Labels: Robotic Empire
Review by: Kunal Nandi
It’s a shame this album rules as it doesn’t give me an opportunity to use the term “crapsule”. This Floridian trio arrive in the wake of the post “intelligent” metal screamo boom with a unique spin on things. The first thing that strikes you is the bizarre discordancy in the guitaring, with sudden violent shifts between acrobatic, elastic lead-lines to slamming heaviness. The next thing to batter your head in are the truly head-spinning arrangements. Even after multiple listens, I know it’ll take years for these songs to take root, but instead of technicality for the sake of technicality, Capsule use it to create a confusing, otherworldly wall of sound, augmented by these weird gang vocals that are buried deep in the mix which convey the feeling of a swarming army descending on the listener. However, Capsule soar to new heights by throwing a curveball once the first few tracks have screamed by, when the near ambient, plangent numbers that make up the centrepiece of the album turn up. We’re dealing with far more than tech-metal nerds here. Are Capsule somewhere between Botch and Oxbow? I have no idea anymore, but wherever it is, it’s great.