Capsize – ‘A Reintroduction: The Essence Of All That Surrounds Me’ [Review]
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Hardcore is all about catharsis. Fulfilling a desire to get emotionally difficult experiences out there, rather than keeping it in your own head. Expressing, not repressing.
A Reintroduction: The Essence Of All That Surrounds Me sees Capsize vocalist Daniel Wand exorcise his personal demons on record, employing a freshly expanded palette of vocal techniques while his bandmates plough through some seriously uncompromising tracks. This album is a far cry from Capsize’s debut The Angst In My Veins, where clicky kick drums, nonstop screaming, and unrelenting intensity added up to a stock one-dimensional hardcore rampage. For their sophomore effort, these guys have set their sights on experimentation – and while it’s likely to annoy a few die-hard fans of their previous album, the fact remains that A Reintroduction is the sound of Capsize freeing themselves to move into new territory.
When the result is pure quality, it’s hard to argue with such a bold change of creative direction.
Lyrically, A Reintroduction mainly focusses on fucked-up personal relationships – and while for the older crowd who still remember the early 2000s these songs might sound a tad too (whisper it) emo, younger fans will definitely divine some meaningful messages from these ten tracks. This is, after all, one of this album’s main goals; according to Daniel Wand, “I wanted to write lyrics that I felt like I needed to hear, or would have liked to have heard at certain times in my life that I have only just recently worked through enough to put into words…the most important thing about this record was that it needed to be something that if I heard when I was at my most impressionable point, it would’ve made me desperate to make a band.”
Job done.
If you fear that Capsize have somehow “sold out,” worry not. Lead single XX (Sew My Eyes) breaks the ice with a full-on borderline-metalcore onslaught; I Think It’s Best We Don’t Talk Anymore balances razor-edged guitars with soaring hooks; and Tear Me Apart’s palm-muted melodies and warm bass are infinitely more commercially accessible than anything on The Angst In My Veins – but still never dip into bubblegum pop territory. Favourite Secret tackles concealed love affairs while flirting once more with stuttering metalcore; One Day I Won’t Be So Easy To Forget spirals almost out of control, a beautiful mass of churning riffs and winning vocals; Split My Soul is set to remind long-time fans that Capsize haven’t turned their backs entirely on balls-to-the-wall aggression; and so will Over You.
From there, Capsize’s new comfort zone has been fully established, and it’s down to You Got The Wrong Idea and The Same Pain to bring us home. Looking back, the elements that stood out for me were the occasional nods in Deftones’ direction – which are always welcome in my ears – and the one song I’ve not written about yet.
Safe Place – the sixth song on A Reintroduction – is going to split Capsize’s audience right down the middle. A three-minute breather at this album’s halfway point, it’s a stunning piece of electronica that reminded me most of The Black Queen’s Fever Daydream – a record released earlier this year featuring Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan on vocals. A ballad this may be, as far from skin-flaying brutality as you could hope to get, but it is absolutely spectacular.
Highlight of the album for me, easily.
Overall, Capsize have pulled out all the stops for A Reintroduction, succeeded in clearing the Difficult Second Album hurdle, and reinvented themselves in their own image. Regardless of what the people keeping their eyes on Capsize want this band to do, Capsize themselves are doing exactly what they need to be doing right now. At the end of the day, artists should never be called upon to do anything other than that.
TMMP RATING: 90%
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