Review by Felix on May 2, 2019.

Lo and behold, Vomitory are back in business again in order to celebrate their 30th birthday. Many live dates have already been confirmed for 2019, a new album is still uncertain, but, as a German proverb says: "Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt" (hope is the last to day). However, even if the band decides to add no further album to its voluminous catalogue, death metal freaks, vandals and all kinds of aggressors have the possibility to go wild to the old works of the Swedes. Raped in Their Own Blood, the debut, has only one major flaw. The artwork sucks. But in terms of the main content, the music, the band shows its muscles. The experience of the band's first seven years from 1989 to 1996 shines through the individual tracks. There are absolutely no immature sequences, the album is basically on a par with the later works and everything is death metal as f**k: the sound of the guitars, the barking voice, the general brutality.

Moreover, the ten songs don't suffer from incoherent patterns. The listener does not get lost in a continuum of noise, there is always a certain structure that guides him or her through the wasteland of terror. The main riff of "Inferno", to mention but one example, serves as point of orientation, because it adds a very dynamic touch to the song. It is exactly this type of riff that saves death metal formations from monotony. The limited genre needs such a feature to avoid boredom and the debutants are aware of this challenge (and, better still, they are able to manage it). They also do not shy away from a few catchy elements. The chorus of the title track keeps sticking in the mind in a matter of seconds. Finally, Vomitory vary the pace more or less successfully. The average velocity is not too high and so they also create some nearly melancholic sections. Bolt Thrower hail from the distance every now and then, but they are no obvious influence.

From the air raid sirens which introduce the songs until the last chord, Vomitory do not show a sign of weakness. Highlights such as the title track embody exactly the kind of violence death metal is known for, while "Dark Grey Epoch" offers, among other things, lines that almost remind me of Candlemass. But the doom-compatible sections remain exceptional on an album that does not head for new shores. The brutal production as well as the music focus on purity and therefore any alien elements do not show up. The magnificently titled (joke, joke!) Raped in Their Own Blood is exactly what it wants to be: a clear statement, a representative record of the genre for an explicitly defined target group, even though the closer reveals a certain, black painted Celtic Frost inspiration. So, love it or hate it, but don't fear you will be left in uncertainty. And now I wait for a new album of the dudes. I am curious to see what will happen in 2019, not only in relation to Swedish death metal returnees.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Allan on November 1, 2002.

When Cave In released their shocking album “Jupiter” I wasn’t sure if the band was just changing their style, or if they would end up being one of those respectable bands that would continue to progress with each album. I had the impression that they’d be constantly evolving due to “Jupiter” being so experimental, but I couldn’t be sure. Now, Cave In has released their six-song EP “Tides of Tomorrow”, which answers all the questions I care to know.

Yes, Cave In do care about continuing to push themselves and progress. It’s evident just by listening to the songs on “Tides of Tomorrow” and “Jupiter” and then comparing them. Cave In are still holding true to their roots while they manage to move forward.

As far as musicianship is concerned, Cave In has improved even though they were great to start with. Adam McGrath still has his incendiary guitar tone that is present all throughout the music. McGrath, along with Brodsky, keep the songs quite guitar driven. However, Brodsky pays as much attention to his keyboards as he does his guitar. Effects on “Tides of Tomorrow” are omnipresent. They color the songs and give them quite a bit of depth. Brodsky being the talented man he is also takes care of the vocal duties. He just continues to improve. First it was the drastic improvement from the “Until Your Heart Stops” to “Jupiter”, and now Brodsky is fine-tuning his performance. He does an excellent job with vocal melodies and harmonies, range, and his confidence has skyrocketed. Drummer John-Robert Connors has never sounded so good. He is very creative and makes his drumming a real part of the song instead of just being at hand to keep the time. Quite a feat considering all the layering involved in Cave In’s music, but he pulls it off. It’s great that even bassist Caleb Scofield has room in the band instead of being lost in the mix. As I said, Cave In are superior musicians and they only take as much of the spotlight as they should.

The songwriting on “Tides of Tomorrow” may be more straightforward and less experimental than the music on “Jupiter”, but it’s improving ad infinitum. The songs are more tightly strung than they’ve ever managed to be. They continue to flow throughout each passage without being snagged by any loose ends. Cave In also continues to be able to incorporate multiple moods on their music, from melodramatic to positive to aggressive, and more. Somehow, throughout all the musical layers and the shifting moods, and everything else that goes into their music, Cave In still comes out on top as a supreme force instead of some band that’s just trying to be different.

Bottom Line: It’s never to late to experience Cave In’s mastery. “Tides of Tomorrow” is surely an EP worth the cash, not only for it being a decent length of six songs, but because of the quality it holds. If Cave In continues to hold their standards this high I don’t know how I’ll be able to handle their next full length.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

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

Rating: 8.6 out of 10