Cave In

It has to sort of suck to be Cave In. Alongside its Boston brethren Converge, the band helped pioneer metalcore in the late-’90s and inadvertently influenced today’s Warped Tour heartthrobs with groundbreaking discs such as Beyond Hypothermia and Until Your Heart Stops. However, after taking a prog-rock detour with 2000’s Jupiter and exploring a bigger sound with its subsequent major-label dud, Antenna, the band is back on its old label (Hydra Head) with a freshly reinvigorated sound. Reconciling elements of seemingly disparate acts such as Led Zeppelin and Radiohead with hardcore aggression (and the occasional guitar solo), Cave In’s latest release, Perfect Pitch Black, is a prime amalgam of art and anger. Don’t call this Cave In’s comeback; call it a death blow.