Heavy Pendulum

In July 2021, Cave In signed to Relapse Records and announced its seventh studio album will be released through the label.^[12] The album's title was revealed as Heavy Pendulum with the release of the single "New Reality" on March 15, 2022.^[13] The album's second single, "Blinded by a Blaze", was released on April 5.^[14] The album's third single, "Blood Spiller", was released on April 26.^[15] The fourth single, "Reckoning", was released on May 10; the song was written entirely by guitarist Adam McGrath.^[16]

The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, who produced Cave In's debut Until Your Heart Stops.^[17]

"New Reality" features a riff that was written by late bassist/vocalist Caleb Scofield in 2011. Additionally, "Amaranthine" features lyrics that were written by Scofield.^[5]

Revolver described lead single and opening track "New Reality" as leaning "into the quartet's sludgier inclinations."^[18] Jon Hadusek from Consequence referred to the song's riff as "heavy sludge and stoner metal."^[19] Second single, "Blinded by a Blaze", has been described as post-metal.^[20]

Nicholas Senior of New Noise Magazine described the album as stoner metal, comparing it to Red Fang.^[8] Additionally, the album has been noted as having a strong grunge influence^[7][9] and "employing a wide-ranging amalgam of brooding post-grunge and "Creeping Death"-era Metallica thrash".^[2]

"Blood Spiller" was written in response to several events that occurred in 2020. Frontman Stephen Brodsky stated:

If you laid out the timeline for 2020 like a recipe, it might look something like this: global pandemic + lockdowns + worldwide protests over the wrongful death of George Floyd + election year = cocktail for end times. Somewhere in that concoction, we found ingredients for a new Cave In album. Blood Spiller is the sound of us swallowing it, getting ripped on the horrors within, and coming down to reflect on it through song.^[21]