Review by Allan on June 12, 2002.

Out of all the hardcore bands out there (and there are a lot!), Cave In is by far the best one I’ve ever had the experience to listen to. Hardcore is a scene that has a few great bands and the rest are carbon copies; it’s hard for one not to notice Cave In’s talent. Their standout performance on this album puts them ahead of the game.

It’s near impossible to deny Cave In’s excellence in combining hardcore with great melody and song structures. They do this without sacrificing musicianship or creative genius. Their noise-core style is injected with plenty of emo. In fact, the emotion conveyed by the band members is amazing. The slow plodding riff that unwinds the song ‘The End Of Our Rope Is A Noose’ is devastatingly beautiful. It doesn’t stop there though. The eerie guitar lines that open up ‘Juggernaut’ only lead to what is the emotionally driven and monumental ending. You find moments like these all over the album. The structure of each song really brings out the elements of each song. The songs themselves change enough for the songs to sound complete and whole, but not so ridiculous as to come off as a jumble of ideas. The band has the ability to engulf the listener in a maelstrom of sound. Their violent approach to hardcore is only strengthened by their knack for a good melody without creating a sound that is unclear and has no direction.

The performance of the band is near flawless. Guitarists Brodsky and McGrath perform their no-nonsense style riffing with precision and expertise, followed by the bass and drums who don’t settle for any less. Brodsky, who also does vocals, screams out in anger with so much conviction. His attempt to sing with a clean voice is the only real problem here. It’s not terrible by any means; it just comes across as frail and uncertain. This isn’t a problem in the future for him though. While the performance of each member is great, there is room for improvement.

Bottom Line: You’re a hardcore fan and you don’t own this? Shame! Even for fans of the bands later, and quite different, material known only as “Jupiter”, “Until Your Heart Stops” has plenty elements that you should appreciate. This is a stand out album in this field of music.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 9
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.2 out of 10