Tag Archives: The Fiction We’ve Become

Video: Caricature – Take Me Home Tonight Cover, Drone Camera Video

Posted on by

 

Caricature video still

Progressive metallers Caricature have released a music video for their cover of 80s classic rock hit ‘Take Me Home Tonight’ by Eddie Money. You can see the video at this link or below:

The accompanying music video features stunning aerial camera footage of Chicago created especially for this clip by noted drone technology innovator and cinematographer Kirk Tindel. The video is a stunning love letter to the skyline of Chicago.

Caricature’s Joseph Spiller comments:

“Sometimes, when you make a record that you need to be as perfect as possible, you have to step back, take a break, and stretch your creative legs on something fun. Rather than smash up the studio, channeling the magic of “The Money Man” seemed more productive. The hook on this song is iron clad with one of the best second verses the mainstream has ever seen. I wanted to add something fresh to the arrangement without degrading the original piece, and the end result is fun as heck to play. Squad”

<center><span style="color: #999999;">Morne, by Hillarie Jason</span><center></center></center>

Caricature, by Meg Loyal Photography

The band is still supporting their Shadows: Maxi Single from last summer as they prepare a new album its new full-length album, The Fiction We’ve Become due out in 2016. The entire Shadows release is available to stream and purchase from their Bandcamp page.

Shadows (Maxi-Single) track listing:

1. Shadows

2. Leave It

3. Current State of Affairs – Gavin Parsons on drums (ex-Whitechapel)

4. Saviors II – Oscar Nilsson on drums (Miseration/Engel)

 

 

Caricature’s current line-up

Joseph Spiller – Guitar and Vocals

Evan Sammons – Drums and Programming

Gerrard Vachon – Bass

Ryan Cummings – Guitar

 


Caricature – Shadows: The Maxi Single

Posted on by

Caricature Shadows maxi single cover 2015

What does it take for a band nowadays to make a real impact with their music? This is the question everyone trying to make at playing music for a living has to answer. A band that left an impression on me a few years ago was Boston’s Caricature. 2013’s The Sound of One Man’s World Collapsing hit me like a ton of bricks, right as the current wave of progressive metal was starting to crest. After a two-year absence the band has returned with Shadows: The Maxi Single to inspire listeners and to reaffirm their place among the leaders of the prog genre.

‘Shadows’ itself is a beast of a track that has everything and the kitchen sink thrown in for fans of this music. Crushing guitar riffs, percolating beats, great melodies all make it sizzle and pop. The chorus is a guaranteed earworm that I’ve already been singing for days. Caricature’s master and commander Joseph Spiller (System Divide, Too Late The Hero, The Binary Cody) is well-known for his deft touch when it comes to writing intricate prog and tech death, but there are some amazing subtle parts to be discovered with each listen in just this track alone. With drums provided by powerhouse Evan Sammons (Last Chance to Reason), the combination of the two is a potent one. The sweetness of the chorus of ‘Shadows’ carries over to the breezy ‘Leave It’. The uptempo djent-fest is flat-out uplifting.

‘Current State of Affairs’ comes in with jarring sound, not unlike a Bernard Herman vamp from The Twilight Zone. After that it’s straight to the serial murder brutality of guitars and whipping drums, capped with ungodly screams from Spiller. A lot of bands like to claim Meshuggah as an influence, half-mock their signature style, and then call it a day. With Caricature, the band can actually play parts like Meshuggah, but write catchy original songs that aren’t derivative. ‘Saviors II (Oscar Nilsson Version)’ serves as a neat final track, summing things up.

Shadows: The Maxi Single is a nice re-introduction to the band and will mint new fans from those who rep bands as different as TesseracT and Gojira. Their next full-length The Fiction We’ve Become, is due later this year and we’re already looking forward to it.

8.5/10

KEITH CHACHKES