Caustic Casanova is a band you need to pay attention to. It’s as simple as that! On their new full-length, God How I Envy The Deaf, the quartet from D.C. unleash a rawk fury that’s epic, anthemic, and downright awesome. We became aware of them thanks to their incredible and ambitious trio of Pantheon EP’s which was conveniently combined to create an unstoppable rawk and/or roll Frankenstein which seemingly could not be beat. That is, until God How I Envy The Deaf came along.
But I digress.
“Fancy English” leads the charge, conjuring the spirit of old Soundgarden in those just-about-to-really-make-it days between Louder Than Love and Badmotorfinger. You know what I’m talking about, right? It’s where the sound is slightly unhinged yet so polished at the same time. The way Stefanie Zaenker hits the high hat, the mesmerizing guitar lines from Jake Kimberley and Andrew Yonki throughout, and the merging voices of Zaenker and Francis Beringer are just divine. And a damn fine way to kick off an album!
The way “Filth Castle” just lingers before heading into this unrefined jam sesh which treads Prog and Rawk so effortlessly is just another example of the way Caustic Casanova’s quartet of pros keep listeners on the edge of their seats. As is the case when this Jazz-like shuffle drops in the middle while Beringer’s bass work is still causing seismic mayhem. Later, “If Your Brain Is Properly Oiled” is a swirling, layered ditty fueled by tribal drumming that borders on Industrial from Zaenker with wailing guitar lines that give a sinister air to everything.
“Memory King” reveals a different side of the band with this introspective and dense offering that has vocal styles from Zaenker and Beringer conjuring images of Creepoid at times. It’s the kind of song that just shows how the synchronicity of Zaenker and Beringer is such a driving froce of CC. The way that Beringer’s rolling bass meshes with Zaenker’s solitary drumming early on in the track and then vocally, the way they deliver this gorgeous call and response in the chorus is just sonic bliss. Going so far as to say a track like this fills the void left by Kylesa’s departure with its’ almost post-rock style gloominess is an understatement.
Well, that was deep. Time for more Rawk!
Like “Donut And The Golden Hen” which takes the cake as is for a cool ass song title but also delivers a sonic wall of instrumental progressive noise that acts as an aural palette cleanser before “Taos Lightning”, which is Rawk incarnate put through a Reverend Horton Heat blender, saunters in next.
“Truth Syrup” is built on a solid foundation of styles merging (Think Primus meets Failure) with the way Zaenker’s profound drumming, Beringer’s huge bass grooves and Yonki and Kimberley’s spacey guitar lines lead into this epic rawker. Speaking of the legendary San Franciscan trio, “Roger B. Taney” feels a bit like a modern Primus jam but goes into new territory with guest vocalist Emily Danger driving the song into an ethereal, yet still shreddy, realm.
Beringer’s bass takes center stage when “Boxed And Crated” comes crashing down on your ears but quickly devolves into a rollicking racket of Caustic Casanova doing what they do best for a solid ten minutes to close out the record the only way they know how: with pure Rawk!
God How I Envy the Deaf touches down on October 18th through Magnetic Eye Records. You can pre-order your very own by clicking here. For more on Caustic Casanova, including accompanying tour dates around the new release, follow them on the socials by clicking here or here.