Cave In is an American
rock band that formed in 1995 in
Methuen, Massachusetts
Methuen () is a 23 square mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of ...
. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of ''
Until Your Heart Stops'' through
Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the
metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use ...
scene. The band later experimented with other genres, receiving mainstream recognition for their 2003
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
album ''
Antenna'' and its lead single "
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ...
," which had an overall
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
style. The group went on hiatus in 2006, later reforming in 2009 with the release of the ''
Planets of Old
''Planets of Old'' is an extended play released by American alternative rock band Cave In. This EP is the first release of new material from the band since their split in 2006. Additionally, this is the first Cave In release to feature Adam McGr ...
'' EP, followed by the ''
White Silence'' LP in 2011, both of which saw a return to Cave In's earlier and heavier sound.
History
Formation and early releases (1995–1998)
Cave In was formed by Jay Frechette and
Stephen Brodsky in early 1995. They named themselves ''Cave-In'' as a homage to the
Codeine song, ''Cave-In'', from the album ''
Frigid Stars
''Frigid Stars LP'' is the debut album by American indie rock band Codeine. It was released in August 1990 on Glitterhouse in Europe and in Spring 1991 on Sub Pop in the US. The album was released to generally positive reviews and is regarded as ...
''. The initial line-up consisted of Frechette on vocals, Brodsky on guitar and vocals, Adam McGrath on second guitar, JR Conners on drums and Justin Matthes on bass. They would soon release a demo and a handful of split 7-inch releases with bands such as Gambit,
Piebald and Early Grace, and see Matthes briefly replaced by Andy Kyte. 1997 saw Cave In's first release; a self-titled 7-inch on
Aaron Turner
Aaron Turner (born November 5, 1977) is an American musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal bands SUMAC and Isis, while also ...
's
Hydra Head Records. Following that release, the band embarked on a three-week
East Coast tour, with a handful of dates supporting
Morning Again
Morning Again is an American metalcore band from Florida. They were known for their metallic sound as well as for their straight edge, vegan, anti-religious and anti-government ideals. The band was a "sister band" to Culture, often switching m ...
and
Bird of Ill Omen. That tour was, however, cut a week short due to Jay Frechette's prior obligations to join and tour with
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
-based
Ten Yard Fight. After Frechette returned from a month on tour with Ten Yard Fight it was a mutual decision for him to leave Cave In and to join Ten Yard Fight full-time. At this point, Dave Scrod stepped in for a short-lived tenure as interim vocalist. In 1998, most tracks from previous 7-inch releases and recordings were compiled to form ''
Beyond Hypothermia''.
''Until Your Heart Stops'' and ''Jupiter'' (1998–2002)
Two weeks before the band was to record their first proper full-length, Scrod left the band, pushing guitarist Stephen Brodsky to a position as vocalist, and
Caleb Scofield filled in the then-vacant position on bass. Their 1998 debut studio album ''
Until Your Heart Stops'' featured Brodsky as lead vocalist. The album's release was followed by extensive touring.
Before their next full-length, Cave In began experimenting with their sound offering ''
Creative Eclipses'', a five-song EP which indicated a
space rock direction the band would then pursue for several years, as opposed to their metal roots. Then, in 2000, they released ''
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandt ...
'', receiving a good deal of press. The band was featured in ''
Spin Magazine''s "Sound Advice" section, where their new sound was described as "emo-metal
Radiohead", though the band themselves rejected this categorization. ''Jupiter'' also caught the attention of major labels, who began courting the band after its release. The band released a final six-song EP for Hydra Head titled ''
Tides of Tomorrow'', with an even further-expanded melodic approach, before moving on to
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
.
RCA Records and ''Antenna'' (2003–2004)
In 2003, the band released ''
Antenna'', their debut for RCA. ''Antenna'' had more success than previous albums and Cave In was chosen to play the second stage on the 2003
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Mus ...
tour. After Lollapalooza, Cave In toured Europe in support of the
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the Foo Fighters (album), epony ...
and
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
. Shortly after, the band began to revisit their metal roots during concerts, and new heavy material led to a mutual agreement to cut ties with RCA Records shortly after.
''Perfect Pitch Black'' and hiatus (2005–2006)
Cave In returned to Hydra Head Records and released ''
Perfect Pitch Black'' on September 13, 2005.
Following the release of Perfect Pitch Black, Conners departed from the band, due to an injury and temporarily relocating to
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
, and was replaced by
Converge drummer
Ben Koller. According to postings o
Hydra Head Recordswebsite news, Adam McGrath was temporarily listed as "ex-Cave In guitarist" in his new band Clouds.
In November 2006, Cave In announced that they were officially on hiatus.
Reformation, ''Planets of Old'' and ''White Silence'' (2009–2016)
In April 2009, Cave In publicly announced they had ended their more than three year hiatus. The band recorded a new four-song EP, ''
Planets of Old
''Planets of Old'' is an extended play released by American alternative rock band Cave In. This EP is the first release of new material from the band since their split in 2006. Additionally, this is the first Cave In release to feature Adam McGr ...
'', that was originally exclusive to vinyl from
Hydra Head Records, and first made available at their reunion show on July 19, 2009, at Great Scott's in Allston, Massachusetts. The EP was later released on CD in January 2010 with a bonus DVD of Cave In's reunion show. Two songs from the EP, "Retina Sees Rewind" and "Cayman Tongue", were released through iTunes. Cave In chose to make ''Planets of Old'' a short EP instead of a full-length because it was less expensive and faster to record and release. Commenting on the duration of recording, Steve Brodsky stated, "we didn't really wanna make a big deal out of it. In the past, we've had more than a couple instances of spending far too long into making a recording.
..It was a good exercise for us to give ourselves a very strict amount of time to record and then move on."
Looking forward, Brodsky announced in a January 2010 interview that Cave In will be more selective about their touring schedule, and that future releases from the band might be more focused on a digital medium.
Brodsky uploaded a live audio recording of a new song titled "Centered" in July 2010 on YouTube. The song comes from Cave In's recording sessions for an upcoming studio album, and first since ''Perfect Pitch Black'' in 2005. The new album ''
White Silence'' was released on May 24, 2011, through Hydra Head Records.
Shortly after tours in support of ''White Silence'', Cave In entered an undeclared-hiatus state as all of the band members shifted focus on their other respective projects. On December 7, 2014, Cave In performed live for the first time in 3 years, opening for
Doomriders' tenth anniversary show.
Death of Caleb Scofield and ''Final Transmission'' (2017–2020)
Cave In engaged in at least two "jam sessions" in late 2017 and early 2018 with "some new stuff in the works," presumably for a planned new release.
On March 28, 2018, Scofield died in a car accident after striking a toll booth on the
Everett Turnpike in
Bedford, New Hampshire.
The band played and scheduled a series of benefit shows to raise money for Scofield's family, with his brother Kyle Scofield and Nate Newton of
Converge covering his parts. Scofield's side project, Old Man Gloom, shared the bill at each event, with Brodsky taking Scofield's place in its lineup. The 2018 shows also featured an encore set of Zozobra songs, performed by a revolving lineup of musicians who had participated in that project.
On January 2, 2019, Cave In announced plans to release a new studio album. The band released its sixth studio album ''
Final Transmission'' through Hydra Head on June 7, 2019. The album is composed of practice-space demos that all feature contributions from Scofield and were finished with mixing by Andrew Schneider and mastering by James Plotkin.
Signing to Relapse and ''Heavy Pendulum'' (2021–present)
Cave In signed to
Relapse Records in July 2021 and released their seventh studio album through the label on May 20, 2022. The album title was revealed in March 2022 as ''
Heavy Pendulum'', and the announcement was accompanied by the release of a single titled "New Reality". The album's second single, "Blinded by a Blaze", was released on April 5; the song's music video was released the same day. The third single, "Blood Spiller", was released on April 26. The fourth single, "Reckoning", is the first Cave In song to be fully written by guitarist Adam McGrath and was released on May 10.
Members
Current members
*
Stephen Brodsky –
lead vocals,
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the feature ...
,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
(1995–2006, 2009–present)
* Adam McGrath –
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guita ...
, backing vocals,
keyboards (1995–2006, 2009–present)
* John-Robert Conners –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
, keyboards, guitar
(1995–2005, 2009–present)
*
Nate Newton – bass, backing vocals, guitar
(2018–present)
Former members
* Jay Frechette – vocals
(1995–1997)
* Dave Scrod – vocals
(1997–1998)
* Justin Matthes – bass
(1995–1997)
* Andy Kyte – bass guitar
(1997–1998)
*
Caleb Scofield – lead vocals, bass
(1998–2006, 2009–2018; died 2018)
*
Ben Koller – drums
(2005–2006)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Until Your Heart Stops'' (1998)
* ''
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandt ...
'' (2000)
* ''
Antenna'' (2003)
* ''
Perfect Pitch Black'' (2005)
* ''
White Silence'' (2011)
* ''
Final Transmission'' (2019)
* ''
Heavy Pendulum'' (2022)
Side projects
*
Mutoid Man
Mutoid Man is an American heavy metal band formed in 2012 in Brooklyn, New York City by Cave In vocalist/guitarist Stephen Brodsky, Converge drummer Ben Koller and bassist Nick Cageao (with High on Fire bassist Jeff Matz replacing Cageao ...
(Cave In and Converge member side project)
*
Kid Kilowatt (Cave In and Converge member side project)
*
Old Man Gloom (Caleb Scofield's side project)
* New Idea Society (Stephen Brodsky's side project)
* Pet Genius (Stephen Brodsky's and J.R. Conners' side project)
* Sacrifice Poles (Cave In's instrumental alter-ego)
* The Octave Museum (Stephen Brodsky's side project)
*
Zozobra (Caleb Scofield's side project)
* Clouds (Adam McGrath's current project)
* Stephen Brodsky (Solo projects, also released as Steve Brodsky and Stove Bredsky)
* Nomad Stones (Adam McGrath's and J.R. Connors' side project)
References
External links
*
Lazy-i Interview: September 2003Adam McGrath exclusive interview on peta2Stephen Brodsky contemplates the entire Cave In catalog
{{Authority control
American alternative metal musical groups
Alternative rock groups from Massachusetts
Metalcore musical groups from Massachusetts
American post-grunge musical groups
American post-hardcore musical groups
American progressive rock groups
Heavy metal musical groups from Massachusetts
Musical groups established in 1995
American space rock musical groups