By Andrew Bansal
Canadian classic metal trio Cauldron are ready to release their fourth full-length studio album ‘In Ruin’ on January 8th 2016, their first The End Records release and their first full-length since ‘Tomorrow’s Lost’ (2012). Modern-era old-school metal bands are typically compared to legends from the ’70s and ’80s that influenced them, but this Toronto group, in existence since 2006, stands out from the pack of contemporaries as through the past decade they’ve carved a very recognizable signature sound that’s all of their own, boasting of catchy vocal and guitar harmonies, galloping rhythms and a very warm snare drum sound. Cauldron do not divert from this style and instead focus on honing it further album after album, and to that effect, ‘In Ruin’ presents quintessential Cauldron at its finest.
Timed perfectly for long-play purposes at just a little over 42 minutes with an unmistakable flow from one track to the next, ‘In Ruin’ is up the true album lover’s alley. It starts strong with the title track and first single ‘No Return / In Ruin’, straightaway treating the listener to a well-crafted dosage of all things Cauldron have excelled in over the years. The lively track is decorated with ultra-catchy riffs and vocal melodies galore, and a scorching guitar solo. The mid-tempo melody-driven metal tune has been Cauldron’s speciality throughout their career so far, and ‘Empress’ proves as much. A similar vibe is carried in the songs ‘Burning At Both Ends’, ‘Hold Your Fire’ (which features a particularly memorable chorus segment), and ‘Come Not Here’. ‘Santa Mira’ picks up the pace, while ‘Corridors Of Dust’ transitions beautifully from down-tempo to fast-paced within its six-minute duration. ‘Delusive Serenade’ comes across as an extremely fine instrumental composition that stands as one of the highlights of the album, and leads perfectly into the aptly chosen final track ‘Outrance’.
The most notable feature of the album is the clear affinity between all the tracks that link it to the signature Cauldron sound, but just the right degree of variety from track to track to render the album a compelling listen from start to finish. Cauldron do not break new ground with ‘In Ruin’, but they clearly do not need to, because they just get stronger with their portrayal of the musical stylings they love the most and are good at. Cauldron fans admire the band for the instantly recognizable sound, and ‘In Ruin’ emanates it better than any of its predecessors. Cauldron continue to stay true to themselves and to their salute to the old-school, and for lovers of catchy clean-sung traditional heavy metal, Cauldron’s ‘In Ruin’ is more than a worthwhile offering. There is an unexplainable greatness in all things traditional metal that come out of Canada, and those Canadians in Cauldron have done it again, as ‘In Ruin’ is by all means a winning effort.
Rating: 9/10
Record Label: The End
Release Date: January 8th 2016
Track Listing:
01. No Return / In Ruin
02. Empress
03. Burning At Both Ends
04. Hold Your Fire
05. Come Not Here
06. Santa Mira
07. Corridors Of Dust
08. Delusive Serenade
09. Outrance
Cauldron links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram
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