True story. I was nearly the drummer in Capricorns. When guitarist Kevin was initially putting together the band he talked about me drumming in it. And when their first drummer Chris couldn’t play a couple of gigs, he asked me to fill in. Thank fuck I didn’t. If I’d been playing drums, Capricorns might not have been the epic progressive-metal monster they became and instead a chaotic hardcore punk mess!
‘River, Bear Your Bones‘ is the band’s second album and also, sadly, looks to be their last. Recorded over a long period of time when the band were starting to become fractured, it was a real test of their commitment to get the album finished. Thankfully, the end results were worth every bit of blood, sweat and stress. Opening track ‘Broken Coffin Of The Venerable King‘ encapsulates everything that is special about this album. Although largely instrumental, the endless shifting nature of the music and it’s inability to sit still for even a second more than makes up for the lack of vocal hooks. But back to the opening track. Within it’s nine minutes ‘Broken Coffin‘ covers more ground than most band’s entire back catalogues. There’s angular Shellac-style riffs, blast beats, soft guitar picking Slint-moments followed by skull-cracking intensity and heaviness. And that’s Capricorns all over. And now it’s all over. Well, kinda. The band have all now splintered all over the glove and are in a state of hiatus, resting, waiting, picking the next time to come back and strike. Just not with me on drums.
James Sherry