Review Summary: Perfect Pitch Black: Awesome heavy rock album with a clever title .
Perfect Pitch Black comes out like any good hard rock album should. A hazy, distorted thirty second intro slowly bleeds through the speakers before we're thrown into the the powerful opener "The World is in Your Way". With this song, Cave In show they can write a well structured song but at the same time throw in enough variety to keep you engaged. Bassist Scofield lays down the perfect crunch in his bass tone along with big and full rock drums close beside. Alternating between James Hetfield-esque singing and downright crushing screams, "The World is in Your Way" sets the tone for the album.
"Off To Ruin" is a slow building song with pounding tribal drums and a catchy and repeating lead guitar line weaving through the song. Bit of a slow burner but a good track. "Trepanning" is probably the most standout track not because it delves in experimental territory but because of its straight forward theme. Its one of the most solid songs on the album and it'll keep you singing along but at the same time rocking out to the heavy riffs and passionate screaming.
Seven minute "Paranormal" is the highlight of the album, mixing acoustic breaks with surprise explosions in sound and spacey guitar tones throughout. The emotion here is where Cave In shines the most. Guitarists Brodsky and McGrath show off their skills with effects but at the same time prove their riffing capabilities. The album slows down with "Down the Drain", dropping the percussion with thick fuzz filling the background while a strummed chord progression structures the song. "Droned" leads us back to catchy rock with a heavy twist and semi guitar solos.
The instrumental "Ataraxia" mixes all of the previous elements into a steady yet captivating tune. The band gets it perfect here; powerful rhythms against Eastern sounding licks and catchy riffs while falsetto vocals fill the background. The downtuned guitars totally crush here. Mid tempo rocker "Tension in the Ranks" doesn't pick up until half way through the song where we're pushed back to trademark Cave In heaviness and epic lead guitar lines. "Screaming In Your Sleep" picks up where "Droned" left off. A soid track but it could use more dynamics to bring the album to satisfying close.
Compared to past releases, Perfect Pitch Black proves to be the most consistent and well constructed release from Cave In. The band seems to have moulded all their different elements into a happy medium while establishing their own sound. The problem with Cave In is while they create artistically strong music, their lacking in producing truly memorable moments leaves the listener just slightly disappointed. Pick this one up if you're looking for a casual heavy rock listen but with a creative twist.
