Capra
In Transmission
Genre: Metallic Hardcore, Punk.
Released: 23/04/2021
Via Metal Blade
Album Review: Capra – In Transmission
Capra is here with their debut album ‘In Transmission’ and considering it will be their first release, they have sure done an amazing job of building hype around it. The debut single titled ‘The Locust Preacher’ has already amassed over 30 thousand streams on Spotify alone which is truly unprecedented for a band like this. I would be a fool to not see what all the fuss is about so without any further delay, here are my thoughts on Capra’s ‘In Transmission’!
[Exordium] kicks the album off with ambience and atmosphere. The short instrumental sets the tone of the record well and is a perfect segway into ‘Hollow Doll’. The sheer level of intensity is incredible from this track. Crow Lotus’s vocals completely took me by surprise as they are some of the best gutturals I’ve heard from a female vocalist. Not to mention just how impactful the instrumental behind the vocals are. The energy doesn’t let up either as ‘The Locust Preacher is jam-packed with heavy riffs and blast beats. Tyler Harper lays down some awesome chord progressions throughout the track that allow the track to feel like a bombardment of brutal proportions.
‘Medusa’ is a track dominated by some killer drumming from Jeremy Randazzo. Interesting fills and a solid beat that is consistent throughout the entire track makes for a great demonstration of his abilities behind the kit. I’m also a sucker for the way Ben Paramore’s bass line compliments percussive sections. It makes for one hell of a listen! Up next is ‘Torture Ship’ and I feel that this song captivates the bands blend between metal, punk and hardcore perfectly. The genres blend so well together and allow the track to stand out in a good way. An emotionally-driven song that absolutely slaps!
Following that is ‘Paper Tongues. A very punk-inspired track with an anthemic like aura around it. Once again, Crow’s vocal delivery adds so much to this track and takes it from being an ok song to an awesome one. The passion behind each word is clear and pronounced which is something that seems to be hard to come by nowadays. On the contrary, ‘Mutt’ takes the bands Hardcore influence and projects it tenfold. The track is a pleasant bombardment of noise that absolutely slams! I can’t recommend this song enough!
Unfortunately, the track ‘Trasfiguration’ just doesn’t pack the same punch as everything else on the record. It’s by no means a poor track however, it comes across as a little uninspired and almost recognisable. The same cant is said however for ‘Red Guillotine’ which is by far one of my favourite tracks of the album. From Tyler’s brutal riffs to Jeremy’s eccentric drumming, the song is jam-packed with raw passion and charisma. This is a must listen track!
The penultimate track ‘Deadbeat Assailant’ continues the momentum generated from previous tracks and add’s its own neck breaking spin to it. It’s just one of those song’s you can’t help but bang your head to which is amplified when the track slows it right down to create one of the heaviest moments on the entire album. Everything has to lead to the final track and ‘Samuraiah Carey’ doesn’t disappoint. A shining example of the band’s ability to blend their styles together without it sounding forced or generic. As final track goes, I can’t think of a better choice to close out Capra’s debut album!
Capra has made quite the splash already since they formed back in 2016 and as far as debut albums go, this is a shining example of nailing it right off the bat. The band are full of potential and have a bright future ahead of them if they keep releasing music that’s at this high of a standard. I cannot wait to see how this band develops over the years!