Caffery, Chris: House of Insanity

Sometimes it's nice to be treated to a 'good old fashioned' metal album, and lets face it, in this day and age that doesn't always happen too often. You know, something along the lines of 80's classics by bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Savatage, or the Scorpions, filled with big guitar riffs, plenty of solos, and sing along, anthem type choruses. Thankfully, Savatage/Trans- Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery has given us just that type of album here on his latest solo release House of Insanity. After the adventurous yet somewhat puzzling Pins and Needles from 2007, an album that Caffery readily admits went over many listeners heads, House of Insanity returns to the kind of metal that grabs you by the balls and latches onto your brain, much like his first solo album Faces did a few years back.

Right from the beginning, those hooky guitar riffs and catchy melodies on "Seasons Change" pull you right in, Caffery's confident vocal delivery and muscular guitar work complementing what is otherwise just a great metal song, layers of backing vocals and John Macaluso's powerful drum fills adding that extra bit of magic. Title track "House of Insanity" is a darker piece, recalling vintage Savatage, featuring a snarling vocal attack and plenty of guitar pyrotechnics, while "I Won't Know" is a 'raise your fist in the air' anthem that will certainly strike a chord with any metal fan who frequented arenas in the early/mid 80's and headbanged along to their favorite band. The real surprise in the first half of the CD is the excellent ballad "Madonna", a somber yet passionate number filled with Caffery's most poignant vocal to date. The mood of this one will remind you of Judas Priest at times, especially their slower and darker material, and the guitar solo is absolutely stunning. This seques into the bone crunching, groove laden "Big Brother", a real Black Label Society styled thumper, slow, grinding riffs and powerful rhythms backing up some totally relevent lyrics, and Savatage/Circle II Circle vocalist Zack Stevens is featured on the excellent "Solitaire", a catchy rocker filled with standout vocals and monstrous guitar work. Caffery put together a real doomy flavored number with "I'm Sorry", and "Shame" is an acrobatic affair of textured, progressive metal, layers of intricate guitar riffs, keyboards, and Macaluso's nimble drum work forming the groundwork for some memorable hooks and melodies. The acoustic "Winter In Hamburg" is a tender ballad that obviously is a very personal song for Caffery, one that deals with world events as well as his own experiences, and the closer on the CD is a raucous metallic cover of the Bob Marley classic "Get Up, Stand Up". On first glance you wouldn't think a metal version of a reggae staple would work, but it most certainly does.

13 might be an unlucky number for some, but not Chris Caffery, as House of Insanity contains thirteen winners, with not a weak track to be found. As stated earlier, plenty of fiery guitar playing and catchy hooks to be found on this one, most importantly though Caffery has written a set of memorable metal songs here that will certainly stand the test of time, and ultimately that's what it's all about, isn't it? Bravo.

Track Listing
01. Seasons Change
02. House Of Insanity
03. I Won't Know
04. The Fleas
05. Madonna
06. Big Brother
07. Backs To The Wall
08. Solitaire
09. I'm Sorry
10. Shame
11. Winter In Hamburg
12. No Matter What
13. Get Up, Stand Up

Added: July 15th 2009
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Artist MySpace Page
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Language: english

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