Chris Caffery – Pins And Needles
Metal Heaven – 00033 – 23.03.07
By Chris Kee
Chris Caffery is a very talented individual who is best known for enhancing the work of, amongst others,
Savatge,
Doctor Butcher and
Jon Oliva’s Pain with his considerable guitar skills. His previous solo outings have always been very much in the same vein as
Savatage in particular, which – for the band’s fans - has been no bad thing considering their almost total lack of activity these days.
Pins And Needles still retains definite links back to that
Savatage sound of old - look no further than
’Sad’ – but it also sees Caffery really stretching his wings, breaking free of imagined constraints and allowing his formidable ability to run free.
On first listen this new found desire to be different and to explore alternative pathways threw me a little. When you’re expecting a platter of sharp riffs and strong choruses the inherent complexity of
‘Pins And Needles’,
’Sixty-Six’ and
’Torment’ feels busy, cluttered and downright difficult and inaccessible. However it’s a good job that I didn’t attempt to write a review of this album after just one listen because with each successive play it makes more sense and reveals more treasures. The unfettered creativity on display means there is so much to discover and enjoy, from the multiple layers of
’The Time’ to the jazzy breaks in
’Walls’ via the driving, uplifting
’Chained’. An album that requires work, but is well worth the effort.
Official Chris Caffery Website
Official Metal Heaven Website
