crushing, soothing and creepy. However, it’s the sheer force and emotional pull of VirUS, which features Heaven Shall Burn’s Marcus Bischoff, that lifts Dystopia to the next level.