Artist: Eddie Ojeda Title: “Axes 2 Axes” Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 11/3/2005 Genre: Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Rating: 5.5/10
Twisted Sister’s well-known axe man Eddie Ojeda has signed to Black Lotus Records and given us his very first solo recording. As a long time fan of his work with Twisted Sister I was interested in seeing what the end result would be on a solo effort that was for a change completely under his direction and control. Eddie performs a large amount of the lead vocals and his band is made up of Joe Franco (drums, who also played in Twisted Sister for an album and was a member of Dee Sniders Widowmaker) and Chris McCarvill on bass guitar. As I listened to the whole CD I felt myself wanting for something a little better and felt a tad disappointed in it more than I was put over the top. Eddie does not have a bad voice but I felt it would have been better to have someone else perform the vocals on the release who really could stand out and help him hold a great solo performer identity. He did have help from such vocal powerhouses as Ronnie James Dio, Dee Snider and Joe Lynn Turner but the Dio song seemed like Ron was just going through the motions on “Tonight”. Dee’s contribution is a very Twisted Sister-esque version of the Beatles classic Eleanor Rigby and I thought this was just terrible. Perhaps if it was featured on a Twisted album I could have looked at it differently but in this context it was awful. Joe Lynn Turner’s assistance on “Living Free” is not bad but I would have liked to hear the pipes that he possesses in an effort to kick the album up a little more. Eddie’s voice did manage to shine on “The Reason”. This power ballad worked for him since the vocals are in a lower register and did not push him to a point he could not attain. He also did pretty well on “Love Power” which is an overall throwback to a 70’s kind of groove. “Please Remember” was ok but that reminded me a lot of Sister in its main riffing. Continue reading “Axes 2 Axes” by Eddie Ojeda→
Artist: Doctor Butcher Title: “Doctor Butcher” Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 9/27/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
Attention Savatage fans you may rejoice! If you were in need of some of the dose of the type of Metal that the classic band delivered you need look no further. Back in 1993 (around the time that Savatage released “Edge Of Thorns”) Jon Oliva and Chris Caffery were not active members of the group and had formed Doctor Butcher. With Butcher, the pair recorded an amazing number of powerful tracks that were released on a self-titled record which was unfortunately next to impossible to find. Now, thanks to the efforts of Caffery and Oliva as well as the folks at Black Lotus Records you are able to own this gem of music and an important release from these two musicians. As you listen you will find it almost to be a heavier version of the already heavy Savatage. One would expect a similar sound especially from the principle writer of many of the classics ‘Tage fans loved. Vocally, Jon still possessed the powerful pipes that he was known for in all of the Savatage tunes and now they burned with anger in these tracks. Chris’ guitar work was ripping continually and the bass and drums steady and powerful. Songs like “Season Of The Witch”, “The Altar” and “Reach Out And Torment Someone” clearly defined the piece and almost assured this band a place alongside their counterparts as an equal Metal power. Sadly, the material went un-toured and limited in release and availability until now. The CD is a double-disc and features a brand-new Butcher recording that also features the guitar talents of Metal Mike Chlasiak. Drums are handled by John Osborne on a large amount of the songs and Jon and Chris handled bass for the larger recordings. Lyrics and another excellent package are par for the course with all the Black Lotus releases it seems and this one is no different. I lean towards a release that also gives me a lot to look at and find it more worth my time when extra care was placed into it. I had heard this music as a friend owned the original CD (now many years lost) and it was great to hear it all once again. Continue reading “Doctor Butcher” by Doctor Butcher→
Artist: Chris Caffery Title: “W.A.R.P.E.D.” Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 9/27/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
When you begin playing your copy of “W.A.R.P.ED.” you will probably find it to be a little familiar to you. You see the reason is because this new CD release by Chris Caffery is not entirely new at all. If you were one of the smart ones, when Chris released “Faces” in 2004 he included a bonus CD that was meant for a future release. This CD was entitled “God Damned War” or “GDW” for short. It was a great inclusion as a bonus and really gave the Chris fan a large amount of music for the money. Very different however from the musical explorations on “Faces”, “GDW” is a bit heavier and now with added tracks this has been released on the public as “W.A.R.P.E.D.”. Chris explores deeper into the themes of the War as he introduced on “GDW”, the piece is definitely meant to be listened to from start to finish. “Home Is Where The Hell Is” kicks off the CD now but I did feel that “GDW” was the better track to start. I have liked the “Saddamize” track since I first heard it, and this one features Mark Wood of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The rest of the recording lineup on this piece is Jeff Plate (drums), Dave Z. (bass) and Paul Morris (keyboards). Jon Oliva makes an appearance in “Iraq Attack”. Continue reading “W.A.R.P.E.D.” by Chris Caffery→
Artist: Chris Caffery Title: “Faces” Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 1/18/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8.5/10
Chris Caffery. The name will ring a chord in the minds of those who enjoy the music of Savatage and The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This past year the guitarist has been hard at work – not only has he had time to record a new Trans-Siberian CD, but he also did a Savatage semi-reunion at this years ProgPowerUSA Festival and also to record and produce his first solo CD. The disk is called “Faces” and all fans of this mans work will be more than pleased with the fruit of his labors. The performers are Chris’ TSO bandmates Jeff Plate (drums) and Dave Z (bass) as well as Paul Morris on keyboards. The vocals are handled by Chris himself and this struck me as one of the most impressive aspects. I had seen Chris sing numerous times during Savatage performances doing backups, yet never imagined he had as powerful and as good a voice as he ended up having. In my opinion he holds up along the likes of Sebastian Bach and singers within this range. Continue reading “Faces”/”God Damn War” by Chris Caffery→
Artist: Chris Caffery Title: “Music Man” EP Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 11/2004 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
I have to give the guy credit for delivering a lot of music in a short amount of time. Chris Caffery not only recently released his double CD solo piece “Faces”, but has also made sure to give the fans some extra stuff on the EP versions for particular singles he wants to showcase. This EP for “Music Man” is a welcome addition to the CD pile. It hightlights one of the more radio friendly compositions from “Faces”. He also includes 4 new tracks as well. There is a clean version of “Pisses Me Off” which by making clever use of bleeps for the cursing, makes it a humorous listen. It also makes me find things that piss me off to compare notes to Chris’ ranting and raving. Continue reading “Music Man” [EP] by Chris Caffery→
![“Music Man” [EP] by Chris Caffery](https://www.piercingmetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/03/EP-Chris-Caffery-Music-Man-e1457846598928.jpg)