The Tempest of Thoughts

Kaliban until recently was, for me at least, one of those bands you've heard about a few years ago, but you never got round to checking them out. Last month I *finally* decided to pick up the CD and give it a few spins. I was pleasantly surprised.

What we have here is a smooth and mellow mix of melodic death metal, progressive metal, power metal and that all comes with a folky sauce, although the MD and power elements are most prominent. Somehow I really like this CD. It's all very atmospheric and the vocals, production and guitar-work all sound nice and 'oldskool'.

The music on this album is not extremely fast or brutal, but it does pack a punch. I gave a friend of mine a spin, who's mainly into power metal but doesn't like harsh vocals, and he actually liked this pretty much. Yes, this band does use harsh male vocals, with some female vocals (by the singer of Battlelore, and we all agree she can sing) thrown in every now and then.

There are keyboards, but those are only used to a limited extend (which is a good thing in my opinion). Drums and guitars are all pretty good without being "great". Same goes for the male vocals. These harsh vocals are quite low-pitched growls, brought in such a way you can really understand what the guy is saying. Somehow, regarding the vocals, I am reminded of Eternal Tears of Sorrow. And that's a band I like, so it can't be a bad sign.

The songwriting is pretty decent, the only complaint I can think of is the songs get repetitive after a while. But then again, maybe I just shouldn't listen to the album 10x in a row....

All in all a pretty nice album. Not one of the best ever written but pretty good. Recommended for all fans of oldskool DM and/or power metallers looking to cross to the "harsh vocals" side of metal music, for this is quite accessible.
Therefore: 75/100

Highlights: Time To Burn, Orchard.