Caustic Casanova - Pantheon: Volume 3 (2018)
Continuing a series they've been
running since 2014, Caustic Casanova pack the A-side of Pantheon:
Volume 3 with three songs of their
own devising to complement the cover of Weedeater's “God Luck and
Good Speed” on the B-side. Leading with “Clown Butter”, the
three-piece D.C. group blur together a number of styles, with punk,
groove metal, stoner rock, and more evident in the twitchy riffs,
funked-out bass-lines, and bumping drum-work. Keeping the track
instrumental, the band twists and dips through enough nuttiness to
pass as a lost Frank Zappa tune, while continually revving up the
energy and pressure.
Carrying
on from there with “Everyone's Goddamn Business”, CC shift into a
heavier gear, something akin to a proggier cut from Kyuss' Welcome
to Sky Valley, though the
arrival of the dual vocals put my mind in the neighborhood of Acid
King and general-purpose grunge. Carrying plenty of melodic jumps
and fake-outs, the song runs through its duration before you can
fully grasp everything it's doing, and dives from there right into
the last of the EP's originals, “Stampede”. True to its name,
the song rides up with a galloping riff and rising speed, pulling you
along for the trip with an assortment of hooks and groove mutations.
A bit
of banjo and fuzzy bass rumbling sets a suitable opening for the
Weedeater cover, and despite the absence of Dixie's distinctive
voice, CC do a great job of paying homage to the original while
giving it their own coat of style. It's a little friendlier in mood
and tone, and not just because of the cleaner vocals (though the
growls are certainly present). The strings are a little warmer, the
feedback less abrasive, and the guitar less choppy, but it all feels
in line with the weird fun of the A-side's contents. Though it all
comes together at just about twenty minutes of material, there's a
lot to take in across the four tracks, and the band comes out
sounding enthusiastic, inventive, and cool. Snag a copy on vinyl or
digital; or, if you've got to have things on tape or CD, you can grab
a collection of all three Pantheon
releases (with an alternate version of “God Luck”) on either of
those formats. In any event, do yourself a favor and check this crew
out.
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Acid Kola Turbo, Crown Larks, Frank Sabbath, Queen Crescent,
Zombie Picnic
~
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