| Perfect Pitch Black | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 13, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | January 2003 – April 2004 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:38 | |||
| Label | Hydra Head (HH666-103) | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Cave In chronology | ||||
| ||||
Perfect Pitch Black is the fourth studio album by American rock band Cave In. The album was released on September 13, 2005 through Hydra Head Records, and was the band's final release before going on hiatus in 2006. Cave In later reformed in 2009 and released the EP, Planets of Old .
For the band's third studio album, Antenna , the band left Hydra Head Records and signed with major label RCA Records. Members later claimed they were disappointed by the experience (despite the album gaining positive reviews [3] ) citing too much time and money spent on making the album, and too much control over the music from RCA. [4] The band started writing heavier songs that incorporated more of Cave In's earlier sound, but RCA refused to release the album and wanted little to do with the songs the band had been recording. [5] RCA Records granted Cave In ownership rights of the songs they had already recorded and dropped the band from the label in September 2004. [4] Originally unsure of how to release the album, Cave In later signed back to Hydra Head Records to release Perfect Pitch Black. [6]
Lyrically, several songs on Perfect Pitch Black vent about the band's frustrations with their major label stint. According to guitarist and vocalist Stephen Brodsky, the act of trepanning is to drill a hole in the skull to alleviate stored up pressure in the brain, and the song "Trepanning" lyrically "fully expresses our sentiment at the time of this song-writing period." [7]
The songs "Down the Drain" and "Droned" were originally released on Bootleg CD by Cave In during spring 2003, and "Trepanning" was originally released in 2004 on a SXSW Hydra Head sampler (demo version), a Daymare Recordings sampler and a Deathwish Inc. sampler. [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| LambGoat | (8/10) [8] |
| Pitchfork | (7.3/10) [2] |
| PopMatters | (8/10) [9] |
| PunkNews |    [1] |
Perfect Pitch Black was generally well received by music critics upon its initial release. Summing up the review for LambGoat, writer Sean Lioselle said, " This is an odd duck - but not something completely out of left field. I can't think of a label more suited to release this than Hydra Head - it's pissed, it's slow, it's fairly weird. If you've ever appreciated Cave In's eclectic side and subtlelty, I don't fathom any disappointment. If you're looking for one of the forefathers of technical metallic hardcore - they're there, but you're going to have to look for it." [8] Contributor Cory D. Cyrom was also somewhat positive in an assessment for Pitchfork , concluding "Each of Cave In's albums to date has marked a distinct shift and change of approach, and Perfect Pitch Black's strength lies with their ability to seamlessly intertwine their past and present, experimenting with a diverse array of progressive genres and styles while remaining true to their metalcore roots. Granted, this is a far cry from the band's earlier work, and five years on from Jupiter, their creative apex does seem to have come and gone. On the other hand, few bands are capable of weathering so much change while remaining so consistent. Given the obstacles and challenges of their decade-long career, Perfect Pitch Black is a far more rewarding album than Cave In should rightly be capable of producing this late in the game." [2]
Cosmo Lee's article for PopMatters commented on the band's attempt to merge both their earlier music style with their more recent efforts, claiming "Perfect Pitch Black channels the band’s frustration with its major label experience into its most aggressive effort since Jupiter. But it’s a far cry from hardcore punk. Rather, it’s a marriage of Cave In’s heavy and melodic sides. A runner that lifts weights and gains size doesn’t run as agilely as before. Likewise, instead of the tense, brittle freakouts of yore, the grooves here are confident, powerful, swinging." [9] PunkNews reviewer Brian Shultz also commented on the band's attempt at hybridising their sound stating that "Perfect Pitch Black seems more a stopover in Cave In's progression than anything, as it seems to recall a healthy amount of traits from Jupiter along with fits of screaming and growling, the likes of which haven't been audible since 1999's Until Your Heart Stops. Is employing this style an outright attempt to win back fans? Maybe. Is Perfect Pitch Black another intelligent, well-structured and strongly written rock record regardless? Definitely." [1]
All songs written by Cave In, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Perfect Pitch Black" | 0:32 |
| 2. | "The World Is in Your Way" | 5:09 |
| 3. | "Off to Ruin" | 4:38 |
| 4. | "Trepanning" | 4:07 |
| 5. | "Paranormal" | 7:02 |
| 6. | "Down the Drain" | 4:27 |
| 7. | "Droned" | 2:59 |
| 8. | "Ataraxia" | 5:26 |
| 9. | "Tension in the Ranks" | 3:16 |
| 10. | "Screaming in Your Sleep" | 3:23 |
Vinyl bonus track [10]
Japanese bonus tracks [11]
Bandcamp Expanded Edition bonus tracks
Album personnel and recording history as listed in CD liner notes. [7]
Twelfth Night are an English neo-prog band of the 1980s, reformed between 2007 and 2012 and again in 2014. The BBC has described them as Reading's biggest band of the 1980s.
Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalcore scene. The band later experimented with other genres, receiving mainstream recognition for their 2003 RCA Records album Antenna and its lead single "Anchor," which had an overall alternative rock style. The group went on hiatus in 2006, later reforming in 2009 with the release of the Planets of Old EP, followed by the White Silence LP in 2011, both of which saw a return to Cave In's earlier and heavier sound.
Jesu are a British experimental metal band formed in 2003 by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of his band Godflesh. It shares its name with the last song on Hymns, the final album of Godflesh's initial run. Jesu's sound is heavily layered and textured, incorporating a diverse mix of influences. Broadrick himself has stated that "...it's very loosely speaking pop/rock/metal/electronica ... I'm intentionally writing what I consider to be coherent 'pop' songs".
Iain Matthews is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthews Southern Comfort, which had a UK number one in 1970 with their cover of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock". In 1979, his recording of Terence Boylan's "Shake It" reached No. 13 on the US charts.
Stephen Jones is an English musician and novelist.
Ben Koller is an American drummer who has played with Converge, Mutoid Man, Killer Be Killed and All Pigs Must Die. He started playing a full drum kit at age 14.
Old Man Gloom is an extreme metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore and metalcore scene.
Hydra Head Records was an independent record label specializing in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experimental and noise music. Turner announced he was winding the label down in 2012. In 2020, the label removed its catalog from Spotify and returned its album rights back to several artists.
This is a complete discography of Hydra Head Records releases. Hydra Head Records was an independent record company based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1993 by Aaron Turner. It had two imprints, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialises in experimental and noise music, and another entitled Tortuga Recordings.
Antenna is the third studio album and the first major label album by the American rock band Cave In. Released in 2003, it was Cave In's first and only album for RCA before they were dropped by the record label and re-signed with Hydra Head. Antenna marked a shift in Cave In's musical style which, while critically praised, was met with distaste from longtime fans. In the midst of such polarization, the band would later return to its previous style, resulting in Perfect Pitch Black in 2005.
Until Your Heart Stops is the debut album by metalcore band Cave In. It was released in 1998 on Hydra Head Records. Until Your Heart Stops has been regarded as a landmark release in the metallic hardcore genre.
Kid Kilowatt was an American rock supergroup formed in 1996 and dissolved in 1997, including members of Cave In, Converge and Piebald. They wrote only one album, Guitar Method, first released by Second Nature Recordings in 2003.
Guitar Method is the only album by indie supergroup Kid Kilowatt, initially released by Second Nature Recordings on vinyl in 2003, and later on CD by Hydra Head Records in 2004. It consists of material recorded over a period of three years, including after the band's breakup. Still, it did not see release as a whole for over four years after the last track was recorded.
Caleb Mark Scofield was an American musician who was a bassist and singer mostly known for the alternative metal band Cave In, and his own sludge metal band Zozobra. Caleb was also a part of the sludge band Old Man Gloom.
Beyond Hypothermia is a compilation and the first full-length album by Cave In. Released in February 1998 on Hydra Head Records, it compiles material from early out-of-print releases with new tracks.
Planets of Old is an extended play released by American alternative rock band Cave In. This EP is the first release of new material from the band since their split in 2006. Additionally, this is the first Cave In release to feature Adam McGrath on lead vocals.
The discography of Cave In, an American rock band, consists of seven studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, seven EPs, three singles, three splits, eight compilation contributions and three music videos. Cave In formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts, where thereafter they began releasing several split singles and demos that eventually culminated in the 1998 compilation album Beyond Hypothermia. Cave In's first studio album, Until Your Heart Stops, was released later in 1998 through Hydra Head Records. These early releases from the band are often considered important albums in developing the metalcore genre. The band gradually began to move away from heavy metal and took a more alternative rock and progressive rock approach to their music beginning in 1999 with the EP Creative Eclipses. This new direction continued with Jupiter, Cave In's second studio album in 2000. Cave In released one more EP through Hydra Head Records in 2002, Tides of Tomorrow, before signing with RCA Records.
Anomalies, Vol. 1 is a compilation album by the American rock band Cave In. The album was officially released on December 14, 2010 through Hydra Head Records, however copies could be obtained one month earlier on Black Friday. Despite its title, Anomalies, Vol. 1 is actually the second release in Cave In's Anomalies series, which a grouping of releases that compile previously unreleased or rare tracks. Released earlier in 2010, Anomalies, Vol. 2 was a live album of a recorded performance from 2003.
Stephen Brodsky is an American rock musician, best known as a member of Cave In, Mutoid Man, New Idea Society and Old Man Gloom. He also has a solo career and is a former member of Converge, Kid Kilowatt, Parasite and Pet Genius.
Final Transmission is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Cave In. The album was released on June 7, 2019, through Hydra Head Records. Final Transmission is Cave In's first studio album in eight years since 2011's White Silence and marks the final recordings of bassist Caleb Scofield, who died in a car crash a year prior to the album's release. The band promoted the album with online streams of "All Illusion" and "Shake My Blood" prior to its release. It is the final album released by Hydra Head Records before the label folded in 2020, with Cave In's back catalogue being returned to them.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)