THE STORY BEHIND

Cave In were underground metalcore darlings, but 2003’s Antenna was their shot at the big time – and it almost ended the band for good

WORDS: STEPHEN HILL

THE METAL SCENE was itching for something fresh as the new millennium dawned. Ever since grunge had up-ended trad metal at the start of the 90s, the scene had been rapidly evolving in sound and aesthetic, but by 2000 even nu metal was looking decidedly dog-eared. Unsurprisingly, industry eyes (and ears) began to scour the underground, digging into the fertile grounds of post-hardcore, emo and metalcore to find the next big thing.

Bands like Glassjaw, AFI, and At The Drive In, who had spent much of the decade without troubling the eyes and ears of the mainstream were suddenly being courted by major labels, thrust onto magazine covers and getting heavy airplay on MTV. But while many found themselves struggling to adapt to their newfound interest and fame, none were more prepared than Cave In.

The Boston quartet had created a true underground metalcore classic with their 1999 debut, Until Your Heart Stops, then followed it up two years later with the groundbreaking Jupiter. Stripping away the molten fury of Until Your Heart Stops and replacing it with beautiful, shimmering progressive space rock, it confused the underground, but made a whole new section of music fans sit bolt upright. It also caught the attention of the majors, who saw Cave In given the “emo-metal Radiohead” tag enough times to aggressively pursue them, the band ultimately signing to Sony subsidiary RCA Records.