Search - Cave in :: Jupiter

Powerful, unique.

Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 02/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to _Jupiter_, one might find it hard to believe Cave-In was once a pulverizing, technical hardcore outfit. Or...maybe not. After all, _Until Your Heart Stops_, for all its gut-shocking brutality, still showed a band with an ear for experimentation. Sluiced in those crashing riffs and blistering speed were Floydian guitarscapes and some Rush-like rhythmic interaction. _Jupiter_ brings Cave-In to a new place. Perhaps if one had to pigeonhole it, _Jupiter_ would get lumped in with alternative rock. These guys aren't really playing metal anymore. While heavy at times -- the monstrous drumming and eponymous wall-of-guitar crush in "Big Riff" -- it can also possess a weightless cosmic atmosphere, full of shade and subtlety. "Innuendo and Out the Other" is all watery guitar chords and skillful production overlays; the instrumental "Decay of the Delay" is crying feedback and melting pulses. The differences between loud and soft are emphasized by a stunning production that lets every quiet detail shine through and weighs you down with the density of their heavy side. The vocals mostly abandon that shockingly powerful rasping scream for a smoother articulation sounding like a more organic Thom Yorke. The songwriting is all very strong and clever: the title track embraces a brilliant hook ("Jupiter, you're seemingly so right for me") with a quirky Middle Eastern guitar figure that is sheer genius: "Brain Candle" is sparkling-but-heavy guitar power pop; "Big Riff" navigates its progressive structure with subtle hooks and intelligent arrangements to a flattening climax; "New Moon" is a plaintive, thoughtful conclusion.I hate to single anyone out and risk trivializing the work of the rest of the band, but I have to say the most amazing part of this album is Stephen Brodsky. His sonorous tone and perfect control inspire, his soft but powerful falsetto approaches beauty, and when his urgent cry occasionally rises to a desperate scream ("Big Riff"!!!), I cannot fight off the chills. Of course, the rest of the band is obscenely talented -- after all, they once demonstrated chops up there with that wild Dillinger Escape Plan. Here, though, the band is less overt and confirms their ability in a different mold. For something different, _Jupiter_ is a good disc: heavy, vast, tuneful, and original."

Stirring, provocative, and hard.

Jeffrey Ovadya | Hermosa Beach | 09/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jupiter is, hands down, one of the best rock albums of all time. Extreme statement? Yes. Justified? You better believe it.



I discovered Cave In thanks to my friend Heather, and for that I owe her credit for most of my musical taste. I have fallen in and out of love with all of the mainstream modern rock greats: Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Incubus (I did say mainstream), Interpol, even Green Day. At the same time I rejected pop influences and searched for deeper, more visceral music: The Postman Syndrome, Hopesfall, Thrice, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, etc. Cave In spawned all of this with Jupiter.



I am not one to describe each song on an album, meticulously pointing its ups and downs, its mellifluous tones and chromatic pitfalls, but I will tell you that Jupiter opens with a farsical pop cacophony of addictive brilliance. The opener, aptly titled "Jupiter", invades the listener's nerves with resonating high-frequency riffs and moody percussive flows that make you question whether or not you appreciate the blunt nature of the band. Nonetheless, Cave In "keeps your seat on the edge" and coerces you to discover more of the space between modern rock.



Each subsequent song is an experiment in beauty, inciting metal, alternative, classical, and progressive tones in a aggregate class of so-called space rock. "In the Stream of Commerce", "Big Riff", and "Requiem" are staples, and they will haunt your daydreams ad infinitum.



All in all, I personally guarantee that you will love this album.



Buy Jupiter, and you'll never look back."

Beyond Brilliant

Corbin | usa | 04/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album has been played over and over again in my car, my home stereo, my computer--everywhere that I have access--for as long as I have had it. While I love the earlier metalcore-ish Cave In, I love this album much, much more. The only way I can describe this album, is that: it is absolutely breathtaking. It is so different from anything I've ever heard, and I find it incredibly difficult (when suggesting it to my friends) to compare it to another band. No single track stands out anymore than another, not because they sound alike, but because every song is so amazing and original. While it is true that there are only 8 tracks, Jupiter is nearly 45 minutes in length; and like I implied before, every song is brilliant. The only complaint that I could possibly have about this album, is that: the lyrics in the CD jacket aren't wholly accurate.I believe a previous reviewer, Ain Soph Aur, summed up my feelings of this album quite nicely when they said, "Some of my favorite songs are: See tracks 1 - 8." Jupiter... a masterpiece that makes it impossible to recommend "a good song from the album"."