Ghost Empire

Another great release from an impressive band. Somehow these guys keep coming out with powerful and emotional music, that doesn't seem to lose its edge, ever. The band is only getting better and have made me a lifetime fan!

Item arrived on time, as shown, and undamaged.Caliban is an excellent band. The perfect balance of melodic and heavy with a welcome absence of whining. This album exemplifies these qualities.I highly recommend this item.

If you have enjoyed Caliban in the past, you will likely enjoy this album. Caliban was never mind-blowing or different they have always done their brand of MetalCore and done it well. Ghost Empire is no different.

Fast delivery. Excellent music.

LOVE THIS ALBUM ...GETS ME INTO THE BEASTMODE WHEN I'M IN THE WORKOUT

Classic Caliban! An awesome album.

Caliban’s melodic “I am Nemesis” sibling, “Ghost Empire,” finds the perfect balance between melody and ingenuity. Make no mistake; this record has heavy groove and towering double-bass. It’s unsettling that Caliban and other veterans are persecuted with the proverbial scarlet letter, ”metalcore.” There is richness in “Ghost Empire” that reviews are passing over; blindly missing its texture.It’s safe to say that their departure from Adam D propelled them foreword. After doing Undying Darkness, Awakening, and Say Hello To Tragedy, Adam’s influence became too linear. Marc Gortz took the helm on “I Am Nemesis,” creating a rigid cutting sound. Enter “Ghost Empire” - the record I’ve waited for Caliban to create.The compelling parts of “Ghost Empire” are minimally on the surface, but layered beneath. This is the crux reviewers are missing, and what I enjoy chewing on. I’m compelled to participate in each track.Everything Caliban was missing previously is inherent on this record. “King” shows the band using violins or cellos during the end bridge. “Cries and Whispers” uses a twang that at first seems a bit southern for the band, but its delivery amplifies the mood. Caliban pushed the identity of “sound” particularly with “I am Ghost.” Its theatrical ambiance makes the song transcend “noise” to sensation. The metaphorical triptych of “I am Nemesis/I am Ghost/ I am Rebellion is a perfect way to extend themes. “nEbel” is to “Dein Reich” as “I am Ghost/I Am Rebellion” are to “Edge of Black.” In “Memorial” – Father! I have to say Goodbye to keep myself alive; in “I am Ghost” – Father! Forgive me for I have sinned.” I love these bridges to previous works. Few too bands dismiss their work and consider them closed chapters. Caliban finds numerous ways to leak “I am Nemesis” into “Ghost Empire;” it’s surreal.The cleans are used as tools, not just “sections of a song.” Their delivery fits the genre but with a freshness. They can be short, non-existent, or at the very end. “Good Man” halts the experience briefly with a heartfelt bookend acoustic build with tuned down snares. “My Vertigo” concludes the record brilliantly. Its rhythm and groove makes the track feel denser. Towards the end, an orchestral bridge is briefly implemented that enhances its impact concluding the album.“I Am Rebellion” is the only song where I lose focus. It’s not a bad song, but it gets a bit repetitive. Thankfully this time there are no slow ballads. You may be briefly caught off guard thinking a song is ‘going’ to be a ballad – but none exist.Caliban crafted a dynamic experience. There is too much I can comment on. “Ghost Empire” mood is dramatic and at times, emotional. It’s at this point I see Caliban focusing more on the drama of sound, rather than playing as loud and noisy as possible. This is Caliban's ninth LP, and like a black cat I wouldn't complain if it killed them.

The fact that there is absolutely nothing groundbreaking about Caliban's newest full-length is kind of ironic in a way when considering that the German metalcore quintet helped to spearhead the genre back in the Nineties. Even so, 2014's "Ghost Empire" marks no stylistic change, or musical progression or maturation for the group, who specialize in slammin' intros and hard-hitting verses that inevitably almost always flow into syrupy sweet emo crooning in the choruses. In addition to the fact that there is not a single guitar solo to be had in these twelve tracks, it also remains very, unfortunately true that the riffs are rarely good enough to really stand out much, if at all, here. And furthermore, a large number of the songs' breakdowns are beginning to sound tired and cliché, the bass lines are all-but completely inaudible, and the drumming is decent but often times ultimately gets a bit lost in the mix. Couple these detriments with vocalist Andreas Dorner limited range (it is the exact same, here, as it was, say, eight years ago), and the fact that the reason behind his anger and angst seems unclear (he is clearly upset, but you hardly know why you should care!), and the end result is a musical product that sounds anything but spectacular (or even exceptional).But before this review comes across as way too harsh, let it be known that "Ghost Empire" is not a bad album by any means. In fact, it actually possesses a decent, pleasant, and enjoyable sound, even if it is one that is not likely to stick with the listener for days after hearing it. And it is certainly always very listenable, because from front to back, you will find very few cringe-worthy stinkers. And plus, there are a handful of standout songs, too, even if none of them are truly great. "I Am Rebellion" boasts really catchy call-and-response vocal stylings, with a chanted hardcore refrain and juxtaposed clean singing, in order to create one of the -- if not THE -- finest choruses on the whole album. And in addition to that ultra-infectious anthem, we are also treated to such equally-as-catchy heavy-yet-simultaneously melodic bits as the soaring "Nebel"; and the gi-friggin'normous emocore numbers like "Devil's Night." And some of the other more noteworthy cuts include "Your Song," a thunderous double-kick-drum-propelled thrashing, and "Who We Are" (two tracks that eschew clean vocals in favor of a blistering deathcore persona); and the ultra-crunchy album closer, "My Vertigo." But it is actually "Wolves And Rats" and "I Am Ghost" that take the cake for being the record's most interesting songs, as both augment their melodic choruses with atmosphere-inducing elements like (what sounds like) keyboards and clean acoustic strings. And these aural pleasantries are all offset by punching guitar licks, tightly-wound rhythms, heavy, Hatebreed-esque chugging breakdowns, and forceful drumming.On the downside, however, the set is not without generic and almost completely unremarkable fare (i.e. "Cries And Whispers" and "Good Man"); and songs like tracks one and two ("King" and "Chaos Creation"). They begin promisingly enough, with lumbering, mosh-intensive rhythms, an almost Meshuggah-like guitar tone, and tough-guy vocals, but soon come unglued when their drearily melodic, emotively-sung choruses kick in. When all is said and done, it would be impossible to say that "Ghost Empire" isn't kind of generic -- after all, this hard verse/melodic chorus thing was driven into the ground long ago. But even if Caliban still offer little to distinguish themselvess from the hordes of imitators that they have spawned over the years, they are still highly capable of producing musical fare that the casual melodic metalcore fan should certainly enjoy -- just so long as said fan does not look for music that has a ton of innovation, variety, imagination, or depth.

I honestly had no idea Caliban were still around when I heard this album was coming out, for some reason they never got as big as ‘the opposite from within’ threatened to make them. In truth there was never huge recognition back then either barely registering against the likes of Shadows Fall and God Forbid all bands which seem to have faded in time.The new album from Caliban then is a very welcome one and based on the type of music that is popular at the moment this feels very much like parents coming back to show the youngsters how to do it properly. Its brutal yet melodic in quantities that make it a storming album but which might make some of their older fans think they have gone a bit too mainstream, still even the obvious singles of the album give you a good wack around the head. Sadly a lot of the unhinged madness has been lost since those early days but that is what time does to things; rounds the edges, even so they remain deserving contenders even after so long.Check out opener ‘King’ along with ‘Wolves and Rats’ and ‘Who We Are’ to get a feel for the album

Having never heard of this band before I gave them a listen, really enjoyable metalcore album imo, reminds me of Killswitch Engage a little, lots of catchy riffs with a slight Djent sound that seems to be popular atm, also come packed with great choruses that you can sing along to, highly recommend if you enjoy your catchy metalcore

Played without any issues. Gift for a friend they really liked it

Great german metal :)

Um es vorweg zu nehmen: Ich bin ein großer Caliban-Fan und freue mich auf jede Neuveröffentlichung. Und auch Ghost Empire enttäuscht natürlich nicht, sondern ist ein wirklich absolut solides Album und hätte -falls dies hier möglich wäre- eher 4 1/2 statt "nur" 4 Punkte verdient. Es steht dem brillianten Vorgänger "I am Nemesis" fast in nichts nach, obwohl ein absoluter "Hit" wie "We are the many" nicht enthalten ist, der als Opener beim Vorgänger direkt für ein breites Lächeln sorgte. Ich würde aber nicht sagen, dass dieser Hit hier wirklich "fehlt". Vielmehr sind alle Songs auf gewohnt hohem Niveau. Druckvoll produziert, Technisch nahezu perfekt und gesanglich gut umgesetzt. Der Wechsel von Clean- und Growlgesang rückt wieder etwas mehr in den Vordergrund, was natürlich Geschmackssache ist, mir persönlich aber gut gefällt. Fans können blind zuschlagen. Und nach mehrmaligem Hören entwickelt sich das Album. Als Anspieltipp sei "Devil's night" genannt. ... Vielleicht hat dieser Song doch Hitpotential!