THE BEAST

L-R Joe Sikorski - Guitars, Greg Musgrave - Guitars & Vocals, Amanda Marie Bourdon - Vocals & Keyboards, Casey Rogers - Drums, Matt Petti - Bass
Photo Credit - Monika Deviat

Caveat   have a new album coming out, their first since 2016 and they are fully intending to give their fans a very nuanced listening experience with “Alchemy”. Never content to pigeonhole themselves into a single genre or follow any conventional rules, through this album, they deliver an auditory adventure, a wide scope of twists and turns with a goal for the listener to consistently expect the unexpected throughout the listening experience.

The title track “Alchemy” is one of the proggier songs on the album, and it shows off Amanda Marie Bourden’s powerhouse voice as well as Matt Petti’s incredible bass performance. This song deals with addiction and how we are in search of the magic elixir (in so many cases alcohol) that will make us a perceived better version of ourselves, which in almost every case turns out to be the opposite. The band explains further:

“The title track from the new album, Alchemy travels into new territory for Caveat, with Amanda taking on lead vocal duties for most of the song and showcasing some of our most ambitious writing to date. With an almost soundtrack vibe of musically dynamic nuances, “Alchemy” creates a progressive listening experience unlike any other you’ve ever heard. New, exciting, refreshing and poised to bring Caveat’s new sound to both new and old audiences alike.”

When   Caveat   first started, almost two decades ago, the songs were almost exclusively written by guitarist/vocalist Greg Musgrave. Since then, guitarist Joe Sikorski has become integral in the songwriting alongside Musgrave, with drummer Casey Rogers offering musical ideas and arrangements as well. Musgrave’s lyrics primarily come from a darker place and one of overcoming personal adversity and demons that provide a cathartic vehicle to express and purge those inner demons.

“Alchemy”   is recommended for fans of Opeth, Cynic, and Devin Townsend.

The single   "Alchemy”   can be heard via its premiere on   SonicPerspectives   HERE .

The full album is being released on February 11, 2022.

Music Video - Infinite -  

Track Listing: ​
1. Silver (7:03)
2. Alchemy (7:08)
3. Infinite (6:44)
4. Black Mirror (7:06)
5. Ghost (8:35)
6. Until Dawn (5:55)
7. Zero Hour (7:21)
Album Length: 49:54
​

For more info:
​ Facebook.com/caveatcalgary ​

About:

Caveat was formed in mid-2001 by founding members Greg Musgrave on guitar and vocals, Jawad Baloch on drums & Terry Baldwin on bass & backing vocals. Shortly afterward Casey Rogers was asked to join as the new drummer of Caveat. This lineup would go on to record and release the debut album ‘The Biggest Secret’, which they released on May 14th of 2003.

After supporting the album, Caveat decided to expand and recruited Joe Sikorski in 2004 to the second guitar, who had been playing with Thorazine since the mid-’90s.

During 2005 Caveat partnered up with Scarab Productions to record and release a self-titled EP, which ended up landing on numerous campus radio charts and found the band playing larger shows than ever before. After parting ways with Scarab Production in late 2006, the sound of the band evolved yet again, writing more progressive and technical sounding songs, resulting in their 2007 magnum opus full-length album entitled ‘Red’.

To release ‘Red’ Caveat partnered up with Toronto-based indie record label Cyclone Records. To the band’s delight, ‘Red’ was very well received in the metal community and the band played more than ever in & around Western Canada.

Just prior to the release of ‘Red’ several members would branch off and form the deathgrind side project Exit Strategy with Shane Hawco (ex-Thorazine). Exit Strategy quickly became popular in the Western Canadian extreme metal scene. In 2008, after a successful several-year run, Caveat would elect to go into indefinite hiatus to focus on Exit Strategy.

Five years later saw the brief reformation of the band when Calgary Metalfest organizer ‘Big’ Nate Reno asked Caveat to reform to play the inaugural festival in the summer of 2013, and the band obliged. Original bassist Terry Baldwin elected to not be involved with the reunion show, so Caveat turned to former Verbal Deception and current Illuminated Minerva bass player Matt Petti to handle bass duties for the Metalfest performance. After that short hiatus, the band officially reformed at the end of 2014 with Matt Petti replacing Terry Baldwin permanently on bass duties.

Songwriting began for a new album while playing a handful of shows and several metal festivals across western Canada. Recording began in May 2015 and the new album entitled ‘Consummation’ was released on June 24th, 2016. ‘Consummation’ was also a moment of further evolution of Caveat, as local musician Amanda Marie Bourden was asked to join the band as keyboard player and second lead vocalist. Amanda accepted the invitation, and her powerful vocals were featured throughout ‘Consummation’ providing a great contrast to Greg’s clean & brutal vocal attack.

In 2017 and 2018, writing commenced for the album and would feature new vocalist Amanda as more of the primary voice in the new material. This culminated into the most diverse ambitious collection of songs to date. Then in late 2019, recording began for the new album with both Joe and Casey handling main production duties this time. Production was completed in late 2020, but due to the Covid pandemic-related shutdowns, the band decided to shelve its release for the duration of 2021 as a result.

Now Caveat’s delayed fifth album, entitled ‘Alchemy’, is for release in early 2022, and once again Caveat promises to deliver a majestic metallic assault on the senses. Stay tuned and expect the unexpected.

Album and Live Band Line Up:
Amanda Marie Bourdon: Vocals & Keyboards
Greg Musgrave: Guitar & Vocals
Joe Sikorski: Guitars
Matt Petti: Bass
Casey Rogers: Drums