Caliban Item ID: #444 The Split Program, Vol. 2
WAS
Product Information:Grab the quality album The Split Program, Vol. 2 by Caliban. Brand new merchandise, ready to be shipped… Item Description
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Don’t bash me for giving it “only” four stars, please? Why did I give it four and not five? Because I’m a huge fan of both of these bands and half of an album from either one just isn’t enough to satisfy me. So I’m greedy, OK? This album is a great intro to both bands and when compared with the original Split Program, shows how much each has grown. If you’re looking to get into these bands, this is an excellent intro to both of them. If you look to move onto full-length albums after this, I suggest HSB’s “Antigone” and Caliban’s “The Undying Darkness”.
Unlike the first Split Program, HSB’s half comes first, and features two new songs, one interlude, one “old” song and two covers – Merauder’s “Downfall of Christ” and Endstand’s “Destroy Facism”. Caliban’s half consists of one new song, “The Revenge” and four “old” songs, including two that appeared on the original Split Program (“One More Lie” and “A Summer Dream”). One thing that they didn’t do on this that I thought was cool on the original Split Program was HSB doing a Caliban cover (“One More Lie”) and Caliban doing a HSB cover (“Partisan”).
I highly recommend this disc. It was my introduction to Caliban and I was an instant fan, collecting as many of their albums as I could find. This disc showcases some of the best bone-crunching, teeth-jarring mayhem that two of the finest metalcore bands have to offer. If you like either of these bands, or if you enjoy bands like Killswitch Engage and As I Lay Dying, this disc will not disappoint you. Come feel the power of metalcore pioneers.
Being a huge fan of Caliban, and a moderate fan of Heaven Shall Burn, when I heard the bands were doing another split together on Lifeforce Records, I only expected the best. And with this release that’s exactly what you’re going to hear. In fact I’ll go as far as to say this is probably the best split I’ve heard in years. When I first got the cd I was a bit surprised to see that the bands had re-recorded earlier material on this release, however that only adds to the greatness of the cd. Some of my favorites songs by both bands, which were in questionable quality on older releases, have been re-recorded with great production, and completely overshadow the originals. Each band also offers some new material making the split a very worthwhile addition to your collection.
The first half of the split (1-6) is Heaven Shall burn. Note one song is an interlude (“Nyfodd Von”). I’ve never been a huge HSB fan, but they are definitely showcased on this release. We get two new songs (“Unleash Enlightment” and “No One Will Shed A Tear”), and three of HSB’s best older songs re-recorded (“If This A Man”, “Downfall Of Christ”, “Destrouy Fascism”.) The new songs are the real treat. “Unleash Enlightment” and “No One Will Shed A Tear” are easily two of the best songs I’ve ever heard the band produce, and if this is what is to come on their next album, I will be all ears. The three older songs have been re-recorded well, and all have a much more powerful tone and feeling then the originals did. Maybe because of the supremely better quality. At any rate HSB’s half of the cd is great and definitely lays down the gauntlet for their friends in Caliban.
Caliban’s half of the album more than overshadows HSB’s though. I guess it will probably depend on which band you are a bigger fan of, but for me Caliban’s half is just phenominal. Opening up with “The Revenge”, their only new song, the band immediately commands your attention. “The Revenge” has some of the most intense riffs, and probably the best chorus I’ve ever heard these guys lay down. There’s no absence of the heaviness though. If this is what’s in store on the next album, then we are in for a treat. As for the rest of Caliban’s arsenal, they have chosen to re-record probably my favorite old school song “Arena of Concealment”, which appeared on their “Vent” album, along with three songs from their first eps, “One Day”, “A Summer Dream”, and “One More Lie”. Hearing these songs in such lush quality is just awesome because some of the original versions just didn’t have the presence the new versions have. They are definitely some of Caliban’s heaviest material to date, and they made a wise decision to re-record them on this release. If you are a fan of the band, this split is worth picking up even if you don’t like Heaven Shall Burn.
In the end I’m more pleased with this record than I ever thought I would be. Caliban’s half alone was enough for me, but Heaven Shall Burn definitely doesn’t let Caliban take the crown easily. Each band is alive and well and proves they’re still out there writing beautifully heavy music, and doing it better than a lot of other bands out there. Another thing that makes this split pretty cool is that both of these bands are virtually unknown (at least in the U.S) despite the big roles they’ve played in the German metalcore scene. Pick this one up today, I promise no dissapointments.
this album is caliban at their best. their sound is a mixture between shadow hearts and opposite from within, and picks up where each laged. Caliban has one new song called the Revenge and its f**king awesome, the rest are remakes that i can say without a doubt were remade better. Heaven Shall Burn also remade some of their older songs and they kick. all in all this cd is a must have.
Let me get this out of the way. The Heaven Shall Burn songs are good, if you like their last album. Which I do. Great band. Now on to the meat and potatoes. I don’t know if you people reading this are familiar with Caliban, so let me tell you that they are the best band that nobody’s never heard of. When I say “nobody” I mean most metal fans. The only reason I even know them is because I saw them on The God Forbid/It Dies Today in March. They blew me away like no band I’ve ever seen before, and that’s not an exaggeration. They are absolutely crushing. If you like metal, hardcore, metalcore, death metal, whatever, if you don’t like this band then something is wrong with you. I do not like clean singing in my music, but for some reason they make it OK in their songs. Now, they only sing clean in some of their choruses, but other than than they are……Christ, I don’t even know what to say. And as for the other person who made the “Killswitch Engage” comparison, Puhhhhhhlease. This band makes KSE sound like the Spice Girls. If you are already a fan, BUY THIS NOW!! If you’re not familiar with this force of a band, then start with “OPPOSITE FROM WITHIN”, then this one, then “SHADOW HEARTS”. Best money you’ll ever spend on something you’ve never heard. GOD ALMIGHY THEY RULE!!!