EP: “We Are What You Have Made Us” by Capulus

Dorset Rock band Capulus have just released details of their brand new 5 track EP “We Are What You Have Made Us”. The band entered “HP Studios” in Ringwood and along with the experienced help of studio patron Harrison Perk, they bring their new creations together with his mixing/production. The tracks were then sent to Scott Atkins at “Grindstone Studios” for mastering, who has notably worked on albums from artists such as Cradle of Filth, Amon Amarth and Onslaught. The tracks were originally written by the band at various points over the last year or so, with some of the tracks having been written just instrumentally whilst gigging and rehearsing.

Opening with “Virtual Jungle” a song that is lyrically based on our reliance on devices and ignoring what is going on around us, almost creating a virtual reality for ourselves. Here the band dig deep into their combined creative abilities to bring an atmosphere-filled piece full of inspiration, twists and turns; that take the band into new innovative areas. They play to their strengths with some excellent dual guitar work, coupled with thundering accurate rhythms along with Josh’s powerful vocals.

Next up is possibly my favourite offering on this collection, ‘Keep Smiling’ and it’s a type of track I have been wanting to hear from the band since they were joined by Alex. The whole band here push themselves forward into new undiscovered territories and bring out a tower of a track. Josh and Alex find a fantastic new vocal alliance with a back-and-forth pre-chorus, leading into a huge harmonized chorus. In fact, Josh pushes himself vocally further than he has ever before. The song basically says pull away from all negatives that are thrown at us and try and stay positive, just “keep smiling” throughout. There are some wondrous lyrical moments, “try and find silence in a crowded room” and “When There’s no Crowd Left To Follow will you Walk again with Me”? The song comes to a close with some precise military-style drumming and some lovely harmonization.

‘Murder Is My Hobby’ is a bit tongue in cheek in the lyrical approach, it was originally inspired after watching the series Killing Eve. The track follows a killer, void of feeling; just enjoying their favourite pastime. The track is frantic at times matching the subject matter with some heavily hit drums and basslines from the all Italian rhythm section who both drive the track along. Meanmwhile, Josh and Tom show us some excellent creative effect-fed six-string work including a dynamic middle eight.

The penultimate track “Ode to Mary” was the first track written for this EP. It’s one of the heaviest of the collection and the band have taken influences from the likes of Tool and Avenged Sevenfold. The song starts with a hard heavy riff, followed by a fast verse and melodic chorus. The teasing bridge section takes you to another place completely, giving you a calm before the melodic approaching storm.

The final and title track of the EP is “We Are What You Made Us” and Tom from the band explains “it is primarily about following orders/rules and then receiving backlash when these don’t achieve the result that the oppressor thought they would achieve. We are what the people around us make us if we don’t think for ourselves”. It opens with one hell of a guitar riff; along with a barrage of in-yer-face vocals before Josh’s proficient vocal towers above this rousing piece which again shows the band taking their music into new spectacular territories.

At times Capulus can be breath-taking and they can dazzle you with their obvious skills in musicianship. This EP is a glimmering example of a band on the rise and there are so many examples of their vivacious spirit in each track. They are an ambitious collective who will see this as just one part of a bigger picture of where their music will take them. Their lyrics are thought-provoking and their music at times is spellbinding. With a new management deal signed recently with “Morningstar” the band will find themselves a new focus, it’s going to be a gripping ride and who knows what the future holds for this captivating quartet.

Track-Listing
Virtual Jungle
Keep Smiling
Murder is My Hobby
Ode to Mary
We Are What You Made Us

Purchase the EP here

…and stream from Spotify and iTunes.
Morningstar

Capulus are
Josh Vaughan (Vocals, Guitar)
Tom Riley (Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Alex Incani (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Giacomo Vacca (Drums)

Links
https://www.capulusofficial.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/Capulusband

Words by David Chinery (Chinners)