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I've been a moderate Calico System fan ever since I accidentally saw them play a makeshift stage at the Chicago Warped Tour stop four or five years ago. While the band's punchy, part-post-hardcore-part-metalcore material has largely been good, their 2005 release, They Live, was hardly a moving effort -- especially in comparison to 2003's strong The Duplicated Memory -- and it seemed like a quiet hibernation was on tap.
But Outside Are the Vultures is quite the opposite.
With a shuffled lineup, Calico System has shuffled their sound, trading much of the soaring, clean singing and bright, melodic instrumentation for surging metallic riffs and a reliance on harsh screaming. Make no mistake, this record comprises the band's heaviest, most visceral songs. And even though they even go so far as to draw on noisemakers like Every Time I Die and tap into the trend toward deep, Southern sounds and doom-y breakdowns, the songs sound much more alive and natural than anything on They Live.
Outside Are the Vultures isn't so different that listeners won't recognize its creators as Calico System. Driving, upbeat rhythms still anchor the guitar riffs, singer Mark Owens lends his confident, mid-ranged singing from time to time, and catchy guitar leads litter parts of most every song. "Gasoline" is a pretty good reminder of Calico System's previous efforts, segueing between polished choruses and double bass-y, groove-heavy verses, while "Lick the Sun" and “Unlocking the Mavrik" are both structured around prominent melodic passages. Instead of starting fresh, Outside Are the Vultures manages to wrap the group's character in a new skin.
Outside Are the Vultures is a brisk, concise effort that, while lasting less than 30 minutes, incorporates enough brains and brawn to feel complete. As a whole, it lacks a jaw-dropping moment and the recording feels thin -- where's the bass? -- but it's an enjoyably intense revitalization for Calico System. Not bad at all.
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