German metalcore veterans CALIBAN are back with their 11^th full length album "Elements" due out April 6^th on Century Media Records. These guys have been around for a long time now, and with a lineup that has been stable since 2005, they've reached a masterful level of the modern metalcore sound. "Elements" is a tour de force of those palm muted, bass oriented 0s and 1s we love so much, but it's not without its fair share of technical precision and stylistic flair. While we do get plenty of metalcore breakdowns and djent inspired riffs, CALIBAN has also found some of their catchiest melodies and most intricate and clever guitar work to date pushed forward by the powerful vocals from Andy Dörner, who finds a perfect balance between harsh and clean vocals. While "Elements" is slightly less heavy/death metal inspired than their previous efforts, and somewhat more in line with something like recent ARCHITECTS releases, it is no doubt among their best work.

In fact, the real delight of this album is that every song is good. So it no longer becomes a question of which parts of the album are good and which parts are bad, but which parts were just a bit better than others. That's awesome, and makes the album a complete joy from start to finish. And while they have found plenty of spaces to interject soaring and melodically driven cleans as is the standard with CALIBAN, there are still plenty of harsh vocals to go around, and no "soft" songs on the album. Fans should and will be pleased. It's exciting to see a veteran band like this finding new ways to best their previous work, while staying in the same genre, and without becoming derivative. Massive hats off to CALIBAN. Germans and metalcore are a match made in heaven...

The album kicks off with one of my favorite metalcore tracks I have heard in a LONG time, "This Is War." For the life of me I cannot figure out why they didn't release it as a single. Maybe they wanted to save the best stuff for the album? Maybe they didn't think it was as strong as some other songs? Who knows, but for my money it is an absolute mammoth of an opener that immediately knocks you on your ass. Incredible screams from Dörner and an unrelenting riff lead into a chorus that is impossibly catchy with some of the coolest clean vocals I have EVER heard in metal. It's hard to describe the clean vocal style used in this song, it's more classic rock/heavy metal oriented perhaps, but the style is isolated to this track. All the other clean vocals on the album fall back into Dörner's typical scream/sing BRING ME THE HORIZON-esque style, which is fine, but somewhat disappointing giving how good the vocals are on the opener. That being said, it does mean "This Is War" is that much more of a treat. I hope the metal community takes note: this is EXACTLY how you open an album. Amazingly well done.

From there we move into "Intoxicated," one of their main singles. It's equally as catchy as "This Is War," but does find a slightly softer footing with less chugging feel and more of a fast paced thrash. Token German track "Iche blute für Dich" comes in the 3 hole proving that metalcore doesn't really sound much different in German than in English, it's an awesome number that keeps the album moving forward perfectly.

Other favorites include additional single "Before Later Becomes Never" which has some of my favorite and most brutal vocal/guitar combined moments, but does find an overall softer feel especially on the chorus. Track 7 "I Am Fear" for me rivals "This Is War" as best song on the album, it is dark, foreboding, and carried by a beautiful but eerie lead guitar line.

The last 1/3 of the album isn't objectively as strong as the first 2/3s, but it is still fantastically well done and ends on a perfect and succinct strong note with "Sleepers Awake," a heavy and unrelenting song full of blistering riffs and some of the most technically proficient guitar work on the album.

All said and done, for me, this is an early contender for album of the year. It is a masterpiece from start to finish, crafted by a band that knows EXACTLY what kind of sound and vibe they want to create, and do so with immense success. If you are a metal fan, you really should listen to it, and if you are a metalcore fan, you absolutely HAVE to listen to it. It's not even an option - don't let yourself pass on one of the best music experiences of 2018.