Philadelphia, PA – Undergrounds Arts is one of many little music venues scattered throughout Philly, a hole in the wall marked only by a red door leading down into a subterranean basement of what looks like an old residential apartment building. The room was right out of the 70s with blacklights and reinforced painted concrete pillars, a ticket counter made out of a converted janitorial closet, and a stage that was very audience friendly.
I was anxious to see this band, Steven Brodsky (guitar, vocals), John-Robert Conners (drums), Nate Newton (bass), and Adam Mcgrath (guitar, vocals), I needed a shot of hard rock with a metal edge to it, and Cave In delivered.
Pinned right up-front stage left, the crowd swelled and I was stuck, to my delight, in front of Steven Brodsky, lead vocals-guitar. He reminded the crowd, as he plugged in, that the band played here last December 2021 and it was great to be back in Philly. The crowd of hardcore followers agreed.
Ten years have gone by since the recording of White Silence, and members indulged in other projects now returned with their first new material since the passing of band member bassist Caleb Schofield in 2018.
As they were tuning up the band teased the crowd with the intro to the Doors’ song The End, “This is the end, Philly, Philly, Philly” Brodsky softly spoke antagonizing the crowd more.
Opening with “New Reality” of their current album Heavy Pendulum (Relapse Records), their seventh since 1999, this group showed why they have endured the test of time.
The band kicked out three tracks from their new album, New Reality-Bloodsplitter & Floating Skulls before reaching back to 1999 on their debut album Until You Heart Stops with the track “The End of Our Rope Is a Noose“. Cave In ended the 10-song set with “Wavering Angel”, a 12-minute melodic ballad that builds and crescendos without a clue as to where it is going, then smashes into heavy guitar riffs that is a quite stunning composition of music.
To satisfy the ravenous fans, the band came back onstage for a two-song set and unpacked “Sing My Loves” from White Silence (2011) preceded by “Bigg Riff” (2000) off of the Jupiter album.
CAVE IN Setlist
New Reality
Blood Spiller
Floating Skulls
The End of Our Rope Is a Noose
Reckoning
Joy Opposites
Intermission(Pendulambient)
Careless Offering
Blinded by a Blaze
Halo of Flies
Wavering Angel
Encore
Big Riff
Sing My Loves
**Knock My Socks Off Rating: 8! **
PHOTO GALLERY
Show Date: 8/05/22
