chris caffery house of insanity

Released: 10 July 2009 Label: AFM

Chris Caffery is probably best known for his work with Savatage and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, both of which he played guitar for. House of Insanity is his third solo album.

First things first, there is no doubting the guitar playing ability of this man, he is technically brilliant and he mixes in a lot of styles through the album, including some acoustic sections during the ballad Winter in Hamburg.

The overall style is predominately what could be described as Power Metal with a progressive feel to it. Unfortunately Chris himself hasn’t the greatest of singing voices, it isn’t awful but just a bit lacking in something compared to his axe wielding ability!

Some people will be pleased to know that there are parts which are reminiscent of Savatage, that being in the style and song structure but with a more technical edge to it.

There is also, bizarrely, a cover of Bob Marley’s Get Up, Stand Up thrown in at the end which sounds a bit like how the Beastie Boys might have sounded if they had gone down the Power Metal route!

It is a bit hit and miss overall, the musicality is there but the songs are often slightly strange and disjointed, which is a shame due to Caffery’s previous credentials.


by Claudia Glazzard