A Different Boston Champion...

Gravehaven is a five piece band hailing from the gracious Boston musical scene. Their style is hard to pin down, but can be described as a mix between progressive and post-punk rock. Sound intriguing? It is. On their sophomore self-released EP, "Calico," Gravehaven prove themselves as one of the stronger up-and-coming hard rock bands in the country.



The album opens with "The Mirror," and it's near spaghetti western banjo and violin experimentation meets hypnotic keyboard rhythms. Singer Benjamin Grenville comes crashing in with his exceptional vocals. His voice is original, refreshing, as he fills the song with strong passionate melodies. The electric guitars slide on in to the mix to escalate the intensity. Wide bursts of guitars float over intricate drumming, shifting rhythms and melodies, reminiscent of Boston's very own Cave In (post-Jupiter years). "Lunatic" follows with another hard driving shifting rhythm from the drums, but this time the guitars crash like waves and expand off into all directions. Grenville's vocals even sort of bring to mind Cave In's Stephen Brodsky, but in no way is this a rip-off. Like their Boston peers, Gravehaven excel in all aspects of what they do, and do so quite confidently. Surges of distortion push the guitars, keys, and bass until the song's completion.

"If You Can, When You Can," continues the ominous and dark vibe, with a staggering rhythm and sharp, snappy, angular guitars and keyboards. Grenville's vocals soar in and out of higher territory, similar to the range of Ours' Jimmy Gnecco. A great release of the guitars leads to a simple vocal and drum breakaway before the pace is picked back up with odd time signatures and twinkling guitars. If you are a fan of intense, complex, cerebral, and brooding rock music, this is a band you're not going to want to miss. "Serpentine," drifts in next, with a strong bass line and more impressive drumming to compliment. While the other songs have creative structures that don't leave much room for a chorus, this track delivers an exceptionally memorable hook including double tracked vocals for added effect. The track ends with an atmospheric haze that washes straight into "Breach." Thickly layered guitars blend with more complex rhythmic turns and flourishes. There is a space rock quality to their sound, mixed with prog and post-punk to make a truly impressive style that's all their own. Even with all the shifts and turns in the instrumentation, Gravehaven manage to create another strong chorus in the midst of the mayhem.

"Burning Dollars," marches in with heavy drums before short reverb soaked guitars push and pull into the mix. The seemingly calm track briefly storms around in a frenzy not uncommon to The Mars Volta. Cymbals crash, distortion drifts, and the vocals come soaring above everything in a dramatic contrast to the chaos of the music. Another atmospheric ending, the calm after the storm, brings the song to a close. The acoustic driven "Revive" fades right in to close out this excellent EP. There are all sorts of interesting keyboard effects throughout and heavily featured here. With a shoegaze type emotional daze, this song is a perfect way to come to an end. As the constantly shifting musical journey races to a close, Gravehaven induce a dream state that only ends in more chaotic creative aggression. This young band clearly has a masterpiece in them, and if this isn’t it already, it’s damn close.