Search - Chris Caffery :: Pins and Needles

Caffery's second solo album

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 04/24/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Caffery released his debut solo album Faces / God Damn War in a time when Savatage was on hold and every other member was doing their own thing. He also released an EP after that, and then put out the God Damn War CD again under the W.A.R.P.E.D. title adding in some bonus tracks, one of which featured Jon Oliva.



So Pins & Needles should, in reality, be considered Caffery's second full-length studio album, and a very different one at that. This CD finds Savatage and TSO guitarist experimenting with more different soundscapes, whilst retaining the classic heaviness of his debut. Caffery still sounds a lot like Jon Oliva on some of the songs, such as the title track which kicks off with the great drum rolls of Yael. Her (Yes - it's a she!) drum sound is arguably the finest aspect of this album - full and powerful. The song immediately gains pace and ventures into classic heavy metal territory a la Doctor Butcher, especially with Caffery trying to emulate the Oliva sound. This is immediately followed by "Sixty-Six", which sounds almost like an outtake from the early days of Savatage. It also features a terrific lead solo.



However, the overall flow and direction of this CD is a lot more defined and settled than its predecessor. Caffery has penned songs that have a more distinct vibe happening, with more varied instrumentation and unusual song structures. The Sabbathian and doomy intros of "Torment" and "Walls" are some of his finest riffs on this album. Caff also plays the marching drum section on the former, and it greatly complements the slap bass outro. "Walls" is a lot more experimental though, complete with unorthodox vocal harmonies, busy soundscapes, siren-like guitar rhythms and leads, and even a jazzy interlude. Caff truly showcases how versatile a musician he is by playing drums, percussion, guitars, bass, keyboards, and even the saxophone. "Worms" is a song that begins with weird guitar effects, funky bass, and angry lyrics, but it's the saxophone that diversifies the already complex piece. There are other pieces expanding on this newfound style of Caffery in the form of "Crossed", utilising a vast array of keyboard work, eerie spoken word passages, and an unusually fast-sung second verse.



Former Savatage axeman Alex Skolnick appears on one track as well. "Sad" is another song that features lots of effects and colourful guitar sounds, and Skolnick's wide-ranging tonalities exhibited during the solo are simply tasteful. I was able to tell it before checking the credits actually. "YGBKM" and "Chained" prove to be quite different different works as well in that they are both filled with strong vocal harmonies where everything else takes a backseat and allows Caffery to take the lead with just his vocals. The former is a song that evokes "Pisses Me Off" a little, and is supposed to be the abbreviation for "You Gotta Be Fucking Kidding Me", so lots of cursing on this one. However, amidst all that aggression, the shift from heavy to super clean passages is quite interesting. "Chained" is the melodic staple of the record, featuring both bass and drum solos respectively and highlighting Caffery's intense lead playing.



There are also other guests on the CD, one of whom is the operatic vocalist on "The Time", and Ferdy Doenberg on "Metal East", inspired by songs on God Damn War. Doenberg's keyboard solo is sublime and contributes to the overall diversity of the song. The last two songs are just short pieces: "Qualdio" is an entirely acoustic track, and perhaps my favourite part on this disc, while "The Temple", also largely acoustic, provides some tormented backing vocals. There is also a nice bonus track called "Once Upon a Time", which sees Caffery returning to his Doctor Butcher type of material.



Overall, Pins & Needles is a solid album, but like the previous Caffery album, it doesn't quite hold my attention. Both Circle II Circle and Jon Oliva's Pain released new albums last year and I feel they have stronger replay value, the former for Zak Stevens' incredible vocal performance and the latter for pretty much everything. Still the average Caffery fan should love this - there is nothing here that will disappoint them."