Cauldron Born
...And Rome Shall Fall

The enormous and adorable "everything for 5 euros" box, what would life be without it? That beautiful cardboard thing omnipresent at any festival worthy of the name, the pariah of the stall, the one eternally placed to the side/underneath/at the end, or always in some absurd unreachable position, with the CDs at 15 euros proudly displayed (the ones you wouldn't even glance at) and you, risking a shoulder dislocation every time just to figure out what's inside. Usually, when you've finally managed to reach it, inside you'll find (not necessarily in this order): Czechoslovakian reprints of Chilean bands unknown even to the musicians who played in them, compilations that oscillate between the absurd and the "oh, my new coaster," and the Cauldron Born CDs.

Who? The Cauldron Born, who else? Proud representatives of stars and stripes heavy metal that couldn’t be heavier, they manage, with a discography of just two CDs in twenty years, to be the complete embodiment of all the worst/best clichés of heavy metal, stuff that makes Manowar look like poor schoolboys who still have to learn the lesson. Led by guitarist Howie Bentley, our band presents themselves as if they've just stepped out of a comic book fair dedicated to Conan the Barbarian or a low-order gay pride, your choice. Indeed, the guitarist's sword tends to clash with the perforated t-shirt of a "glossy magazine" young and muscular singer, but so be it; we have to make do. If some of you have never heard of Manowar and have just landed from Saturn, to get our band’s stylistic coordinates, you only need to examine the fascinating cover, crafted in every detail, as tradition dictates: Demon with punk crest driving a chariot beheading assorted Roman legionaries, Thor hurling lightning at Stonehenge (?!), rampant horses. Oh, there's also a kind of half-naked Valkyrie clearly gone through the tire shop on the chariot. Voilà, the picture is complete. Joking aside, if one sets aside the band's image, something one is accustomed to if one mostly follows a certain type of metal, the qualities of our group must objectively be recognized, capable, in the full 2000s, of offering a solid epic metal album, well-played and with a strong retro flavor. Born from the jack-of-all-trades Howie Bentley’s mind in the early nineties, when, to be clear, sweaters and flannel were all the rage in those parts, Cauldron Born is a genuine tribute to the two great passions of its creator, namely the most classic heavy metal of the eighties and a certain type of fantasy literature, with CD covers clearly inspired by certain seventies Conan the Barbarian comics.

Supported by musicians of high caliber (the rhythm section is truly remarkable) and the young David Loudon on the microphone, Bentley succeeds in composing effective songs even if they’re long, where excellent choruses alternate with well-structured solos that are never repetitive. If, as mentioned before, the covers aim to pay homage to various fantasy comics of times gone by, the lyrics are stuffed with references to another creature of Robert Howard, not the renowned Conan, but Kull of Valusia, a character starring in several captivating stories but always remaining in the shadow of the Cimmerian, as well as narrating the exploits of Thorn, the band's demon mascot. Musically, as one might guess, one faces very classic heavy metal, with clear influences of a certain European power metal, with some segments that may bring to mind bands like our own Rhapsody. The work of the rhythm section is impressive, especially thanks to a bass that is ever-present and often manages to take on a prominent role, a clear sign of the technical caliber of the various musicians. Loudon, despite his young age, manages to put his stamp on individual songs, thanks also to a voice with a good range and capable of expressing itself in multiple registers, even though perhaps the greats of the genre remain distant. Howie Bentley, for his part, has the gift of being able to write long, "baroque" solos without falling into gaudiness, thus managing to offer a solid and enjoyable album even after multiple listens.

It must be acknowledged that not all tracks are on a par with the excellent "By this Axe I Rule" or "Finder of the Black Stone," but pieces like "Storming the Castle," plus a drum solo, or "Bloodbath in the Arena" are definitely worth the price of the CD. A group with an absolutely limited discography, two albums, and a collection of demos, recently returned to activity after Bentley spent years working on other projects, and who knows, they might soon come back with a new album. As one might easily guess, a band like Cauldron Born naturally appeals to a very specific audience and does absolutely nothing to win over listeners not accustomed to this type of offering, remaining, by choice, the preserve of a few. Those crazy for this type of proposal, which many will surely find gaudy and laughable, will have found their match, the others can easily ignore them, the chances they’ll find something congenial are really slim.