adg211288
With all of the modern hard rock out there that just seems to push the genre into more alternative or post-grungy kind of directions that seems (at least to me) to get the most attention and become household names, it's easy to overlook that there are hard rock bands out there flying the flag for more old school based sounds. Iceland's hard rocking trio The Vintage Caravan (awesome name) are one such band. Arrival (2015) is their third album.
Bringing with them a very heavy sound that honestly wouldn't be too far off making them a heavy metal band were it not for their technique that puts them firmly in the classic hard rock camp, Arrival is a fine slab of music. There isn't a bad track on the ten track album (twelve including bonuses), though there are some noted standouts in the form of Last Day of Light, Crazy Horses and Winter Queen. Not every song is as memorable as it could be, but they're all very enjoyable, showing off a decent level of diversity and that the young band are skilled at their instruments, comfortably delivering tracks of varying tempos convincingly. Lead singer Óskar Logi Ágústssona has just the right voice to top it all off too, working well with the album's more subdued and heavy parts as well as lively rockers and balladry like Innerverse.
I think that The Vintage Caravan have overall made a really great hard rock album with Arrival, really showcasing that they have the potential to take their sound even further. I've also heard the previous offering Voyage (2012) which had them including more psych based influences while on Arrival they've swapped in some progressive undertones. If think that if the band bring all that together with their base hard rock sound they'll produce something truly mammoth. But even as it stands I have quite the soft spot for Arrival and am more than satisfied with it while I wait to hear how the trio continue to mature and improve on their craft. There's no reason to doubt given what I've heard here that when they follow it up the next one will be a true monster.