Caffery, Chris: W.A.R.P.E.D.

For those who are a little confused as to why Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery has another solo album out, here's the scoop. On last years Faces, many will remember that a deluxe 2 CD version was also available that contained the mini-album God Damn War. Well, W.A.R.P.E.D. is basically that album it all it's full blown glory, now released on it's own merit with a title change, featuring six additional songs, a full booklet with lyrics and song explanations from Caffery. Sound like a good excuse to make the purchase-you bet!

Kicking off with the melodic yet heavy anthem "Home is Where the Hell Is", a chilling testament to the history of war and how it has effected our current way of life, Caffery's lead vocals sound strong and confident, backed up by his ever muscular guitar work. The piece "God Damn War" will be very familiar to those who had the Faces double album, this a brutal metal piece with a serious message. "Election Day" and "Erase" are two new pieces, the former a take on our election system and democracy in general, the latter dealing with the events of 9/11. The grinding metal/funk of "Fool, Fool" features one of the best guitar riffs on the album, sounding a little like a cross between Zack Wylde and Dimebag Abbott, while "Edge of Darkness" contains some churning guitar licks and effective call-and-answer vocals from Caffery. Long time Savatage fans will certainly love this tune! "Saddamize" is another of the original album pieces, a doomy metal number with some great ethnic instrumentation. On "I", Caffery seems to be asking the question of how much a soldiers life is worth, and how the world reacts to these deaths during the modern era.

"Iraq Attack" is basically just that, as Caffery leads us into the days and moments leading up to the US attack on Uraq. This is a doomy number featuring none other than Jon Oliva on lead vocals, adding his sinister tone and high pitched shrieks. The title cut is another Savatage styled piece, with chunky guitar riffs from Caffery and rapid fire drum work from Jeff Plate. "The State of the Head" is a manic and fast paced song, with wild guitar fills and powerful vocals from Caffery, not to mention a blazing guitar solo. The CD closes with four pieces from the original double album, the emotional, piano driven "Amazing Grace", the moody & catchy "Piece Be With You", "Beat Me, You'll Never Beat Me", and the jangly rocker "Curtains", a song that begs for the answers of when all this war will end.

There you have it, perhaps one of the most relevant concept albums released in recent memory. More so a piece that is driven by the lyrics rather than instrumental fireworks, W.A.R.P.E.D. remains a heavy document of one man's take on the state of the world. This is heavy metal music with a serious message folks.

Track Listing
1) Home is Where the Hell Is
2) God Damn War
3) Election Day
4) Erase
5) Fool, Fool
6) Edge of Darkness
7) Saddamize
8) "I"
9) Iraq Attack
10) W.A.R.P.E.D.
11) State of the Head
12) Amazing Grace
13) Piece Be With You
14) Beat Me, You'll Never Beat Me
15) Curtains

Added: November 4th 2005
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Chris Caffery Website
Hits: 3699
Language: english

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