One of the consolation prizes for George W. Bush retaining his presidential crown is that the hard music scene will continue to have a target for its rage, thus keeping it healthy with aggressive product. I spoke in late summer with Chris Caffery prior to the recording of his first solo album, and the Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra/Doctor Butcher guitar ace left me positively stoked for its release. Perhaps one of my most anticipated discs of 2004, Chris Caffery more than delivers what he promised over the phone. The two-disc, 25 song traditional metal extravaganza Faces/Goddamn War is an old-school blast of righteous anger with all the elements one would expect of Caffery’s caliber…and then some.

For beginners, Caffery sings, and for the most part he succeeds admirably, particularly his out-of-nowhere grandeur on his rendition of “Amazing Grace” on Goddamn War. While Caffery is not perfect, many times you’re wont to think Jon Oliva has snuck into the studio for a sneaky cameo or two, Caffery’s vocals often take on his Savatage partner’s gravelly subtleness so shrewdly. Other times he strangely sounds like Sebastian Bach ala the Subhuman Race era. As Caffery is the mastermind and primary executioner of this long and ambitious project, he never loses inspiration, steamrolling the listener off the bat with the title song “Faces” and keeping a rocksteady presence on “Fade Into the X.” As unwitting successor to Savatage’s late-departed Chris Oliva, Caffery unleashes winding and furious solos I personally believe he tempered in Savatage out of sheer respect to Oliva. Caffery’s solo outing is a vengeful cry to his fallen comrade as it is an emotional outpouring in protest of the fucked-up world we live in. Proof positive on the mostly cryptic but exuberant solo instrumentation that leads “Preludio.” The snarling rage of “Pisses Me Off” will remain in your head upon first listen, especially with Caffery’s mantra “It’s killing me, it’s killing me, it’s killing me, it’s killing me…” Blatant and never subversive, Caffery extols his metallic mace with righteous anger, even on the lunatic repetition that closes “Jealousy.” Throw a fist into the air and lend the man some support, will you?

For those of you waiting for the follow-up to Poets and Madmen, the good news for you is there is quite a bit of Savatage influence, notably on “The Mold,” “So Far Today,” “Jealousy,” “Evil Is as Evil Does” (which also has an Alice Cooper quality about it), and of course, the epic “Preludio” and “”Abandoned.” However, Caffery tinkers with other styles, particularly the laid-back, Dokken-esque “Remember” or the contemporary Disturbed grind that helms “The Fall.” “Music Man” has a breezy acoustic drive that should call to mind what was good about late-80s commercial hard rock such as Tesla or Tora Tora. With Caffery’s lush acoustic sensibility, the song has hit potential. Ditto for the catchy Days of the New reminiscent acoustic jam, “Bag ‘o Bones,” which is a guaranteed toe tapper. Caffery, at this point in his career, may be considered an unsung popular songwriting hero, definitely with his melancholy ballad “Never,” that sounds tailor-made for lighter raising. With Faces, Chris Caffery represents a lost legacy quickly roaring back into favor. Doesn’t hurt he once played with Dirty Looks, but Caffery proves that “hair metal” is just another ridiculous tag; his timing is absolutely perfect.

Goddamn War brutalizes without pretentiousness from the haunting opening title track which reflects Alice in Chains in certain aspects, while maintaining the hammering, ostentatious ambience of Savatage throughout the disc. Caffery and his backup band masterfully convey horrific blasts and rapid firing, led by his outraged string shredding. If the conservatives of our country are afraid of losing their self-indulgent comfort zone, Caffery will demonstrate the reason why. “Saddamize” and “Piece Be with You” should give hint at face value alone. He bravely tackles the Iraq conflict in prog concept fashion. In near mimicry, he unleashes livid notes and chords on “Fool, Fool” and “Edge of Darkness.”

The opening candor of “Saddamize” is perhaps the greatest disapproval of the Iraq war to date, particularly the snide and sobering laughter at the end of Caffery’s question “So when do think this war’s going to end?” It is blunt and it is brilliant to any caring individual affected by headlines such as 7 MARINES DIE IN FIGHTING or 60 IRAQI CITIZENS KILLED IN BOMBING. Wake up and smell the goddamn death stench, people. As Caffery notes, “Your children, they scream, WHAT THE FUCK IS IT FOR?” Amen, brother, preach it some more. Caffery relentlessly maintains his indignant guilt-trip on “I” and his harrowing “Amazing Grace,” which sets up the morose and gutsy “Piece Be with You” and “Beat Me, You’ll Never Beat Me.”

For what is supposed to be a selling point bonus disc, Goddamn War is extremely riveting stuff, making this package as much a cross-sell as anything a record marketer could think to slap into the case. A standalone effort, Goddamn War could be construed as Caffery’s definitive moment, would that I suspect there is far more to come from this openly vibrant musician.

All I can say further is cheers, Chris.