Capra: In Transmission

It’s easy to imagine someone listening to this album and dismissing it as so much noise. But doing that would deny listeners the chance to discover just what this band has to offer. The first thing to notice is the band’s general approach to hardcore, punk, and metal. There are clearly moments here when the band looks back to what similar bands were doing in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I mostly hear Seven Year Bitch, but that’s probably because Crow Lotus’s vocal style strikes me as a ringer for Selene Vigil’s style. I also really miss that band.

You could easily get lost in Capra’s willingness to channel a slightly older style, but I suggest listening carefully to Tyler Harper’s often-surprising guitar playing. Sure, he pounds away at the expected power chords and the relentless rhythms but check out the way he mixes things up rhythmically, harmonically, and otherwise. His playing stands out just as much as Crow Lotus’s anxious and angry declamations.

I can’t say that I understood every single lyric on my first listen, but I caught enough to notice that they are vulnerable and angry and eager and afraid. I think most listeners will appreciate the way Crow Lotus’s lyrics explore specific human problems in ways that are both relatable and familiar. I especially liked the way “Paper Tongues� addressed parent-child relationships and the way “The Locust Preacher� conveyed the anxieties that come along when you either cannot or do not want to fall asleep. I also enjoyed the powerful driving quality of “Transfiguration� and the amusing “Samuraiah Carey.� I definitely wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley.

If you aren’t into hardcore music, you’ll probably find this album’s relentless energy exhausting. Tyler Harper compared this album to being “trapped in a tiny room with an unforgiving monster.� He’s certainly right about you. There’s nothing subtle about this band or this album, but it stands up to multiple listens and it shows off a band very much aware of their voice and their power. If you are interested in that kind of driving, powerful, music, you’ll probably find Capra pretty exciting. I did.

Track Listing:
1. [Exordium]
2. Hollow Doll
3. The Locust Preacher
4. Medusa
5. Torture Ship
6. Paper Tongues
7. Mutt
8. Transfiguration
9. Red Guillotine
10. Deadbeat Assailant
11. Samuraiah Carey

Added: April 15th 2021
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 678
Language: english

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