Whether you realize it or not, Chris Caffery has been a round for a long time, he’s been involved with SAVATAGE since 1987, but his credits also include DIRTY LOOKS, DOCTOR BUTCHER, METALIUM and a few others here and there. Chris Caffery has traveled a long, hard road to get to this, his long awaited solo album; but wait, it’s two separate albums released together, at the same time! Yes, Faces and God Damn War are two different albums with two very distinct, different visions.

Let me say right off the bat, these two releases reek of SAVATAGE, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that! In fact, there are times where I actually thought Jon Oliva was behind the mic. Most impressive though, is Caffery’s songwriting and guitar work, he can easily carry the torch for the late Criss Oliva in SAVATGE and it makes me wonder why he isn’t more heavily involved in the songwriting these days. Perhaps these releases will change that, as SAVATAGE could use a good heavy kick in the ass these days.

The riff-o-rama of “Fade Into the X,” is possibly some of the heaviest riffs I’ve heard emitted from Caffery’s guitar since the DOCTOR BUTCHER sessions. The choir chants make this one of the best SAVATAGE songs that never was. After listening to “Pisses Me Off,” I get the distinct impression that Mr. Caffery is pissed off! He must’ve been watching quite a bit of T.V. or reading lots of front page headlines when writing this one. In my opinion, this is one of the weaker tracks on the album, in the sense that I’ve tired of it after a few listens. It’s very immediate and upon the first few listens I loved it, but now I found myself hitting the fast forward button more often than not.

Now go to track 6, “The Fall” and prepare to be smashed by that oh so heavy metal riff. In fact, this song is another that is just overflowing with riffs. Unfortunately, my one complaint is that amidst all of these awesome riffs, bridges and verses, are some weak choruses. But then we’re given “Music Man,” one of my favorite songs to come down the pipeline in sometime. Acoustic, multilayered vocals, piano, nice beat, and a chorus to die for, it will stick to your brain like peanut butter. The up/down, creepy crawl of the bassline to “Life, Crazy Life!!” snakes its way around the song, while Caffery’s guitar sounds very reminiscent of another guitar hero, George Lynch.

Elsewhere, “Evil Is As Evil Does” reminds me of ANNIHILATOR, or should that be Jeff Waters? Which is what really makes the title of this album so interesting, because it is sorta like Caffery is wearing many different faces, or hats, whichever you prefer metaphorically speaking. “Never” sounds like it could’ve come from the Handful Of Rain sessions, and it’s on this one that I really hear Oliva’s influence.

The absolute best, personal favorite track is number 13, “So Far Today.” It’s the perfect blend of SAVATAGE, QUEEN and yes, the chorus is fucking awesome, pardon me. It’s obvious that he’s rough around the edges in the vocal department, but when he gets it right, like he does on this one, it’s pure bliss. “So Far Today” gets my vote as one of the best songs of 2005 and to wrap up discussion on Faces, I will just say that the only thing missing from “Abandoned,” the album’s final song, is Zak Stevens on vocals, as it sounds written for him. That being said, this song closes the album very well at the 76 minute mark.

But for all of you SAVA-freaks, there’s more! Yep, the God Damn War cd is included as a bonus cd and all I can say is, wow! Not just some bonus unreleased songs, but an entirely different concept album, clocking in at a little over 42 minutes. The first sound you get is a helicopter, and I immediately thought of Gutter Ballet’s “Of Rage and War” classic. Not to be disappointed, the title track is just as heavy as the aforementioned. “Fool, Fool” is a short one that has a riff that for some reason just happens to remind me of the late Dimebag Darrell. Must be those squealing bends!

I like the Middle Eastern vibe that underlies “Saddamize,” very effective in making it stick out. Although there are no lyrics for this album included, it’s pretty clear that this is an anti-war album. “I” being a chief example, “Your weapon of choice is deception, it’s working just fine.” And, “I was born I am my father’s creation, but when I die, I’m going to die for me.” His cover of “American Grace” is made ironic by the shotgun blast at the end, which intros “Piece Be With You.” Tell me that chuckle does not sound like Oliva!! As far as album highlights go, I give this one to “Beat Me, You’ll Never Beat Me.” Catchy riffs, strong arrangements and a good use of dynamics make this one of my favorites. “Curtains’ is a very quirky number to end on, don’t really know how else to say it but…. odd. And oh, don’t have the volume up too loud during the last 10 seconds, or your head might vibrate right off of your neck.

So, there you have it folks. Chris Caffery no longer lives in the shadow of Criss Oliva, he IS the guitarist of SAVATAGE. What does the future hold? Not quite sure, “the curtain still remains.”

Rating: 8/10