Cave In Reviewed at Decoy

Jake Oliver at DecoyMusic.com has reviewed the new Cave In EP Planets of Old, giving it a score of 4.5 stars out of 5. The previously only digital/vinyl EP was released on CD yesterday with a bonus DVD featuring the band's reunion performance from last summer...

[decoymusic.com] What a long, strange journey it has been. After several line-up changes, more sonic schizophrenia than any band since The Beatles , and a nearly three-year absence, the pride of Methuen, Massachusetts, Cave In, returns with the near-perfect Planets of Old EP, a crowning achievement that touches all of the bases of the band’s variegated career without sounding cluttered or forced. In fact, this may be the best work of the group’s immensely influential career. Cave In has synthesized all of the different aspects of their oeuvre into one fourteen-minute masterpiece. It is an excellent and diverse listen that is equal parts accessible and challenging. The band has obviously learned more than a few tricks in their long existence, and they employ them all to great effect on Planets of Old. In fact, the only thing holding this album back from a five-star rating is its relative paucity of material.

The first track, “Cayman Tongue,” sets the tone for the rest of the EP, serving as a microcosm of the contents found within. It slowly builds in ferocity, from ambient noise, to a thick, sludgy rock groove, to monstrous metalcore before dissolving into a harsh wall of noise, only to come roaring back to life in the last minute of the track with unbridled intensity that rivals anything from Beyond Hypothermia. Second track “Retina Sees Rewind” is an incredible song that has a “Big Riff,” of Jupiter fame, vibe to it. “The Red Trail” is a jarring, mathy number that delights in its jangling discordance; it is a veritable roaring furnace of chaos and aggression. The EP closes with “Air Escapes,” a brilliant song that recalls the best moments of Perfect Pitch Black.

Cave In continues to improve with age. They have never sounded better, and it seems as if their lengthy hiatus re-invigorated the group. They have borrowed elements from throughout their lengthy back-catalog and combined them to create something new and powerful, rather than tired and rehashed. Thought to be on life support, Cave In have returned with a triumphant tour de force that points to even more incredible things in the band’s future. Never ones to shy away from ambitious releases, the band have aimed higher than ever with immense returns. If this EP is not in your collection, go out and get it immediately by any means necessary.