Icelandic psychedelic/doom/stoner/hard rock trio The Vintage Caravan continue to amaze here on their third album (and second for Nuclear Blast) Arrival, so much so that it's almost hard to believe just how young they are when they easily deliver music of this high quality. Seriously, from the bluesy vocals, to the stinging, slashing riffing, the driving rhythms, and of course the memorable tunes & melodies, this sounds like a veteran band who have been together for decades, not a bunch of youngsters who have been kicking around with this little group since they were just starting puberty. That however is indeed the case, and they are making the most of their spot on Nuclear Blast with another album of kick ass heavy retro rock for any fan of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Free, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Mountain, and Leaf Hound.
The band is comprised of Óskar Logi (Guitar, Vocals), Guđjón Reynisson (Drums), and Alex Örn (Bass), three players who obviously know each other very well and play off their strengths. "Eclipsed" sees some deep grooves from the rhythm team, allowing Logi's vocals to soar and his guitar riffs to deliver a mix of beauty, menace, and downright fury. "Last Day of Light" and "Shaken Beliefs" rumble along with a thunderous brew of bluesy doom laden stoner rock, while "Crazy Horses" is like a groovy head on collision between The Rolling Stones, Humble Pie, and Cactus, Logi delivering plenty of swagger with not only his vocals but also those raunchy guitar riffs. I'm reminded of vintage Free as well as Deep Purple on the smoldering "Innerverse", a moody, bluesy rocker that starts off as a slow builder before raucous organ and guitar kick up the closing bombast. For relentless riffing, you can't go wrong with the herculean "Carousel", while the bands prog tendencies come out on the epic "Winter Queen", as you can hear little bits of Hawkwind, King Crimson, and Yes sprinkled around what is otherwise an atmospheric, brooding heavy rocker. The US edition of Arrival comes with two bonus track, the mostly acoustic Led Zeppelin inspired instrumental "Say Hello" and the heavy funk of "Five Months", the latter a must hear for any fan of vintage Grand Funk Railroad.
It won't be hard for any lover of classic '70s heavy rock to thoroughly enjoy the hell out of Arrival, another complete winner from The Vintage Caravan. Hopefully the band makes it to this side of the globe someday to strut their stuff live on stage, but in the meantime, pop this one in and get your groove on in a big way.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1. Last Day of Light
2. Monolith
3. Babylon
4. Eclipsed
5. Shaken Beliefs
6. Crazy Horses
7. Sandwalker
8. Innerverse
9. Carousel
10. Winter Queen
11. Say Hello (bonus track)
12. Five Months (bonus track)
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