CAVEAT - Alchemy

CAVEAT

Album: Alchemy

Genre: Progressive Melodeath

Release Date: February 11th, 2022

Country: Canada

Label: Self-Released

Being the longest-running active metal band in Alberta, CAVEAT can look back at several well received records, and also some line-up changes within their 20 years of existence. Besides founding member Greg Musgrave on guitar and vocals, there are now Amanda Bourdon on the mic and keyboards, guitarist Joe Sikorski, as well as the rhythm section consisting of bassist Matt Petti and drummer Casey Rogers. On February 11th, 2022, they will release their new album “Alchemy”, coming along with an eye-catching cover artwork fitting to the title.

“Silver” is a strong opener, growing within seven minutes from the peaceful start over a melodic middle part - with catchy hooks and an amazing guitar solo - to the powerful finale. The vocals are a mix of sung and growled, with the two different singers complementing each other very well. Next up is “Alchemy”, continuing music-wise where “Silver” ended, captivating with a high-energetic rhythmic and bass performance. Amanda’s powerful clean voice stands in great contrast to the dark sound and growls, and together, they deliver an impressive track about addiction. The following “Infinite” stays into these heavy fields, dealing with our fears and coming to term with them.

Inspired by a "Black Mirror"-Episode, which is based on the idea of imprisoning the human mind with modern technology, track No4 comes along funky first, then hard-hitting while it develops, alternating with melodious parts.

Now it’s time for some calmer tones, at least at the beginning of “Ghost”. I like their kind of progressive song-writing here, just the polyphonic vocals don’t seem to fit sometimes. The musical twists and turns tell us about the attempt to overcome our inner demons. With “Until Dawn”, the topic gets more positive, and so does the music. Lyric-wise, it’s a song about finding someone that truly connects with us. While my highlights are the instrumental parts with great bass and guitar solos, the vocal harmonies don’t want to click for me. The final “Zero Hour” is the most personal song for the two singers, dealing with the loss of a beloved person.

On their new album CAVEAT offer seven songs, diverse in their compositions. While the guitars come up with dark, hard-hitting riffs as well as beautiful melodic parts, the mostly powerful, complex rhythmic brings in a great dynamic. By alternating between the different expressions of two strong singers, they lay all kinds of emotions into their music. The overall sound is well done, just some parts would have deserved more support by the mixing to evolve the music a bit more. While the first half leans towards a modern kind of melodeath, the second has the focus on the more melodious side. All-together, "Alchemy" is an amazing listen, recommended for fans of genre-bending music.

Written by Katha