Cave-in
 

CAPTAIN CAVEMAN'S

CAVE-IN

01. Corrupted
02.
03.

Actually looking forward to this CC, can't wait to see what you throw at MB.

How about now?

"Industrial History of the United States."

Clap clap clap

Very creative, i like what youv done with your Journal title and picture :)
dont know you well but your Journal should be good, good luck! :D

A journal for things too weird. I love it already.

post coming soon

^ Do you realize how many people you just dissapointed?

01. Corrupted
 

If you listen to any heavy or extreme music, you owe it to yourself to listen to Corrupted, and I don't make statements like that lightly. A reclusive band whose misanthropy and nihilism is clearly reflected through their music, they eschew professional photographs, refuse interviews, and sing & title most of their songs in Spanish, despite almost every person to have participated in the band being Japanese. Their catalog of unique sludge/doom metal spans thirteen years, manifested mostly in a large collection of EPs and splits (most notably with Discordance Axis, Dystopia, Noothgrush and Bongzilla), as well as four full-lengths. Though their shorter efforts shouldn't be ignored, these four albums in particular spotlight Corrupted's masterful construction of layered, often dichotomous soundscapes that range usually between ten minutes to over an hour. Here's a brief review of each.

"PASO INFERIOR" (1997) & (2002)

Released in two forms, the first is a single fourty-one minute song CD; the second an abridged two track LP. Both feature coarse, crashing doom metal, but the 2002 form is cut much shorter and features a ghostly ambient track in place of the original's droning low-end riffs and feedback. The remaster refines what is a solid first album (despite being mixed quieter) into a more approachable format, and it brings a bit of the polish of the albums to come to the raw, distinctively "first album" material. Not to be overlooked, though it pales in comparison of later efforts.

"LLENANDOSE DE GUSANOS" (1999)

Possibly the inspiration for the remaster of "Paso Inferior," "Llenandose..." signals Corrupted's dive into experimentation. The first song, "Sangre / Humanos", begins with a simple, sombre piano tune that grows more consistent and complicated, behind which vocalist Hevi speaks in muffled Japanese. His passages give the impression of one narrating an apocalypse from the aftermath, and, fittingly, shortly after the piano fades away, the "Humanos" portion of the song begins with a scream of feedback that draws out a pounding, bass-heavy riff and the crash of cymbals. The vocals return, but now as a savage roar. The doom barrage continues for the rest of the track, accentuated by a synthesized choir and the return of the piano, playing with a dark conviction. The guitar swells in and out of feedback, and as the song reaches its peak, an amplified whisper speaks over the crashing of all the other layers, which fade until all that remains is the piano - as in the beginning of the song, almost fifty minutes earlier.

The second song (and CD), "El mundo" is completely ambient and lasts for an hour and thirteen minutes. I find it appropriate, that the dramatic rises and falls of "Humanos," "Humans" be offset by the quiet ambivalence of "El mundo," "The World."

"Think of a being such as nature is, prodigal beyond measure, indifferent beyond measure, without aims or intetions, without mercy or justice, at once fruitful and barren and uncertain; think of indifference itself as a power - how could you live according to such indifference? To live - is that not precisely wanting to be other than this nature?" - Friedrich Nietzsche, "Beyond Good and Evil"

"SE HACE POR LOS SUENOS ASESINOS" (2004)

This album is possibly my favourite Corrupted release, and definitely one of my top albums in general. It starts off with a completely unique track to Corrupted's catalog called "Gekkou no Daichi", or "Land of Moonlight." Accompanied by three acoustic guitars, Hevi sings in drawn-out Japanese with a deep, clean voice. Though placid, the song feels contemplative, subtly mournful - completely evocative of cold midnight solitude - again, an apt titling on Corrupted's part. The rest of the album (two songs) is forceful, rumbling doom. "Rato triste" is reminiscent of the older work, and trudges into "Sus futuros," which is a simply outstanding track. This track is one of the fucking heaviest I've ever heard. Corrupted's single fastest song, it immediately bursts with the fury of their punk influence, in the pounding drums and catchy riff. The music progresses consistently, without letting go of the sludgy hostility of slower songs. Also, one of the best examples of the throaty, savage, relentless vocals that Corrupted employ, due to the clearer recording and refinement of sound. If you ask me (if you don't, then find a different thread), the best release for starters due to its comparatively brisk running time and higher production quality - in addition to the excellent music itself.

"EL MUNDO FRIO" (2005)

Often credited as the pinnacle of Corrupted's career, and not undeservedly, "El mundo frio" brings melodic, dreamlike harp and guitar passages and ambience, sludgy, driving riffs and earthly howling all into together in one seventy-minute piece of music. If that sounds daunting - well, it is (what song over an hour isn't?), but the progression and the intensity of the crescendos are more than worth it. If that sounds like some post-rock bullshit (don't get me wrong I do enjoy a decent amount of post-rock, but you know how it is), don't be fooled - the writing and execution of this song far surpass any formulaic rise-and-fall you've heard from <Mogwai/EITS rip-off>. One of the most striking things about Corrupted's music is the vocal delivery, which is on all albums (but better demonstrated on this album and "Se hace..." in particular) not only harsh to the point where it sounds almost inhuman, but relentlessly maintained. Few voices I've heard match the ferocity or intensity of Hevi's, both in a physical and aural sense. Often a singer can make or break a band, and in this case, I find it important to note the serious force that is brung to the music in this aspect - not to detract from the instrumental work, which would, spearheaded by a different voice, still be great, but it would not match what has been created.

Similarily to the piano of "Llenandose...", "El mundo frio" ends with only the quiet plucks of the harp. While the former left a sinister, almost reluctantly subdued tone, the latter concludes calmly. I haven't referred to Corrupted's lyrics because the meaning is marred by poor translation, but the last two lines of "El mundo frio" are clear enough:

"I lay myself on the ground,
Wait for the peaceful moment"

____________________


So now, listen for yourself: (note that the quality is lower than it actually is due to being uploaded to youtube.)
Click the post's heading to go to their myspace. I don't know what albums the songs are from, it doesn't load for me.

Enjoy.

im going to check this out when i get home