Caliban (band)

Caliban are a German metalcore band from Essen.[1] To date, they have released thirteen studio albums and two EPs, along with two split albums with Heaven Shall Burn.

Caliban
Caliban at Rock am Ring 2018
Caliban at Rock am Ring 2018
Background information
Also known asNever Again (1997–1998)
OriginEssen, Germany
GenresMetalcore
Years active1997–present
LabelsLifeforce, Roadrunner, Abacus, Century Media
MembersAndreas Dörner
Denis Schmidt
Marc Görtz
Patrick Grün
Past membersMarc Ulfig
Björn Kaiser
Kai Kogelheide
Claus Wilgenbusch
Thomas Sielemann
Andreas Nikolaou
Engin Güres
Robert Krämer
Boris Pracht
Marco Schaller
Websitecalibanmetal.com

History

Caliban in 2007
Caliban live bei Rock am Ring 2022

Caliban was formed in Essen, Germany in 1997 as Never Again.[2] In the beginning, the band consisted of vocalists Andreas Dörner and Marc Ulfig, guitarists Björn Kaiser and Marc Görtz, bassist Engin Güres and drummer Kai Kogelheide.[3] With this lineup, a self-titled demo was recorded.[3] After six months of playing together and several member changes – Ulfig, Kaiser and Kogelheide left, the latter were replaced by Claus Wilgenbusch and Robert Krämer – the band recorded two songs for a demo, which was never released. The songs were sent to several record labels, and Lifeforce Records was the first to offer the band – by then called Caliban – a record deal. Caliban's first self-titled EP came out in the summer of 1998. To promote it, the band played many shows all over Europe and a few support shows for bands including Morning Again, Earth Crisis and Cro-Mags.

After their European tour in 1999, Caliban entered the studio to record their first full-length entitled A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven. The CD received favorable reviews in many big magazines and many smaller hardcore and metal zines. They also released the first part of a split-CD with Heaven Shall Burn, named The Split Program.

Vent came out in April 2001. Vent was released by Imperium Records and by Howling-Bull Records in Japan. Shortly after the release, Caliban was offered the opportunity to tour Japan to play the Beast-Feast 2001 in the Yokohama Arena, sharing stage with bands including Slayer, Pantera, Machine Head, Biohazard and Morbid Angel. The Japan trip was followed by a U.S. tour with Bloodjinn, which was interrupted by the September 11 attacks.

In August 2002, Caliban recorded their third official release Shadow Hearts. This record was more melodic and harmonic than its predecessors. In 2004 the band got a record deal with Roadrunner Records in Europe (Abacus Recordings in the US) and started to record their fourth album, The Opposite from Within, alongside producer Anders Fridén, who is known for fronting In Flames.

In July 2005, the band released the second part of their split-CD with their friends from Heaven Shall Burn, called The Split Program II. The band released their fifth album called The Undying Darkness in February 2006 and toured with All Shall Perish, Bleeding Through and I Killed the Prom Queen for the "Darkness over Europe" tour.

In 2007, Caliban recorded their album The Awakening with producer Benny Richter and it was released in Germany on 25 May. The album reached 36 in the German charts.

In 2009, the band toured with German band Kreator on the "Chaos Over Europe Tour". They also signed a worldwide contract with Century Media Records. They released their new album, Say Hello to Tragedy, on 25 August 2009. This album - just like The Awakening - reached 36th place on the German media charts. In October and November they toured Europe on the "Beastfest European Tour 2009" with Suicide Silence, German friend-band Maroon and American acts Emmure and After the Burial.

Caliban entered the studio in February and recorded a cover EP titled Coverfield, released in May 2011. The album consists of 4 songs, although more songs were recorded and may be released later. In mid August, the band entered the studio to finish writing and recording a new full-length album to be released in early 2012.[4] At the beginning of September the band posted a message on their official site, saying that the songwriting is complete and that 12 songs were made. The new album titled I Am Nemesis was released on 3 February.[5]

Stormbringer Magazin of Germany Caliban is writing and recording a new full-length album for January 2014. The band released Ghost Empire on 24 January 2014 via Century Media Records. In February 2014, Caliban entered the German Media Control Charts at #7 for this album.[6][7] In the beginning of 2015 they toured with Bury Tomorrow, Dream On, Dreamer and Any Given Day.

Caliban then released the album, Gravity, in the spring of 2016, and via social media teased an upcoming project in 2017. On 6 April 2018, Caliban released their eleventh album, Elements. Three years after their previous album, Caliban release a new album titled Zeitgeister on May 14, 2021. This release reunites some old tracks now sung and re-recorded in German language. Additionally, Zeitgeister includes one previously unreleased song, "nICHts".[8] The next year on April 22, the band released their 13th full-length album, titled Dystopia.[9]

Band members

Timeline

Discography

Caliban discography
Studio albums13
Music videos23
EPs2
Split albums2

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Year Album details Peak chart positions
GER
[10]
AUT
[11]
SWI
[12]
BEL
(WA)

[13]
1999 A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven
2001 Vent
  • Released: 27 January 2001
  • Label: Lifeforce
2003 Shadow Hearts
  • Released: 31 January 2003
  • Label: Lifeforce
2004 The Opposite from Within
2006 The Undying Darkness
  • Released: 4 April 2006
  • Label: Abacus
73
2007 The Awakening 3674
2009 Say Hello to Tragedy 366487
2012 I Am Nemesis
  • Released: 3 February 2012
  • Label: Century Media
214761
2014 Ghost Empire
  • Released: 24 January 2014
  • Label: Century Media
73251184
2016 Gravity
  • Released: 25 March 2016
  • Label: Century Media
152627123
2018 Elements
  • Released: 6 April 2018
  • Label: Century Media
62638
2021 Zeitgeister 15
2022 Dystopia 6
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

List of EPs
Title Album details
Caliban
  • Released: 10 March 1998
  • Label: Lifeforce
  • Formats: CD
Coverfield
  • Released: 6 May 2011
  • Label: Century Media
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Split albums

List of Split albums
Title Album details
The Split Program

with Heaven Shall Burn

  • Released: 18 August 2000
  • Label: Lifeforce
  • Formats: CD, digital download
The Split Program II

with Heaven Shall Burn

  • Released: 26 July 2005
  • Label: Lifeforce
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released and director
Title Year Director(s)
"Forsaken Horizon" 2003
"The Beloved and the Hatred" 2004
"It's Our Burden to Bleed" 2006
"Nothing Is Forever"
"I Will Never Let You Down" 2007
"24 Years" 2009
"Caliban's Revenge"
"Walk Like the Dead" 2011
"Memorial"
"We Are the Many" 2013
"This Oath" Julian Topehlen
"Devil's Night" 2014 Lars Reinert
"Paralyzed" 2016 Moritz Maibaum
"brOKen" 2017 Mirko Witzki
"Intoxicated" 2018 Michael Winkler
"Before Later Becomes Never"
"Ich Blute Für Dich" Sebastian Biesler & Mirko Witzki
"Intoleranz" 2021 Der Pakt
"nICHts"
"Nichts ist für immer"
"Ascent of the Blessed" 2022 Daniel Priess
"Dystopia" Mirko Witzki
"Alien"
"The Shadow"

References

  1. "Caliban - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". Metal-archives.com.
  2. "The Gauntlet - Caliban bio". Thegauntlet.com.
  3. Never Again
  4. "Blabbermouth.net". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  5. "C a L I B a N". Archived from the original on 1 September 2004. Retrieved 3 September 2004.
  6. "CALIBAN: Entered The German Media Control Charts At #7". Metal Shock Finland. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  7. "Caliban, Ghost Empire". Charts.de. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  8. BraveWords. "CALIBAN Release "nICHts" Song And NSFW Video From Upcoming Zeitgeister Album". bravewords.com. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. "CALIBAN New Album 'Dystopia' Out April 22nd". metalplanetmusic.com. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  10. "Discographie von Caliban". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  11. "Discographie Caliban". Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  12. "Discography Caliban". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  13. "Discographie Caliban". Ultratop.be/fr. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
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