In the space of only a handful of releases, Boston, MA's Cave In have gone from being one of the most innovative and damaging bands in the metal/hardcore underground to being one of the most experimental.
"We started like any other band, in the basement, writing songs, trying to be like other bands we liked," recalls guitarist Adam McGrath. It was their second full-length, 1998's Until Your Heart Stops on Hydra Head, that established Cave In (rounded out by singer/guitarist Steve Brodsky, bassist Caleb Scofield and drummer John Conners) as a worthwhile addition to the upper echelons of extreme music. It combined breakneck technical musicianship with metal and hardcore influences, electronic flourishes and the odd rock segment to make one of the definitive metal albums of the '90s.
Tours with fellow Boston metal luminaries Converge and Isis cemented that claim in a live environment. But even while the band pushed the envelope of extreme music, Cave In was outgrowing it. Enter last year's Creative Eclipses EP and their forthcoming full-length, Jupiter. "Creative Eclipses was right after we had done a winter tour two years ago," recalls Adam. "We were trying to play all our [old] songs and we didn't want to; playing all these fast, heavy songs wasn't in us anymore."
What was in Cave In was a growing interest in combining their previous metal achievements with classic rock influences, more developed electronic segues and cleaner singing and arrangements. All without turning their collective backs on the scene that they gained notoriety and acceptance in. "We came from hardcore," states Adam, "but the things we're influenced by now and are fascinated by in music has nothing to do with hardcore. As a band, the progressions of bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin are what we think is amazing about music. Bands like Failure and Radiohead influence us very heavily, also touring with Neurosis."
Fans anticipate it will all culminate in Cave In's impending summer release, Jupiter, an album that was not without its own challenges. Guitarist Adam elaborates. "A lot of shit happened to us. One of my guitars got stolen, our van burned down, so we lost our equipment last summer on tour, we couldn't play, record or practice for two months. A lot of shit in the middle of trying to write this record, [including] getting writers' block. It was a rough road, but we're happy with the album and how we came through making it."
"We started like any other band, in the basement, writing songs, trying to be like other bands we liked," recalls guitarist Adam McGrath. It was their second full-length, 1998's Until Your Heart Stops on Hydra Head, that established Cave In (rounded out by singer/guitarist Steve Brodsky, bassist Caleb Scofield and drummer John Conners) as a worthwhile addition to the upper echelons of extreme music. It combined breakneck technical musicianship with metal and hardcore influences, electronic flourishes and the odd rock segment to make one of the definitive metal albums of the '90s.
Tours with fellow Boston metal luminaries Converge and Isis cemented that claim in a live environment. But even while the band pushed the envelope of extreme music, Cave In was outgrowing it. Enter last year's Creative Eclipses EP and their forthcoming full-length, Jupiter. "Creative Eclipses was right after we had done a winter tour two years ago," recalls Adam. "We were trying to play all our [old] songs and we didn't want to; playing all these fast, heavy songs wasn't in us anymore."
What was in Cave In was a growing interest in combining their previous metal achievements with classic rock influences, more developed electronic segues and cleaner singing and arrangements. All without turning their collective backs on the scene that they gained notoriety and acceptance in. "We came from hardcore," states Adam, "but the things we're influenced by now and are fascinated by in music has nothing to do with hardcore. As a band, the progressions of bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin are what we think is amazing about music. Bands like Failure and Radiohead influence us very heavily, also touring with Neurosis."
Fans anticipate it will all culminate in Cave In's impending summer release, Jupiter, an album that was not without its own challenges. Guitarist Adam elaborates. "A lot of shit happened to us. One of my guitars got stolen, our van burned down, so we lost our equipment last summer on tour, we couldn't play, record or practice for two months. A lot of shit in the middle of trying to write this record, [including] getting writers' block. It was a rough road, but we're happy with the album and how we came through making it."
