Rise Of Caligula - Libretto

Review by Sage @ Heathen Harvest
Thursday, 01 January 2009

Well this is nice stuff. These guys don’t overwork on chaotic sound, and seem to like old school Death Metal. Good healthy meat chunks is what you get for most of the time, and the rest is filled with atmospheric clean guitar passages and noise sections with a big portion of fat bass. Not at all bad – this mixture of brutality and mellowness (with the highest concentration in “Polar” – a cold melodic thing with a snowy feeling of in it) tastes really good. Maybe you can even add the particle “Techno” to the definition of the bands style – they are more than exact and accurate, so that it’s really pleasant to listen to them. They even give some free space to their drummer, who is intense, though not extraordinary imaginative. Still he’s trying his hardest, and what he gets out of the drum kit suites the music with its unexpected twists and rhythm turns.

And don’t even try to say boring – no, these guys know exactly what they need to keep the listener interested, so that he pushed the “Play” button after the first spin, which is brief – only 20 minutes, so that you can’t get tired of it too soon. I listen to it again and again – isn’t it the best a musician can desire?

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Rise Of Caligula  - Libretto CD

Review by Aversionline.com
Wednesday, 27 August 2008 @ 7:03 am

Maryland-based 187 Records is another label that seems to have an interesting roster as well as a flare for eye-catching graphic design work, and "Libretto", the debut EP from California's Rise of Caligula, caught my ear with its diverse brand of technical metalcore - which fuses an array of more jarring and chaotic influences with pummeling death metal riffs and powerfully discordant atmospheres. I tend to be incredibly picky about these particular types of more contemporary metalcore, but Rise of Caligula keeps things tightly wound with seven tracks in about 20 minutes, and efficiently blends their influences in a manner that keeps things interesting. Rather than blaze through loads of fast-paced noodling and blurs of riffs, they keep the explosive bursts of unhinged riffing under control with the chunkier death metal aspects, and the slower, more tangible elements switch it up from meaty, breakdown-oriented rhythms to more melodically textured fare that's actually really fucking killer. And, unlike the vast majority of these bands, they do still break into the occasional power chord run that actually still bears some resemblance to hardcore, which is pretty cool. There's just a good sense of energy overall that really gets the job done. I don't have the lyrics, but the recording and artwork are pretty solid, and I don't really have any complaints here. I'm actually really curious to hear what'll come next, because the more I listen to this the more I realize how much potential they're sitting on. Not bad at all…

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Rise Of Caligula  - Libretto

Review by Chad Coup @ The Apparatus
Monday, 16 June 2008

Overall Rating (Weighted) – 7.5/10
Musicianship – 8.0

Composition – 7.0

Experimentation – 7.0

Production – 8.0

Value – 8.0

This is a very pleasant surprise. This CA-based hardcore act plays hardcore and thrash-influenced metal, but it also remains pretty technical and interesting without making those aspects too obvious. Rise Of Caligula's brief, but accomplished, album is one that fans of hardcore, tech, and post rock will get into. It's an apocalyptic-sounding album, but it never gets ahead of itself.

Even though the record is only 20 minutes long, the content is sufficient enough to satisfy and invite listeners back for a few more rounds. The band balances the slow, brooding parts -- which work beautifully -- with the intense, technical shredding parts. The best track is the first one, and it perfectly advertises what to expect in the rest of the album. It starts off unbelievably chaotic and distorted before turning into a slow, atmospheric dirge before picking up with the same level of intensity the song started off with. "Polar," the middle track, is an instrumental sludge experiment that works in perfect counterpoint to the intense follow-up track "In The Temple Of Thieves." "Midmorning Disintegration" has a great riff in the middle that throws back the sound to earlier metal and hardcore bands. The album closer is a beautiful instrumental acoustic melody that closes the album out in a different way than it began.

I'm a fan of the production here. The album art complements the sound perfectly, and the colors have a nice contrast with the graphic layout. The music sounds pretty great for such an indie effort. The drums sound amazing. I love how airy and natural they sound. The cymbals are a little too sizzley for my taste, but they are at least present. Guitar tones have a suitably thick and harsh sound, and the vocals are well-balanced and forceful.

For such a young band, Rise Of Caligula has a pretty good way of making metal. This works in the band's favor; they can grow infinitely because they didn't go too far over the cliff with all of their influences. As I have said in the past, this doesn't feel like a compromise at all. In fact, Rise Of Caligula can probably make four albums of exclusively tech, grind, hardcore, and post rock and get away with it. I wouldn't really want them to. They do well enough on their own and I would like them to expand on their energetic debut with some more cool ideas. If you tire of breakdowns in your hardcore, or excessive scale runs in your tech, get this record.
 

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Rise Of Caligula  - Libretto

Review By: Ghost Trap Music Review

This record fell into my lap like a ton of bricks and squashed my nuts into oblivion (I'll be fine). This record does not beat around the bush, it gets straight into an ear raping that goes by the name of "Trust Fund Nihilist" and punches me in the throat for 6 more tracks.

The guitars are techy but not so techy that I need to break out a calculator. The drums straight up rule. This dude has fills for days that make me feel like I'm having heart palpitations. The record itself is fucking fast. Even the slow parts seem fast to me, don't ask me why.

The record sounds like my soundtrack to escaping from some kind of fucked up dungeon like in that shitty movie Hostel. But I will say that movie wasn't too bad for the 30 minutes of soft core porn before a less-than-i-expected blood/gore movie.

But enough about shitty movies. Go pick up this record from 187 Records cause I say so.

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Rise Of Caligula  - Libretto

NOR-CAL HARDCORE MAGAZINE - July 2008 - Issue 7 - Page 6
 

Review By: Adrean Ortez

Libretto from Rise of Caligula gives a new meaning to the word unrelenting. This album is a non-stop assault. Every track is packed full of punishing double bass, deathcore vocals, breakdowns, and with an overall creepy vibe. Loved it. The highlight of the record is a track entitled "Trust Found Nihilist". I would recommend this record to anybody.

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