Turned To Stoner Chapter 6: Captain Caravan and Kaiser (Album Review)

Date Released: November 18th 2022. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Turned To Stone Chapter 6: Tracklisting

 

1.Captain Caravan - Down 03:51

2.Captain Caravan - Sailors 04:23

3.Captain Caravan - Painted Wolf 04:14

4.Captain Caravan - She Can 05:28

5.Captain Caravan - Void 03:41

6.Kaiser - Howl 05:05

7.Kaiser - Fire 02:28

8.Kaiser - Black Sand Witch 04:50

9.Kaiser - Phoenix Part 1, 2, 3: Fission, Death, Rebirth 09:37

Review

Ripple Music release the next exciting chapter within their acclaimed Turned To Stone series with two of Scandinavian’s finest Fuzz/Stoner Rock bands with Captain Caravan and Kaiser being given the opportunity to showcase their mighty talents. Curated by famed underground Stoner Rock champion and all round good guy John Gist, this release is a mighty fine slab of Blues Rock, Fuzz Rock and Stoner Rock coming from both bands.

Captain Caveman’s set of five songs around twenty minutes of high voltage STONER RAWK with a classic sideline of FUZZY SOUNDS and great vocals with a twinge of menace behind them which you feel into full effect on great tracks such as Dawn, Sailors and She Can. The instrumental work is super tight and sees the band bring energy from the legendary 70s and 80s Hard Rock scene. Excellent lyrics and melodic grooves allows Captain Caveman the chance to impress with an almighty swagger with the music walking a fine line between Hard Rock, Heavy Metal and Stoner Rock.

Kaiser’s set of fours songs perhaps offer the LOUDEST and HEAVIEST sounds on the EP with a cool approach with levels of classic sounding FUZZ ROCK that would make Truckfighters blush in the volume department. Their sound also has a PUNK ROCK spirit or attitude on tracks such as Howl, Fire and Phoenix Part 1, 2, 3: Fission, Death, Rebirth. The instrumental work is once again first rate and I will admit I enjoyed Kaiser songs the most here especially when the band go into Fuzz Rock/Desert Rock/Stoner Rock overdrive with the intense drumming allowing the record become even crazier and heavier.

Both bands bring their “A” game to the party and they do feel like different sides of the same coin on this release. So whatever style of Stoner Rock mood you find yourselves in, this release covers all bases in that aspect and offers the chance for you to fully rock out with two great bands from the Scandinavian underground scene. 

Bring on Chapter 7 in January 2023. Ripple Music showing once again why they’re one of the finest labels within the Stoner Rock Community and underground scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Turned To Stone Chapter 6 is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.

Captain Caravan Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Kaiser Links

Facebook | BandCamp

Captain Caravan - Shun The Sun (Album Review)

Release date: November 23rd 2018. Label: Cursed Tongue Records (Vinyl Only in 2019). Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Shun The Sun – Tracklisting

1.Crown
2. Illusion of Meaning
3. Shun the Sun
4. Godkiller
5. Zombie Machine
6. Shadow King
7. Dirty Red Velvet
8. Book of Oblivion

Members

Johnny Olsen – Vocals
BK Sæstad – Guitar
Morten Skogen – Drums
Geir Solli – Bass

Review

Captain Caravan are a band who are heavily influenced by Seventies Classic Hard Rock/Doom Metal with a huge Desert/Stoner Rock vibe being part of their overall sound. Their debut album Shun The Sun takes influences from bands such as Led Zep, Sabbath and Kyuss with the band trying their hardest in creating a top-notch vibrant sound.

Opening song – Crown – moves from Psychedelic Stoner Rock, Classic Rock and Desert Rock with relevant ease with the band having an easy-going charm to their music. The riffs are a mixture of old-school grooves and more modern sounding Blues/Stoner Rock vibes. Throw in a few elements of Progressive Rock and Captain Caravan have a deep passion for everything loud and heavy. There is a high amount of guitar solos on this song and that is no bad thing especially when you play the music very loud. The vocals from Johnny have a slight Blues Rock twinge to them and the vocals match the riffs superbly well.

Second song – Illusion Of Meaning – is one of the albums heaviest songs with Captain Caravan playing a more direct Stoner Metal sound. The song has quite a gloomy feel with the atmosphere becoming quite bleak at times. Though the song still has elements of Classic Hard Rock/Metal to give the band a more threatening edge and they play this song with a wicked sense of confidence.

Third song – Shun The Sun – opens with a slow-paced riff that builds up to a heavier psychedelic sound and the band becoming more confident with the heavier aspects of their music. This is perhaps lead singer’s Johnny best performance on the album. As it’s quite dynamic, as you can feel the passion and anger in his voice. The music is another psychedelic trip with the band playing one of the albums standout songs.

Fourth song – Godkiller – is an acoustic song that has an Alice In Chains feel to it especially with the gloomy vocals and heartfelt music.

The second half of the album goes even further into the Doom/Stoner Metal spectrum with songs such as Zombie Machine, Shadow King and Book Of Oblivion being a stark contrast to the opening songs. As Captain Caravan become a different band as a result. The music even has aspects of Grunge starting to appear and the listener will have some great enjoyment trying to figure out which musical direction the band will go next.

Shun The Sun is an expertly produced album with the band sounding very powerful from the start. The music is constantly loud and engaging and will have music fans on the edge of their seat.

Captain Caravan will be releasing this album on vinyl next year via Cursed Tongue Records (Awesome label started by an ex-writer of the blog) and it’s a match made in riff heaven. As CTR are one of the most dynamic labels that have emerged over the last couple of years with some epic releases to their name. Shun The Sun will no doubt fit right at home to the more established bands the label currently have on their roster.

Overall, Captain Caravan have delivered a brilliantly heavy album that’s not afraid to take genuine creative risks and that’s what makes this album so good. You never know what to expect and I want to see which musical direction the band will take in the next few years. Check this band out now as Shun The Sun is a must-have and powerful sounding album.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp