There's the old adage that behind anger is pain and sadness, and it's that which is behind the curtain of rage that tends to yield excellent albums. But sometimes, focusing on honest yet ruthless aggression is exactly what is needed to craft something special.
So it with for Louisiana sluggers Capra and their punishing sophomore album, Errors. Letting go of anything other than what means the most to her, vocalist Crow Lotus stated on this album "I allowed myself to write in a way that was more hopeless and true to how it feels when depression takes control of me personally".
The result of forgoing any forced optimism and letting the negativity out in its purest form is an all killer, no filler hardcore punk opus.
Adopting tones made famous by Judge and Indecision, "CHSF" starts off the album with pummeling two-step beats under Lotus' thunderous bark. Turning quickly into circle pit worthy riffs, "Tied Up" is but the first of many songs destined to transform venues into warzones.
Seasoning the standard hardcore formula with some southern grooves, "Loser" is surprisingly catchy for an otherwise leveling song - a certain favorite for fans of old school Eighteen Visions and Every Time I Die. For those looking for something with a little more thrash, "Kingslayer" steps up to the plate as guitarist Tyler Harper, bassist Trevor Alleman, and drummer Jeremy Randazzo channel the essence of Exodus into the high energy track.
With Lotus on track to make her own mark on the walls of hardcore vocalist history, "Human Commodity" features the iconic roar of Walls of Jericho frontwoman Candace Puopolo. Closing out the album as by far the more atmospheric track, "Nora" is a brief odyssey through and more melancholy place. Consider this what lies behind the aforementioned curtain of rage - something healing from the scars of seclusion and dejection that is not yet ready to reveal itself. At least, not until the next album, which is exactly what Harper has indicated in recent press releases.
The Metal Mayan review:
I'm going to split my personal thoughts into two sections: first, we have the aggression. Hardcore has been coming back strong by way of a number of young bands, and while some have branched off into more artistic directions like Code Orange, bands like Capra continue the fly the flag for the classic hardcore sound.
That's not to say they risk getting lost in the static of other hardcore bands - if anything, their honest approach to intense music is what will only continue to win them fans and accolades in the coming years. In a way, "Human Commodity" is like the passing of the torch from the 90s/2000s veterans to the new school, while "Loser" and "Kingslayer" are staples of what Capra has to offer the world.
Second, there's the sorrow. Not since "A Single Tear" premiered off Converge's 2017 album The Dusk In Us has a hardcore song pulled at my heartstrings quite like "Nora". Sounding like either a eulogy to a fallen friend or a promise to someone still here, there's something so nostalgic about the song, and that's before the piano comes in to drive the emotions through the roof.
I guess it kind of feels like something we might wish to say to someone but don't have the voice - the courage - to do so, only to regret our silence later in life.
Having shared the stage with Sepultura, Eyehategod, and scheduled to open for Deftones in November, the future of Capra is bright. Pick up a copy of Errors, out now on Metal Blade Records/Blacklight Media Records!
Advanced copy courtesy of Breaking the Law PR, Metal Blade Records, and Blacklight Media Records