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CAFFEINE returns with their new album, "The Threshold", set to be released on September 13th via The Lasting Dose Records.

  • Jason Hesley
  • Jul 31, 2024
  • 2 min read

CAFFEINE returns with a whirlwind of a record that is sure to get you through your day! The Threshold takes cues from Mastodon and High On Fire and artfully mixes them with lo-fi witch house and psychedelic rock. A high-energy tornado that will have your pupils dilated and your head spinning!


Sometimes all you need is a smack in the face to kickstart your day, and CAFFEINE is all there for it! With deep roots in the German hardcore scene, the music of CAFFEINE is surrounded by an undeniable aura of energy and experience, which shows in their artful merger of progressive sludge metal with elements of witch house and psychedelic rock.


The Threshold is filled to the brim with breakneck riffing and stank-faced grooves, brought with a balls-to-the-wall attitude of the hard rockers of yesteryear. "Cycle of Delusion" opens the album in grand arena rock fashion with sweeping guitar leads and some military-grade chugging, while the following title track kicks up the tempo with a catchy chorus and the manic grooves of drummer Rocko.


Over the next half hour, the band manages to keep the energy level at a dizzying height while sneaking in a few tasteful atmospheric moments. In fact, CAFFEINE is so adept at changing pace mid-song that the atmospheric break from the title track or the mosh-pit coded bridge of "Dead End" would almost go unnoticed amid this barrage of blistering violence. Even the uncanny atmospheric interludes "Rorschach’s Waltz" and "Citadel" are just brief moments of respite that will only have your soul leave your body as it comes to an abrupt standstill.


Sick, mind-boggling, and transcendent, The Threshold is such a coherent punch in the face one would almost forget that these songs were written in different sessions with two different guitarists. Even the recording process spanned multiple sessions and several years, but nevertheless, these songs are rendered in a coherent, raw, and honest-to-god tone that sees CAFFEINE marry the intricacy of modern metal giants like Mastodon and Baroness with the magic and energy of old-school heavy metal bands like Sabbath and Motörhead. All in all, a true experience of metal in its finest form and a high-energy tornado that will have your pupils dilated and your head spinning!

 
 
 

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