RED

Progressive metal band "CAVEAT" which literally means Beware have truly forged ahead with their magnificent 3rd release through "Cyclone Records". Many influences here, from Faith No More, Queensryche, Dream Theater, etc..but at the end of the day they have also stamped in big bold letters their own mark.."Caveat" Rules! ....And this is their story. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta and first forming in 2001 these guy's have kept busy and also released 2 previous album's, but by 2008 a 3rd album was in the offing. "RED." and so begins this story.... Track 1 "RED"..Opening with a very tasteful twin guitar burst and launching into further twisting and gut crunching riffs our players set the mood well , as the Story Teller arrives and what a frantic pace he sets while all the while the rest follow as The Storyteller screams "See the other side of me ,the one that will avail." They all continue relentlessly and just as suddenly we are again greeted by more twin guitar..this time propelling us along until again The Story Teller warns "Can't you see the friend is an enemy When you are one that one on way, To the end when they shall abacinate All thats left are lies in eyes" as they all follow him, chanting in unison as the music ducks and dives into time loops..twisting and weaving into our first guitar solo. Mr Sikorski slickly executes and just as quickly we're back at the main drive of Red.. "Do you defile Lock your shame inside, I see red tonight ,Knowing that you will never, take whats mine". We hear, but quickly the pace changes as again Mr Sikorski takes us on another guitar journey ..melodically mesmerising us into a softer place..changing again into tasty accented riffs and twin guitar duels with Mr Musgrave into further crashing chords for The Storyteller to again enter..with devilish angst "Now the contempt will be mine" he scowls and His otherside replies.. "Follow the need to uncover tonight"..as we're now drawn into an accented flurry of three/four time stabs before again changing into more time flurry's to a punchy drum accent by Mr Rogers to again take us on another time journey to our main theme....Mr Sikorski again draws us back to The Storyteller who again pounds us with his words.. "I see red tonight ,Knowing that you will never, take whats mine", as the others all vocalise with Him and Mr Sikorski again leads us away on his guitar journey to a nice aggressively placed two/four time ending.

"Red" sets the mood of this album nicely and aggressively as prog/metal insists

Track 2 "Sin" opens strikingly quite different from track 1, in sound and feel with it's held notes and stabbing guitars, punctuating the overall sound..all follow and set the mood cunningly for the foray of crashing guitars they now enter to more syncopated time surges and briefly stopping to accented strikes and more guitar duelling..Mr Musgrave and Mr Sikorski now create further patterns as Mr Balwin and Mr Rogers (our rhythm section) crash and accent along with them..a furious double kick drum assault hits as The Storyteller now enters "Draw me in, bathe in sin, All comes down, across my skin." He warns as a cool driving pattern carry's us along with the Storyteller and briefly halts to a syncopated stab or two and further fast and furious time journeys..Mr Rogers two four playoffs and double kick pattern driving the feel and now almost as suddenly the feel changes and opens again to Mr Musgrave and Mr Sikorski's twin tinged guitars urging us to follow them while all the while also our rhythm section propels us along with them...again The Storyteller enters "I can feel you, complete you, elevate the mind"(as you begin this) He calls loudly "Wine an fruit you, feed it to"( keep me to confide)..abruptly they stop as the mood completely and cunningly changes into a clever 6 time passage for The Storyteller to lull you into a safe place "Conform an aline, the sweetness it pours ever more as I elevate, so long I've waited." He urges as the journey builds and finally exploding into an all out assault, but Oh so beautifully done it all changes again as we are drawn along on this ride of your life..guitars and rhythm's converging again so powerfully and yet tastefully expressed for The Storyteller to end Devilishly again as times crash and chords thrash..we now enter.. our first passage repeated and attacking at an ever enthusiastic pace "Take me so far within you. I have waited for you. Find me so close behind you. Feel me, deep inside" The Storyteller screams as suddenly all is reversed and we hear ourselves at the opening of 'Sin".

"Sin" a personal favourite with it's huge and frenzied playing..an epic song and extremely well crafted.

Track 3 "M.O.B" with it's clever title the journey starts immediately with a foray of guitars and pounding rhythm's and time ride's as we are drawn along with the players and into can I say a jazzy passage before again the mood changes..Mr Rogers drums must be mentioned here as he drives and changes so fluidly with every twist and turn...and so The Storyteller enters and urgently He calls "I am the one who made you look in yourself.. To bring forth within both heaven an hell" as we all crash along on the hammering beats, riffs and furious time journey's...spiralling down we're drawn into more time journey's as our Devilish Storyteller scowls "Kneel, an reveal, whats inside, free your mind." More huge driving chords and time trips follow and drive us along gaining more furious momentum while all the while The Storyteller enforcing "No road is pre chosen except by one's self. To maintain your virtue, time only tells. Look to the future with a wide open mind. Learn what you can from what ever you find." As we are drawn back to our Bridging pattern.. "Kneel, an reveal, whats inside, free your mind." He calls and leads us into a frenzied guitar assault by Mr Musgrave and Mr Sikorski to end M.O.B.

M.O.B. another well crafted song with a clever message for us all.

Track 4 "Vindication" Starting again with Mr Musgrave and Mr Sikorski setting the mood quickly for this very interesting lyrical story...twin guitars and rhythms pounding they venture together into a long introduction punctuated with some fluent playing and tasty guitar stabs and drum runs which propels the main feel forward into a darker and more driven path for The Storyteller to begin... "Justify what you have spread to the masses. Do you regret, forget, your past?" He growls devilishly while the players punctuate his lyrics further and just as suddenly the feel explodes into another time change as we all follow.. "Fall apart when no one comes to save this day. Turn around, head down, as you walk away" The Storyteller calls as the beautiful twin guitars of Mr Musgrave and Mr Sikorski continue almost in a battle cry and slowly winding down to a calmer feel we are drawn along with them until again The Storyteller enters on this feel and building for a full on charge of 5 time patterns "The fate of a man in your hands. Blinding the weak in your land. Eyes of a million soldiers" He scowls guitars and rhythm's grinding the Storytellers words home further and again we are drawn along on the calmer rides of Caveat and on we go through the cycle just once more before taking us on a chaotic attack of time and sound.. "Second guess, what you know best, this can't exist. Vindicate, irradicate, eliminate, ignite! (better get ready to die!)" He screams.. as we are taken on another long ride of gargantuan guitar's and rhythm's and cleverly back through the cycle of calm and dark just once more and into further crashing chords we go..The Storyteller calls.. finally.. to define this fantastic voyage of battles and calms and "Vindication"

"Vindication" is a masterpiece. All the right sounds, rhythm's phenomenal guitars and great lyrics with plenty of meaning... also a personal favourite.

Track 5 "Vicious Circle" Starting with cutting ,driving riffs , Mr Rogers leads us into another time pattern with clever drum links to further twin guitars and crash chords Mr Balwin's bass very prominent through this passage with his huge chords punctuating the changes..The Storyteller enters "Awake in the night, anger to fight, nothing new. Hearing the choke, now I awoke" He demands, amongst a flurry of sounds, beats and dive bombing Bass chords..abruptly the whole scene changes as we are taken on a huge ride of crashing chords and time journeys..pounding double bass drums urging us along with them we go..ducking and diving through this magical musical assault..The Storyteller enters again, angrily.."Sicken me, never see, anything, always the same. Every day, sick of the wanna-be. Not a clue, nothing new, sick of you, suck on the truth. Waking me, hacking the day away."... Understand Why? Signalling another fine instrumental break/link and into a smoother section and another tasteful guitar solo by Mr Sikorski and again this sets the mood for a complete change of pace and some cool atmospherics as The Storyteller enters here "Why it is, with all good intention. Can be ruined by the loss of reason" He warns as the mood again builds to another foray of times but almost as suddenly fades back and beautifully building up again to a full on assault of sounds and riffs which return us to the main theme and the dramatic end.

"Vicious Circle" just as the title suggests Caveat have explained with music and drama...Clever

Track 6 "My Messiah" Starting this time almost immediately The Storyteller sets the mood of this piece very quickly "Showing me the kind of feeling. (in me) Watch you an see. Making you the one who will now devour me." He commands.. all powering along on this broken pattern, Mr Rogers double kick drumming driving the mood of the song as we all follow and The Storyteller weaves the magic of Messiah, calling you to join him... a cleverly placed break now changes the feel as crunchy chords and guitar solo's fight for your attention as we ride the idiosyncratic time change "Coming in on the landslide I feel you crumble down on me. Only then you know me as I know you." JOINED INSIDE!! The Storyteller yells, as another well placed solo punctuates his words and..this time, twin guitars follow closely behind his words to reinforce but skilfully taking over they now stand alone all the while the rhythm's driving us along with them into huge crash chords and accents..double kicks pounding..bass chords diving, twisting and circling through wild times again and again we go through this cycle..finally another major change leads us into a fantastic guitar pattern and groove, keeping you hanging on tight as you follow this crazy/cool pattern. As once again The Storyteller urges us to follow him to meet his Messiah "Once you knew me just a voice then time gave this choice. Where you go my thought will be, never wake this dream". But the music and fantastic war of guitars, rhythm's and tantalising sounds finish this piece beautifully..all the way to another climactic end.

"My Messiah" a very intense song with plenty of light and shade..I loved it!

Track 7 "Within This Weakness"..Guitars punctuate the openings of this masterpiece as all accent the beats and drive the moments as The Storyteller begins "Taking on the weight of the pain, holding me & draining the vein. Ingest, digest, take this, swallowing the sickness, weakness, resist". He screams as twin guitars punctuate the rhythm's and time plays havoc within the two chorus's which follow "RENDER, WEAKNESS, never to, WITNESS, MY BLISS, cover the SECRETS, CONFESS, never to KNOW THIS Seeking the answer that's always inside of me" as we're carried along on another broken time pattern..we're back at the main riff as The Storyteller continues his words catapulting you into the chaotic timings and bouncing you along with him..suddenly the whole feel changes as Mr Rogers brings about a complete half time feel as we all follow and into another tasty solo...Mr Sikorski's fluent and clever playing is weaving the magic so well too.. we all follow this ride, Mr Musgrave now enters and both play off each other until The Storyteller brings about another change of pace.. "Waking the dream that holds the path that I seek. Recongnise this scenry" He Yells. ..and all follow on this wild change, guitars accenting and double kicks pounding out the transformation for The Storyteller to begin again "Then you begin to question All that you see Will never agree Now that your no longer blind" He screech's as we all join another wild ride of times and sounds..oh so cleverly taking us into a driving pattern..forging ahead we go, guitars and drums bouncing us along on another time journey..Mr Roger's double kick pattern speeding us along further to a false stop as more crunchy guitar riffs stabbing frantically lead us into further twin guitars..twisting and bending us all into a frenzied finale.

"Within This Weakness"...a brilliant finale to this adventurous, untamed album called "RED". This is "Caveat" and progressive metal at it's finest.

This review written by Chris Otter..musician from Aotearoa(New Zealand) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------