caliban

CALIBAN

CURRENT NAME
Caliban

FORMER NAMES
-

ORIGIN
Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Germany

STATUS
Active

FORMED IN
1997

LABEL
Century Media

GENRE
Hardcore; Metal

STYLE
-
LYRICAL THEME
-
BAND ADDED
2005-09-27, 00:00

LAST UPDATE
2009-06-10,

Band biography

Already seen as veterans of the
European metal-core scene,
Caliban have become one of the
most important and influential
bands of that genre within just a
few years. Formed in 1997, in
Germany’s Ruhr region, Caliban
released their self-titled EP in the
summer of 1998 on Lifeforce
Records. Countless tours across
Europe, including support gigs
for bands like Morning Again,
Earth Crisis and Cro-Mags,
strengthened their reputation
and earned them an ever-
increasing army of fans. Their
full-length debut, A Small Boy
And A Grey Heaven (1999),
opened the door to fame and
became a European metal-core
classic. Even then, Caliban knew
how to combine Slayer-esque,
precise metal guitars with an
emotional hardcore delivery,
thereby leaving their own distinct
mark on that sound. Although
initially seen as mix of Slayer,
Poison the Well and Hatebreed
by the critics, Caliban didn ’t jump
on the metal-core bandwagon
just recently; rather, they led the
way representing that genre at
home and internationally. The
following split EP with their
friends from Heaven Shall Burn
was to become another metal-
core classic. When the band's
second album, Vent, came out in
April 2001 the band was invited
to play at the famous Beast Feast
2001 in Yokohama together with
Slayer, Pantera, Machine Head,
Biohazard and Morbid Angel.
After playing in Japan, Caliban
began their onslaught on U.S.
soil with A Life Once Lost and
The Red Chord in the summer of
2002 and an appearance at the
famous Hellfest in New York.
With their third album, Shadow
Hearts, it was clear Caliban
transcended their
contemporaries by producing a
new style of post-modern,
destructive metal-core with an
unparalleled sense of heaviness
and musicianship. Most recently,
Caliban entered “The Room”
studios in Gothenburg, Sweden
to record their fourth album,
The Opposite From Within, which
was produced by In Flames front
man Anders Friden and mixed
and mastered by Andy Sneap
(e.g. Machine Head, Killswitch
Engage, Arch Enemy). The 12-
song outing shows the band
taking their style even further
with crushing breakdowns, a
keen sense of melody and
dedication to playing with utter
ferocity.


Current members
Andy Dörner
-2004-
Vocals
Marc Görtz
-2004-
Guitars
Denis Schmidt
-2004-
Guitars
Marco Schaller
-2004-
Bass
Patrick Grün
-2004-
Drums