Caustic Casanova’s December 11 2015 show named as one of the best shows of 2015 in Savannah, GA

Breaks named 15th Best Album of the Year by Outlaws of the Sun

An early signee to Kylesa’s Retro Futurist Records, Caustic Casanova is pushing genre and style in some of the most original ways we’ve seen in 2015. Blending space rock reverberation and echo with post-punk attack and a dismantle-it-all-and-solder-it-back mentality, their September release, Breaks, is a fascinating listen.

Retro Futurist is truly a diverse roster—Burnt Books is a downright incendiary take on artful hardcore, Niche a ‘70s-influenced force of rock ‘n’ roll, Crazy Bag Lady a punk band laden with infectious hooks. If anything, you know it’s a Retro Futurist band if it packs a punch that hits you right in the gut, that has some kind of true, feral fury in it.

That’s where Caustic Casanova comes in. If you like gutsy, raw stuff and music that can’t fit nicely in a tiny little box of genre, you’ll want to be at this show.

Lengthy interview with Caustic Casanova by Taylor Northern

Caustic Casanova from Washington, DC has released their sophomore LP, Break, on Sept. 25. The trio’s songs on this latest album have a spacey, psychedelic influence while they still [retain] a heavy punk rock band. They almost lost their drummer, Stefanie Zaenker, to a severe accident where her drumming career was at high risk, but she is now recovered and making an incredible comeback on their full U.S. tour. The tour is in support of their new album and will come to The Acheron in Brooklyn on Dec. 5.

Breaks is an album that has the sound of a timeless classic. Its heavy, rhythmically driven sound pays tribute to earlier doom metal and blues rock bands like Black Sabbath and Pentagram, but still comes across as authentic and original. The occasional spacey, atmospheric guitar sounds balance the cutting guitar and bass unison riffs, and the drums and bass are played together with the kind of precision that comes from years of musical dialogue. It is a well rounded sound, abrasive in all the right ways.

Listening to Breaks paints pictures of an epic adventure, fighting fire breathing dragons and carrying swords across dark mountains. The vocals are mixed back, sounding like cries through a dungeon wall. The three main characters take turns in the lead, each one vital to the sound. I have to say as a bit of a minimalist, I appreciate that there is nothing extra here. Every note and every beat is necessary, even with a bit of effected guitar. It is a bold statement in the face of the DC scene, which can become so cerebral and saturated with sounds of indie and dream pop that it loses a bit of the visceral, primal energy that is essential to good rock music. Caustic Casanova brings that energy in droves with the slow-heavy Breaks, and they do it right.

DC’s “regressive rock” trio Casutic Casanova – signed to Kylesa’s Retro Futurist Records in 2014 and backing new album, Breaks – pushes a muscular, riff-roaring, bass-fuzzed blend of metal and hard rock, flavored with doses of noise and stoned psychedelia, and marked by the soaring and howling male-female vocal harmonies of drummer/vocalist Stefanie Zaenker and bassist/lead vocalist Francis Beringer.

Article by Stefanie Zaenker “Culinary Adventures From A Touring Drummer”

feature on the band’s “Show Some Shame” Rush tribute music video and accompanying essay on Rush by Francis Beringer

Caustic Casanova is a band I’ve just came across when I was sent their new album – Breaks to review. Caustic Casanova has been round since 2005. Wow. And I’ve never heard of them until now. Oh well, better late than never. Newly signed to Kylesa record label – Retro Futurist, their new album – Breaks is one that’s very hard to describe. Parts Sludge, Doom, Stoner, Psych, Noise Rock and even Indie Rock. Caustic Casanova has there own approach to heavy based music. If you’re a fan of Kylesa, Torche and Helms Alee then you better check this album out now as Breaks is a sheer heavy musical delight from start to finish.

Opening track – Thundersnow – has a heavy sludge rock approach though it has a lovely psychedelic pop feel that Torche/Floor are known for. The dual vocals of Stephanie and Francis give this song an exciting lo-fi post-punk vibe as the band will confuse and delight you in equal measure. The album has quite a schizophrenic feel as the band throw almost every kind of heavy rock genre at you. The band even includes traces of Space Rock towards the end of the song. You can see why they were signed to Retro Futurist as they have a lot in common with Kylesa. It’s a fantastic sound which the rest of the album follows.

Second track – Show Some Shame – is an upbeat Sludge/Stoner/Psych Rock number with fast-paced guitars and spiky pop based vocals courtesy of Francis. Stephanie’s drumming is a constant threat through out and when the dual vocals return you can’t help thinking this band would be brilliant touring partners for Torche. It’s perhaps the recognisable Doom/Sludge pop vibe that Torche is known for but Caustic Casanova create their own style of addictive sludge pop. This is one of the albums standout tracks.

Third track – Elect My Best Friend For A Better World – as you may tell from the title itself is a more personal and bleaker tale compared to the opening two tracks. It’s a doomier affair with intricate post-punk riffs that slowly builds the atmosphere for the heavier riffs to come crashing in. It does take time for them to appear but the song runs for 9:30 mins and it’s a highly emotional song. Once the Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs arrive you’re confronted with a bleak atmosphere as the band has written bleak lyrics that have power to bring a tear to your eye. Though the power of the riff compels me more to go into full HEADBANGING mode and I’m ashamed to say that I did.

Fourth track – Quezalteca Deathswitch Blues – may have a crazy title and one that only Caustic Casanova knows the true meaning of. The band switch musical gears yet again. This is more of a Doom/Post-Punk/Stoner sound with the dual vocals having an Indie Rock vibe. The vocals maybe quite jarring for some to enjoy but I dig them as these vocals have passion and an identity all of their own.

Fifth track – The Forgiveness Machine – opens with a thumping bass line before the usual sludgy/doomy guitars kick in. It’s played at a deliberate slow-pace with Francis’s vocals being the main focus whilst the music becomes heavier and more psychedelic as time passes by.

The last two songs – No Sky July and The Painted Desert – take up 21 minutes of the albums run time and both perhaps contain the albums heaviest sounds and more far-out ideas as Caustic Casanova in creating a surreal trippy psychedelic vibe, The sounds drift from Post-Punk, Space, Stoner, Sludge and Doomy atmospherics whilst offering a bleak pop sensibility. Yeah it can be confusing at times but you’re never bored for a second. Even I don’t know what is going on from time to time but that’s what makes this album so exciting. It dares to be different from other albums out there.

Breaks is a surreal and psychedelic out-of-control sludge riff fest and one that can be classed as one of the most innovative albums of the year. I had low expectations for this album and I always love albums more that not only defy genre conventions but my own expectations as well. Yeah, I loved this album. Breaks is going to end up as one of my fave records of 2015.

Caustic Casanova is a helluva band name. It’s something the group live up to with the sheer colour of their music. New cut ‘Quezalteca Deathswitch Blues’ is a piece of vivid songwriting, shot through with colour and panache. The accompanying visuals take this one step further. A journey through the wilderness, it finds Caustic Casanova re-born in a cartoon world. Animated by Wesley Belak-Berger, his brother Chuck BB drew the cartoons of the band. It’s a bewitching clip, one you can catch below.

As with their 2012 debut, Someday You Will be Proven Correct, Washington D.C.-based trio Caustic Casanova recorded their sophomore long-player, Breaks, with J. Robbins at The Magpie Cage in Baltimore. They’re also releasing the album through Kylesa’s Retro Futurist Records imprint, so they come nothing if not well-endorsed. With bassist Francis Beringer and drummer Stefanie Zaenker sharing vocal duties throughout – the trio is completed by Andrew Yonki on guitar – they run and bounce through a gamut of upbeat post-hardcore noise rock, thick in tone but not so much as to get up and move around, tempo-wise. Yonki brings some post-rock airiness to the early going of the nine-minute “Elect My Best Friend for a Better World,” but the album on the whole feels more about impact than atmosphere, and Caustic Casanova work up considerable momentum by the time they get around to paying off the 12-minute finale, “The Painted Desert.” Its melodies open up more on repeat listens, but not at the expense of the push so well enacted throughout.

Long one of my favorite DC area bands, it is great to see these three taking their sound to new heights on their new label. ‘New’ guitarist, Andrew Yonki, has now been firmly in place for some time and offers all the classic touches we used to hear along with some quick little tricks of his own. His style is almost Steve Turner-like, although the band won’t have you thinking of Mudhoney at first blush. Yet Francis’ vocals have some of that desperate edge of Mark Arm, while Stephanie’s drumming is as hard hitting as Dan Peters, even at half the size. But they are not on Sub Pop, they are on Kylesa’s label (Retro Futurist Records) which is the perfect home for them, as Kylesa is perhaps the most successful fusion of metal and psychedelia (with a dose of punk attitude), Caustic Casanova has been offering lots of creativity in this heavy psycho-world as well. These seven long songs flow even more seamlessly than the previous and more diverse LP, yet by no means does this lack for creative variety.

Songs to start with first:
Thundersnow – The opener is a ferocious start, as expected, but also showcases the clever shifts and arrangement choices, this trio is good at.

Elect My Best Friend for a Better World – The guitar is more psychedelic and the rhythm section even more rollicking.

No Sky July – Great vocal work and a mystical psyche droner with plenty of sharp uptempo moves somehow embedded here as well

Formed in 2005 at the College of William and Mary and currently hailing from Washington D.C., Caustic Casanova has seen a tumultuous decade. Almost losing drummer/vocalist Stefanie Zaenker to a near-fatal accident wasn’t enough to keep them out of the game. Following up the commercial and critical success of 2012’s Someday You Will be Proven Correct and the departure of the group’s original guitarist, Breaks bleeds solidarity and sounds like the effort of close friends. How will the addition of new guitarist Andrew Yonki shift Casanova’s dynamic?

“Thundersnow” opens Breaks with a confident pace and hungry riffs, opening up to a space where listeners can’t help but pay attention to Francis Beringer and Zaenker exclaiming “A dream is real while it happens,” setting a tone of immediacy and freedom that carries throughout. “Show Some Shame” showcases Casanova’s uncanny ability to shape-shift from one genre to another, even within verse, handling transitions between punk and metal with ease. “Quetzelteca Deathswitch Blues” has a runaway beat and a natural performance. The album sounds organic enough to convince you it’s from a past decade. “No Sky July” is a stretch display of psych-rock that drags on a tiny bit too long but really hammers home Caustic Casanova’s patience and willingness to expand one concept as far as they can. “The Painted Desert” is brawny and spaced-out, closing out Breaks with a sweeping display of genre-bending that gently brings you down to earth.

Breaks is unforced and patient, with a brooding and driving sensibility. The group is clearly unafraid to dwell on certain musical ideas, occasionally fleshing them out to the point of excess. The pacing may not be perfect but the approach is refreshing. It’s clear that after losing their old guitarist, the core members stepped to the front. The bass-heavy sound catches your attention because it doesn’t breath currency and it doesn’t try to fit in. Caustic Casanova is putting out a solid entry into an unsaturated region of rock sub-genre mash, with elements of post-punk, post-rock, post-metal, progressive, blues, and hard rock coming together in an altogether endearing vibe that feels like a house show minus the amateurism. There’s no pretension here, but their is a healthy amount of heart and guts.

If you like your music loud — and I’m talking the kind of loud that threatens to make yours ears bleed — you might want to consider giving “Breaks” a spin. That’s the latest full-length from high-decibel trio Caustic Casanova. It’s a high-octane gathering of seven sprawling tunes that find the band taking their music in a new direction.

New guitarist Andrew Yonki joins original members Francis Beringer (lead vocals/bass) and Stefanie Zaenker (drums/vocals) and Caustic Casanova haven’t missed a beat. The songs on the 55-minute “Breaks” are abrasive and riff-heavy — filled with lots of distorted guitars, fuzzy bass and thunderous drumming — and should help the trio expand their fan base. Yonki in particular shines throughout the recording.

Opener “Thundersnow” sets the tone for what’s to come and Caustic Casanova later score with nine-minute opus “Elect My Best Friend for a Better World,” “Quezalteca Deathswitch Blues,” “The Forgiveness Machine” and 12-minute closer “The Painted Desert.” This is the kind of record that takes its toll on the listener, leaving you spent — but satisfied — after every spin.

When I dumped this album [Breaks] into my iTunes, the genre read “metal.” Unlike some folks, that didn’t bother me at all. I thought the name was a bit twee for a metal act, but I’m a couple decades past my prime as a music reviewer, so what the hell.

Turns out the name is just about perfect. Caustic Casanova is a three-piece power indie rock band from the wilds of D.C. Imagine a proggy version of Superchunk or the Nineteen Forty-Fives (complete with songs that might clock in at nine or twelve minutes), and you’re pretty much there. Since these folks hail from inside the Beltway, J. Robbins is their house producer. And yes, it wouldn’t be wrong to add Jawbox to those influences listed above.
So. . .awesome, really. The rhythms are straight indie rock, with a tendency toward the Weddoes. The guitars aren’t quite psychedelically fuzzy, but they’re definitely not metal clean. And the dual vocals of Stefanie Zaneker and Francis Berenger are enthralling. Unison male and female vocals is one of those elements that is simply intoxicating to me. CC usually uses that trick on the hooks, but it bleeds into the verses on occasion. Enough to excite; infrequent enough to be a treat.

And the power. CC crosses just about every genre in existence in its quest for a unique sound. And I think it’s fair to say that has been accomplished. I’ve never seen the band live (a situation I’ll have to rectify soon), but I can envision a setlist that might include “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” “The Trooper,” “Slack Motherfucker” and “Surprise, You’re Dead.” And maybe a really twisted version of “Yours Is No Disgrace.”

Despite the definite geezerage such covers might indicate, CC is fully modern. No one plays songs like this. Nobody. And the sheer glee evident within leaves tingles. The future might not be wretched after all. It just might kick some serious ass.

Washington DC’s Caustic Casanova has just released their newest EP Breaks.The trio consisting of Francis Beringer on bass, Andrew Yonki on guitar and Stefanie Zaenker on drums, all share vocal duties. The sound is eclectic to say the least, but the one thing that is obvious upon the first listening to Breaks is the bands cohesiveness and skill. Combining elements of Punk, Classic Heavy Metal, and Alternative Rock, Caustic Casanova creates an unique blend of music that sound like Black Sabbath and The Melvins started a group and asked PJ Harvey to join them. The standout tracks on Breaks are “Quezalteca Deathswitch Blues” and “The Painted Desert.” This young band has a lot of potential and talent galore.

Essay By Andrew Yonki “Influential Album: Andrew Yonki of Caustic Casanova Discusses Isis’ Panopticon“

This DC outfit features brilliant minds such as drummer Stefanie Zaenker and bassist Francis Beringer, both graduates of the prestigious College of William and Mary. They are joined by guitarist Andrew Yonki, who I am certain is highly intelligent as well, if his playing is a reflection of his intellect. Caustic Casanova is deceptively heavy and the band revels is expansive, panoramic songs that include various shifts in tempos as well as a luxurious amount of room for each nuance to be fully explored. When Beringer howls “we are all doomed” on “Show Some Shame”, he does so with a harmoniously deadpan delivery, eschewing any disgust or apathy one would more commonly associate with such a sentiment. Yonki’s playing dominates the opening “Thundersnow” and “No Sky July”; two pieces delivered with jaw-dropping deftness and precision. Meanwhile, “Elect My Friend For a Better World” features bursts of psychedelia that effortlessly transitions to chugging metal riffing accented by a thunderous bass line. “The Forgiveness Machine” is a slab of low-end blunt force that succumbs to a scintillating guitar exhibition that ultimately retreats back into a lair of punishing bombast. Each player shines here and Caustic Casanova is determined to make the listener do some work-one do not simply sit back and allow this waft across the room-but the effort is well worth the result.

Three cuts from Breaks have been released so far, with lead single “Show Some Shame” showcasing Caustic Casanova’s heavy power and melody. It’s a more straightforward tune than the other singles, charging ahead with whipping, incendiary guitar riffs, nimble, low-end bass line, and an emphatic, acrobatic drum beat. The song plows forward with Francis’s expressive vocals marking the verses, as he plaintively howls “All the world’s a stage / We’re unprepared / Our understudy’s turned up dead.” For the chorus breakdown, Stefanie joins Francis on their Exene Cervenka and John Doe-like exclamations which are pitted against the heavy churn of distorted guitar riffs, cymbal blasts, and drums that pummel like a sped-up boxer hitting with sharp precision. The agitation only increases by the end of the song, with both Francis howling and Stefanie shouting “We are doomed!”

Next up was DC based Caustic Casanova. These guys and gal brought a very interesting sound to the table. Almost a surfer/space rock sound, think Weezer meets the Beach Boys. . . ok that’s not a very accurate description but you really have to listen to them for yourselves

Eventually, the band discovered their newest guitarist Andrew Yonki, who makes his first recorded appearance on the trio’s soon-to-be released, third full-length effort, Breaks, which is slated for a September 25 release through Retro Futurist Records and the album’s latest single “The Forgiveness Machine” will further cement the band’s reputation for sludgy, power chord and thundering drum-based rock that channels Melvins and others with a subtle psychedelic bent just under the murky surface. Simply put it’s a forceful, muscular scorcher of a song that twists and turns about while kicking ass and taking names.

I spend most of my time listening to music a few decibels south of heavy rock, but there is something cathartic about the primal energy of blazing electric guitars and throbbing drums that calls on my inner headbanger every now and then. Despite my shocking lack of a black t-shirt, I showed up at Zanzabar Sunday night to check out DC-area band Caustic Casanova and veteran label-mates, Kylesa, out of Savannah.

CC took the stage in front of Kylesa’s sprawling drum kits, making their first appearance in Louisville (they practiced pronouncing it). Refreshingly unpretentious, CC got down to business with the viper sting of “Snake in the Grass” — unleashing bassist Francis Beringer’s underworldly howling vocals. Guitarist Andrew Yonki and drummer Stefanie Zaenker are a powerhouse duo, providing all the ferocious, driving energy that propels the songs satisfyingly along paths that dip, switch, and build to thunderous climaxes.

For me, the thing that sets CC apart from a lot of heavy rock and metal bands is that their songs are so various — they manage to surprise with different rhythms and textures, avoiding one continuous dark, thrummy sound that blurs from one song to another. There are touches from other genres while remaining true to the overall loud, relentless shred of doomy rock. I really love the demonic surge of “Quezalteca Deathswitch Blues” as well as the visceral punch of the fast and furious “Show Some Shame,” from their upcoming album, Breaks. Their delivery is pretty flawless — you hear the craft and care that have gone into the songs, which also feature some thoughtful, literate vocals.

Caustic Casanova provided an excellent tune-up for the crowd who arrived early for headlining band Kylesa, whose dual drummers kept me mesmerized pretty much the whole time. Perhaps it’s something of a gimmick, but it’s a highly successful one. Overall, I found Kylesa less interesting to my tastes than CC, but the air-strumming, head-bobbing crowd would undoubtedly disagree.

Review of the 9/5/2015 show in St. Louis, MO with Kylesa and Path of Might by ND McCray

The track is a blend of heavy, bluesy sludge that features bursts of 60’s psychedelic fusion. It flows from a plodding slow tempo to a more deliberate and aggressive mid-tempo approach. It’s incredibly dynamic and a great deal of fun!

A heavy rock band that formed 10 years ago at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Caustic Casanova has changed personnel and weathered some serious bad breaks since then, but they have emerged louder and stronger than ever, judging from their aptly named release, “Breaks,” out September 25 on Retro Futurist. Opening for fellow rockers and label-owners Kylesa at Zanzabar this Sunday, the three members of CC took some time to talk about the new album and upcoming tour.

This is drummer Stefanie Zaenker’s first full tour since recovering from two broken wrists, a serious injury that required months of physical therapy and many hours of recovery work on her own. “A lot of the stretching devices my therapists made looked like instruments used for torture, but damn, was it worth it because I got all of my mobility back in both wrists in time to play a show 4 months later! I have metal in both wrists that will stay there forever, but I only really feel it in the form of soreness when the weather changes dramatically. Other than that I feel completely recovered.”

Zaenker’s repaired wrists weren’t the only challenge as CC headed into the studio. They were also transitioning between lead guitarists. Andrew Yonki impressed them the most in auditions, and it helps that he was also a familiar face — a friend, as well as a CC fan, familiar with their music. Bassist Francis Beringer credits Yonki with adding some important elements. “He brought a louder, more demonic edge to our band. We’re definitely a heavier band because of his influence, which is where I wanted to go anyway, so it worked out perfectly.”

Putting the new album together was a collaborative effort, weaving together threads of songs for which Beringer and Zaenker had already worked out bass and drum parts with Yonki’s guitar wizardry. Beringer also enjoyed the unfamiliar job of putting lyrics and vocals to song structures that Yonki brought to the band. “I had to think as a singer and lyricist as well as a bassist and arranger from the very beginning. It was a fun challenge and a new way of looking at songwriting. Fitting your words and melodies onto someone else’s riff ideas is a puzzle – fun and frustrating in equal measure.”

For Yonki, his first recording experience with CC as lead guitarist was entirely positive. “The fact that we tracked the scratch tracks for Breaks in a live room together as a band with our live performance setups — it was so much more comfortable.”

The members of CC agree that taking risks and bending the genre a bit is what keeps them inspired, and it’s one of the reasons they are excited about the new record. Beringer likes the niche that CC has carved for itself: “I don’t want to sound like other bands, and when you’re wholly committed to that aesthetic, categorization is difficult, which creates confusion, which is in turn inherently risky because often bands that don’t fit into “scenes” or neat little boxes have a tough time getting on bills and growing their audiences. That commitment to sonic diversity has always been a burden for this band going back many years. Luckily Retro Futurist Records is a home for bands like ours that don’t fit into categories.”

Check out two new tracks from the album on SoundCloud. I highly recommend the relentless drive of “Quezalteca Deathswitch Blues” with its dark, churning energy.

Hailing Washington DC, Caustic Casanova has a lot going for them in the route of catchy-as-hell songs, while still maintaining some fresh and inventive new ideas. Their new album Breaks has so much packed into it that I don’t even know where to begin.

If there’s anything I know for sure, it’s that I have to commend them for their heavy and brilliant use of the bass guitar. It’s perfectly mixed with the guitars to the point of where they cooperate beautifully together through the tracks, pulling together some amazing solos on both ends.

As mentioned before, there’s so much packed into this album, specifically in the area of tone, it’s hard to pin-point because of the high amount of mixtures that can be found in this record. It goes all the way from psych rock to post punk, some heavy forms of metal, and even blues. It’s amazing to hear a band that can manage to pack all of these different influences within just a single album, and in an original manner. The lyrical content, on the other hand, is a bit on the odd side. Political flavors arise, whether it be the song titles or the actual lyrics themselves. The clean style of vocals that all three of the members lend to the songs—sometimes getting a bit louder and more abrasive—fits within the songs they’ve created.

If you’re wanting to listen to something with new and interesting ideas, I recommend checking this album out when it releases this September. I honestly had a ton of fun listening to this album, as it’s one of the best heavy rock/metal albums of this year, hands down.

Quetzalteca Deathswitch Blues” is the second single from Caustic Casanova’s energetically innovative LP, Breaks, which comes out on Kylesa’s Retro Futurist label on September 25.

As if lead single “Show Some Shame” wasn’t enough to convince you of Caustic Casanova’s addictive dynamism, just listen to “Quetzalteca Deathswitch Blues.”

The track shows the trio at their finest, blending bassist-singer Francis Beringer’s post-punk-inspired lead vocals, drummer-singer Stefanie Zaenker’s pounding rhythms and spot-on backing vocals, and Andrew Yonki’s catchy riff and blazing solo.

“Quetzalteca Deathswitch Blues,” in addition to “Show Some Shame,” is proof positive that Caustic Casanova is one of the most excitingly innovative bands on the planet. And, as evidenced on Breaks, the band’s at home in psych, prog, metal, punk, and seemingly every other genre in the galaxy.

Three piece power trio with a singing chick drummer bringing up the rear, these cats merge power pop with heavy metal and know how to bring the noize.

Washington, D.C.-based trio Caustic Casanova doesn’t have time to mince words-their music is immediate and direct in all the best ways. Favoring aggressive rhythms and elastic melodies over something more timid and controlled, the band excels in this sort of progressive rock landscape. Composed of singer/bassist Francis Beringer, drummer/singer Stefanie Zaenker and guitarist Andrew Yonki, the band bases their heavily layered sound on a handful of influences and genres. From psych to classic rock and indie rock, the band devours these genres in a bid to inexorably reassemble their inspirations. They’re set to release their latest record, “Breaks,” on Sept. 25 via Retro Futurist Records.

On recent single, “Show Some Shame,” they churn through a laundry list of sounds before settling on a potent mix of hard rock, proto-metal and early ’90s indie rock tendencies. The song sends blistering guitar squalls, thudding percussive blasts and vocals that sound as though they’re slowly dismantling the building around you, allowing each moment to hit with an appropriate force. The band isn’t waiting around for anyone to get accustomed to their ferocious rock inclinations but is plowing past in a blur of battered guitar strings, splintered drumheads and strained vocal cords. It’s a perfect representation of that one last roar we all have before we’re ready to let go of summer and begin the slow descent into autumn.

You can’t pin this album down in a single genre. It is a rock album, but it is psychedelic, punk, grunge, metal and so many more. This album, besides being a great listen, is almost a résumé; a, “look what we can do” type of album that fires on all cylinders.

Each song feels like it was picked from a different album, but they blend together well. Fans of Black Sabbath, as well as fans of Queens of the Stone Age and even Explosions in the Sky will find tracks on this album to enjoy. Caustic Casanova has tried to break down the walls between genres and fans and create a blanket album to cover all fans.

The truly interesting thing is that none of the songs feel rushed, cheated or forced. Caustic Casanova actually seems like they excel in all of these areas. There is not a bad song on this album and it is impossible to tell which style is their favorite.

Feature interview conducted by Timothy Anderl HERE

The folks in Caustic Casanova are back and sounding better than ever. After releasing two well-received albums (Imminent Eminence, 2008 and Someday You Will Be Proven Correct, 2012), they embarked on a SXSW tour…only to have their original guitarist suddenly leave the band. Afterward they tried continuing as a drum and bass duo but that didn’t seem right. Another setback was that the drummer at one point experienced serious wrist injuries from which she had to recover. They finally had to make a decision whether to continue or go off in some different direction. After enlisting Andrew Yonki to play guitar, the decision was obvious. Caustic Casanova was back in business and ready to forge ahead. Once again produced by J. Robbins, Breaks picks up where the last album left off. This band has a sound and style that will remind folks of 1980s and 1990s underground guitar rock. These tracks sound like a real band playing real instruments. And they’re not at all afraid to turn up and make real noise. Breaks is a true rock and roll album, full of furious rhythms, loud guitars, and plenty of focused aggression. Seven thundering rockers that will please even the most jaded music fans. Killer cuts include “Thundersnow,” “Elect My Best Friend For A Better World,” “The Forgiveness Machine,” and “The Painted Desert.”

As I’ve said many times, I’ll cover a band if their name makes me laugh, and Caustic Casanova are one such band. That being said, they also bring forth a really powerful and interesting sound that is rather unlike anything I have ever heard. What these guys do is add touches of doom metal to a crushing rock sound and use double male and female vocals to help get some interesting effects into the mix. Toss in psychedelic freakouts and poignant solos and you have yourself their new record Breaks a surprisingly satisfying LP that will have you coming back for more. The tasteful interplay that the band base their sound off of is endlessly interesting to me and helps to make Caustic Casanova stand out in a crowded field. These guys are coming at you with top notch compositions that refuse to follow your goddamn rules and instead have you opening your eyes to delve deeper into the world of heavy music. Are you ready to take the plunge?

Frenetic energy, demanding vocals, on the edge of collapsing at any moment. This gets me amped up to hear what they’ll tack on to their catalog with their third album this September.

This is definitely the most amped up I’ve ever been while being told “we are doomed!” The innate melodicism of this riff-heavy rocker turns my head, even though I’m not that into heavy stuff anymore.

Noisy, progressive Washington, DC-based three-piece Caustic Casanova will be unveiling their latest studio album when Breaks arrives this fall, and in anticipation of the new record, Exclaim! is pleased to share the premiere of the band’s brand new single “Show Some Shame.”

Loud, but melodic and intricately pieced together, the new song runs the gamut from sludge to psychedelia, all in just over four minutes. Consisting of founding members Stefanie Zaenker (drums/vocals) and Francis Beringer (lead vocals/bass), as well as newer addition Andrew Yonki on guitar, the current lineup sound like they’ve hit their stride — and after writing and touring together for a couple years, they’re ready to unleash what they’ve been working on.

The Washington DC-based and SEM favorite Caustic Casanova have released a new single, “Show Some Shame,” from their forthcoming LP, Breaks, which is due out on the Kylesa-helmed Retro Futurist Records on September 25.

Breaks is Caustic Casanova’s follow-up to 2012’s Someday You Will Be Proven Correct, which SEM‘s Alex Green hailed as “Literary, political and tangentially astral . . . an energetic blast of sci-fi post-punk.”

Featuring Stefanie Zaenker on drums and vocals, Francis Beringer on bass and lead vocals, and Andrew Yonki on guitar, Breaks promises to be heavier than its predecessor, covering dark post-punk, psychedelic post-metal, doom blues, complex progressive rock, and everything in the gaps.

On Breaks, Caustic Casanova are sure to take you to never-before heard musical horizons – ones that will viscerally and imaginatively grab you and keep you listening.

It has been a while since I have last seen one of my all-time favorites in the DC area, which is ok by me as it has allowed a lot of good things to happen for them. They are signed to Retro Futurist Records and will have a second album out soon. They have done well on some lengthy touring and have gotten all the tighter as a result with plenty of new songs for me as well. And they laid it on thick, fast, and with a more demonic edge tonight. They still have a great psychedelic sound in their metallic approach, but add a lot of distinct personal elements. They even had a guest vocalist (George Burton, I believe) who chipped in by writing some words to a strange instrumental cut that reminded me again of MX-80 Sound (I rarely get to say that, so I keep bringing it up whenever possible). The newer songs are more for fans of Boris, Kylesa and Tool, and many more. I liked how they had a lot more double vocals now with the female voice of the drummer added to the male bassist voice. Although they struggle to get above the pummeling sound, they end up succeeding for me and the decent Tuesday night crowd here. They are hitting on all cylinders now, catch them while you can.