Caliban – Back From Hell (Album Review)

Caliban - Back From Hell
Released: April 25, 2025

Lineup

Andreas Dörner // Vocals
Marc Görtz // Lead Guitar  
Denis Schmidt // Rhythm Guitar & Clean Vocals
Patrick Grün // Drums
Kenneth Iain Duncan // Bass & Clean Vocals

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German Metalcore stalwarts Caliban’s thirteenth album is another collection of bruising and cathartic tunes. Given the glut of LPs that fit the metalcore description, it’s got to be pretty great to stand out and thankfully the veterans know how to mix their elements to keep fans engaged for 13 tracks.

‍Back From Hell has an emphasis on making each song resonate - whether that’s musically or lyrically. It is largely made up of genre tropes but there’s a ton of conviction when Andreas Dörner bellows “All my hope is dead” to start ‘I Was a Happy Kid Once’, capturing the loneliness and rage post-adolescence, before clean vocalist Kenneth Iain Duncan pleads for help asking “who can come and save me now?” It’s an unclean/clean vocal dynamic that pays off regularly by depicting different emotions in the story they’re telling.

‍‘Guilt Trip’ has both vocalists repeat lines in clean and growls, “Your hell is my destiny”, conveying both sorrow and anger at the thought. ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ has a similar vibe though a clearer delineation between growls and cleans, capped by a ferocious mid-song breakdown. 

It’s suffering that is the predominant theme throughout the album, from the desperation for normalcy on ‘Insomnia’ through the fog of depression on ‘Solace in Suffer’. Fit For An Autopsy’s Joe Bad shares the pain on ‘Dear Suffering’, which actually suits the tune’s concept of suffering together forever. It’s pretty nihilistic and the savagery of the music helps the message burrow into your head. It doesn't hurt that even when they go more melodic there’s time for a thunderous breakdown before the end, as is the case on ‘Infection’. 

There’s enough variation between songs, even if the methods are themselves staples. ‘Infection’ has drum loops and synths, the title track uses syncopation and hardcore tempos, ‘Overdrive’ dips into a nu-metal guitar line, ‘Alte Seele’ has a lot going on with an epic intro and then black metal blastbeats. What the band excels at is dropping those ridiculous breakdowns that shatter the inside of your skull. The only really stock song is ‘Glass Cage’ but it’s balanced out by others in the tracklisting.

Caliban didn’t need to make grand proclamations because they’ve never really gone away. Back From Hell allows them to get all their frustration, anger and distress out into the world. Those feelings will comfort many fans and, if you’re new to Caliban’s world, get ready to bang your head. 

Rating: 7.5 / 10
‍Back From Hell is out now on Century Media Records. Stream it here.
Words by KJ Draven @kjdraven