Calling All Captains – The Things That I’ve Lost

Somewhere between an EP and an album, this 7-track offering from Edmonton, Alberta’s Calling All Captains is a very slick, very full-blooded offering boiling with a seething intensity that can, at times, be distracting. In this genre, the juxtaposition of full-on musical power and a sensitive lyrical bent can be a powerful tool: I’m wondering if Calling All Captains, for all their emotional force, have sacrificed a little of one for the other. Opener Stay Away is a case in point. It’s a massively brutal throat-tearing entreaty, full of bitter fire but the emotion is smothered by the sheer force of the delivery. Call Me opens with some tuneful metal riffing and is a fine rock song with discernible lyrics. The single Blood For Blood co-written with Tom Denney (A Day to Remember, Pierce the Veil, Neck Deep), introduces some more introspective, reflective moments into a battering rock tsunami and veers between wall of sound and tuneful riffing. Say That You Hate Me ploughs the same anthemic furrow, its downbeat, reflective coda draining away the intensity. Dark Clouds is a raw and emotional journey and Salt Lines chugs and thunders. It’s the best track on the EP and captures the spirit and intensity that the band were likely striving for.

Calling All Captains have clearly dug deep for this very intense story. It’s a dark and introspective document, dripping with catharsis and self-awareness. Musically, it’s flawless. Beautifully recorded and captured, it’s a massive piece of work. Does it have that special sauce to lift it out of the herd? For all its raw power, does it engage? I’m guessing it does, if this is your genre. If it isn’t, it’s a raucous, sometimes tuneful dive into an emotional vortex. Worthy, but not easy listening by any means.

The Things That I’ve Lost is out now on New Damage Records.