Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Caricature - Shadows CD release and review day!

Shadows (Maxi Single)
Caricature


As soon as I heard the single, "Shadows", I preordered this maxi single.  While it's very rare these days for me to pre order anything since everything seems to float by my desk before release day, I just had to support such a solid project. First off "Shadows" kicks ass. Secondly getting to know Caricature main man Joseph Spiller over the past year via social media, I've been fortunate to learn first hand about the man's great character and his devotion to creating incredible music. This Shadows maxi single is one of the highlights of my metal listening year. Back to front, as I've said before, you will enjoy the hell out of these four tracks. Caricature hit on so many levels it's crazy!

Let's start off with track 1, "Shadows', it shreds your face off from jumpstreet and then throws at you a mix of clean and well timed vocals that are completely inspired. The musicianship is top notch, the mixing and production is excellent. (Check out Evan Sammon's drumming on the video below this review to see what I'm talking about.) The killer solo by Omer Avni cements the track as a metal track of high quality and the performance by Spiller on the majority of the instruments used on this track is mind blowing.

Track 2, "Current State of Affairs", man, this hits my nerve the way Pantera first did in the early nineties (I'm sure Joseph is laughing at me right now). This is the heavy shit, the spoken word interludes pump your ass up while the primal concrete sludge pouring from the speakers will bend and break your head banging vertebrae. I'm loving this straight up intensity, the bass, drums and hammering guitars combined with the death rattle gurgle of the vocals...it's a winner!

Track 3, "Leave it", it's a breath of fresh air, it's like bringing your head up after a deep dive. It's a catchy tune and it brings to mind the feelings I had when I first heard Open Hand's "The Dream" album. The percussion on this along with that cool underlying "Pink Floydy" synth effect that comes in about half way through is beautiful. The song rises throughout and is a great song to put on the radio while you're driving the backroads of some sleepy hamlet town.

Track 4, "Saviors II(Oscar Nilsson Version)", this is a killer tune. Love the contrast between the opening clean vocals and the dirgey chorus mixed along with the atmospheric instrumentation. Spiller's vocal range is out of this world! Hear that high note he hits, I've only heard something like that on a Coheed and Cambria record. (Check out Oscar Nillson's video of him performing the track below.)

and then, that's it...I need more....Spiller and company, bring me more.....I guess I'll have to wait til the upcoming LP, "The Fiction We've Become" comes out. Buy this maxi single, it's one of the best purchases I've made all year.





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