CoC : Kaliban - The Tempest of Thoughts : Review

Kaliban - _The Tempest of Thoughts_
(Low Frequency Records, 2002)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)

When a power metal orientated band's name and CD title contains a reference to a Shakespeare play instead of singing about wizards and elves, then it is likely that said band would venture a little off the beaten track. Admittedly, Kaliban are not a "pure" power metal band (strange how one always hears tired statements about the "trueness" of a particular black metal band but never about death or power metal) -- the growling vocals are a remnant from their origins as a death metal band. The music is comparatively restrained (in comparison to the overblown pomposity and general over-the-top style of, say, Rhapsody) and they are not as technical as many others, but they are nonetheless musically competent and fairly innovative with some catchy sections -- and at the end of the day, that's what really counts. Plus, there is no Tolkien-inspired nonsense!

(article published 11/4/2003)