Album Review: Cave Bastard - Wrath Of The Bastard
Reviewed by Sam Jones
As is the case with many bands I discover these days, Cave Bastard are a newer creation having formed back in 2014 out from San Diego, California where they released their first Demo in 2016. Fortunately, it wouldn’t be long until the band would release something a little more substantial through a Split, released in 2017, in conjunction with BLK OPS furthering the band’s style of a fused Sludge and Hardcore aesthetic. Finally, in 2018, curious fans who followed the band’s first steps would reap the fruits of their patience as Cave Bastard released their first studio album titled The Bleak Shall Devour The Earth. Cut to a further three years later which finds us here and now, the band prepare to release their second full length record titled Wrath Of The Bastard and most importantly, released independently through their bandcamp. As of yet the band have not been picked up by a record label however owing to the band’s work ethic and willingness to release music, I’m sure they’ll be discovered and picked up eventually. I was interested in the band, mainly because of their name, because any band that calls themselves Cave Bastard, as blunt and to the point as it is, is one that I want to check out for myself. So, this is Wrath Of The Bastard and the band’s second full length album.
It must be said that the album has a very well-rounded production. As you listen to the band play you cannot help but feel the weight and shape of their sound crash down upon you, this isn’t a flimsy or lacklustre production where the instrumentation comes off with tinny or hollow impact. Everything is coming at you with emboldened vigour as you can practically feel the dimensions of the riffs and drums falling upon you. As a result, you’re far more capable at following the flow of music the track progressions possess, it’s a curious thing. It’s not simply down to heightening your attention to what is coming your way however the production that’s been applied to the band’s performance absolutely makes it an easier job because the audience won’t be able to help paying attention since this sound strikes with such bold and thick impact.
It’s a rather interesting dual-vocal performance that’s happening here. For the most part the actual vocal delivery is consistent of a screeching and harsh performance that’s honestly really well controlled and isn’t so harsh that it becomes painful to hear, but you’ve also got a secondary growling delivery that is used pretty regularly as well. The two styles are performed as frequently as they are excellently, the growling style here is able to accentuate its lyrics really coherently so when you’re hearing it you can actually follow what’s being said quite well. But I’m more impressed with the screeching vocal form actually as it’s not so extreme that it has similarities with black metal; you’ll be able to listen to the band play while this harsher style is giving it everything it’s got because it’s evident that this type of vocal delivery isn’t holding back. It doesn’t sound painful to hear nor does it sound painful to perform, whoever is pulling this vocal performance off clearly knows how to look after his voice and how to control it efficiently, so it doesn’t just go off on tangents with zero discipline.
I really took to how versatile the drums could be here. As you move your way through the album you’ll quickly realise that the drums are going to changing form again and again depending on what the songwriting is demanding of it. This may come in the shape of a few particular blast beats strewn throughout the record that while powerful aren’t dominating the album’s soundscape, still enabling the rest of the band’s performance to shine through. It may come in the form of a more select and specific kind of drumming pattern that feels segmented and specific to what the band require, especially if the respective track’s flow comes off as steadier and a little more methodical to draw in the audience that much more. Then you’ve also got tracks that are more high-octane and you can feel the energy surging through, so the drums possess this more maniacal and sweeping aesthetic where you can feel the full drum kit being crushed and crashed from left to right and back again creating a far more destructive and total soundscape. Effectively, the drums are not a one-note performance here.
I loved how chunky and in your face the bass could feel at times. It may not always be present or super audible depending on what kind of music and songwriting Cave Bastard have in store for us, however when the bass is able to be heard I have to say it’s the kind that doesn’t try and blend into the background like some other bass patterns would choose to do. This is a vibrant and fat sounding bass that doesn’t want to be held back in the background, it may not be exactly shoving itself at the forefront of the record’s mixing but when you hear it you can’t help but pay attention. I think that’s why the album has such a pronounced and hard-hitting aesthetic, since the bass and the mixing of this record hasn’t resigned itself to the background. Everything the band may want this record to possess has been pushed further forward nearer to you so that your experience of Wrath Of The Bastard comes off with much more viscera and a stronger blow to your face. I mean it’s immediately evident during the first few tracks that the band aren’t holding back their performance so it kind of makes senses that they’d want their mixing efforts to replicate the same ideal.
In conclusion, this was an album I initially wasn’t that big a fan of. As this record started out, I listened and took in what the band gave me but I wasn’t feeling it all that much, but as the album only continued to open up I found myself falling more and more for what this record could give me and found myself impressed at the variety of tracks and songwriting and music flows the band were capable at inserting into their record. It was a nice surprise to see the inclusion of smaller, instrumentation pieces to serve equally as buildups of longer tracks as well as break up the record into more segmented phases so the audience isn’t going to grow tired of the band’s striking and roaring performance that is strong from start to finish. The band’s track progression can range from slow and moving to frantic and concrete-dense and I enjoyed how the band weren’t down to just performing a one-note style whether it be through vocals or drums or riff work etc. There was always at least one angle to their sound that was a little unique from track to track whereby you understood you were never getting the exact same track twice. All in all, this album ended up surprising me and while it’s not an album or band that I would immediately think of to pop on and play, I’m still happy I checked this out.
