The Vintage Caravan - Portals (Album Review)

Release Date: September 26th 2025. Record Label: Napalm Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Portals - Tracklisting

1. Philosopher

2. Portal I

3. Days Go By

4. Portal II

5. Here You Come Again

6. Current

7. Give And Take

8. Portal III

9. Crossroads

10. Alone

11. Portal IV

12. Freedom

13. Riot

14. Electrified

15. Portal V

16. My Aurora

17. This Road

Member

Oskar Logi Agustsson - electric guitars, vocals, acoustic guitars, flute

Alexander Örn Numason - bass guitar, backing vocals, synth, farfisa

Stefan Ari Stefansson - drums, backing vocals, percussion

Guests:

Mikael Åkerfeldt - vocals 'Philosopher'

Eybor Ingi Gunnlaugsson - vocals 'Crossroads'

Tomas Jonsson - hammond organ 'Days Go By', 'Portal II', 'Give And Take' and 'Alone'.

Valdis Eiriksdottir - backing vocals 'Riot', 'Give And Take' and 'Alone'.

Review

Everything has it's time and place and everything happens for a reason as is the case of The Vintage Caravan. This Icelandic trio has been around for a while now and have kept busy in the process but for yours truly they have moved in my periphery and have been elusive. That is until their new album 'Portals' came out at the tail-end of September. From the moment 'Portals' emanated from the speakers for the first time The Vintage Caravan had me hook, line and sinker.

There are 5 shorter compositions, all under a minute each, called 'Portals I-V' spread throughout the album acting like chapters, if you like. Don't know if I'm reading too much into it but I feel that The Vintage Caravan tells of journey through life especially regarding the different stages of a relationship.

It all begins with opener 'Philosopher' to initialize this story and it's a brilliant full-on expansive ode to 70's heavy rock with noneother than Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt on vocals. The first portal brings on 'Days Gone By' which rocks even harder than it's predecessor. A wonderfully great song. The second portal features 'Here You Come Again', Current' and 'Give And Take' and moves mainly between excellent heavy rock, electric folk and electric blues.

The vocal harmonies are captivating as are the progressive touches. A new relationship is blooming and the two protagonists are feeling each other out until they decide to give it their all. In the third portal time has moved forward and our couple have reached a point of decision making, continue or step out and move on? 'Crossroads' and 'Alone'bring trippy elements along with contemplative and reflective influx which highlighted by that wonderful vocal harmonizing and sharp hook-laden riffs.

'Portal III' sees the band not holding back through the songs 'Freedom', 'Riot' and 'Electrified'. The tempos do shift somewhat although the ferocity doesn't. The Vintage Caravan are absolutely phenomenal in this section where our protagonists are going through a very rough spell. The last ”chapter” 'Portal V' begins with the wonderfully acoustic-driven 'My Aurora'. An ode from one of the protagonists to the other about the great times they had but no longer do. 'This Road' is shockful of modernized 70's heavy rock and the perfect way to end this excellent album. Going their separate ways a new journey lies ahead of the couple. 

Like I mentioned above I might have read too much into 'Portals' but the compositions speak to me this way. Regardless, The Vintage Caravan show their true class and brilliance with this fantastic recording. And I urge you all to check this band and their music out. You won't be disappointed, on the contrary!

Words by Håkan Nyman

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Icelandic Prog Rockers THE VINTAGE CARAVAN announce studio album & stream single

Icelandic retro prog rock trio THE VINTAGE CARAVAN have announced their return with their sixth studio album, entitled Portals, set for release on 26th September 2025 via Napalm Records. The charismatic band have also released a music video for first album single 'Riot', a track dripping in their trademark sound, rich in bluesy psychedelia infused with modern intensity and irresistible riffs.

Watch the music video for 'Riot' here: 

Pre-order Portals here: https://lnk.to/TheVintageCaravan-Portals/napalmrecords

"We proudly present our sixth studio album, Portals. It’s our most diverse, dynamic, experimental album and in our opinion, our best effort yet," the band state. "Portals was recorded at Arda Recorders in Porto, Portugal in October 2024 with Axel ‘Flexi’ Árnason, with whom we worked on Voyage (2012), Arrival (2015) and the Monuments Tour (2023). This is the first time we recorded on tape and we are so happy with the results. We feel that this time we really managed to capture our live energy.

"The title of the album is a nod to the city of Porto and connecting the songs are a series of interludes which we call “Portals” that set the mood and bring you to the next track. We can’t wait for you to experience the journey that is Portals!"

On the single, singer and guitarist Óskar Logi Águstsson comments: "’Riot’ came to me in a dream. It’s the only time that has happened to me. I woke up around 7am humming the first two riffs and I really liked it and I thought to myself, “I’ll go back to sleep for a bit and then I’ll work on this”. Then I woke up again and I forgot the main riff, which was a bummer and I tried remembering the pattern all day until I gave up and went to bed, right as I was drifting off to sleep it came back to me! Thankfully!

"The track is an energetic and heavy one. The lyrics were inspired by the 2024 riots in England. We were touring the country at the time, it was a very surreal thought to be possibly caught up in a riot and I knew I wouldn’t do very well in that sort of situation, so that’s what inspired me to write the lyrics.

"We hope you enjoy 'Riot' and remember, don’t start a riot, just listen to this tune instead."

Catch the band on the following dates:

25/10/2025 UK Margate - Margate Rock Festival, Margate
26/10/2025 UK London - Camden Assembly
27/10/2025 UK Brighton - Dust
28/10/2025 UK Southampton - The 1865
29/10/2025 UK Bristol - Exchange
30/10/2025 UK Birmingham - Mama Roux
31/10/2025 UK Newcastle - Think Tank
01/11/2025 UK Glasgow - Classic Grand

THE VINTAGE CARAVAN - Riot

Portals is another testament to THE VINTAGE CARAVAN’s endlessly creative, modern take on the psychedelic retro rock sound, cementing the band’s leading position in the scene. The band’s previous studio album, Monuments, hit #21 on the German charts, marking a milestone in their evolution, and the new offering – which also features a stunning guest performance by Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt on the soulful album opener 'Philosopher' – continues to solidify THE VINTAGE CARAVAN’s reputation as torchbearers of contemporary classic rock. 

Aside from their critically acclaimed releases, the band’s electrifying live performances have mesmerized audiences at major festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Hellfest, as well as on international tours both as headliners and as support for the likes of progressive metal giants Opeth. THE VINTAGE CARAVAN will be celebrating the release of Portals with extensive headline tours in mainland Europe and the UK, announced for autumn 2025.

Tracklist

1. Philosopher (ft. Mikael Åkerfeldt)
2. Portal I
3. Days Go By
4. Portal II
5. Here You Come Again
6. Current
7. Give and Take
8. Portal III
9. Crossroads
10. Alone
11. Portal IV
12. Freedom
13. Riot
14. Electrified
15. Portal V
16. My Aurora
17. This Road

THE VINTAGE CARAVAN are:

Stefán Ari Stefánsson - Drums, backing vocals, percussion
Óskar Logi Águstsson - Electric guitars, vocals, acoustic guitars, flute
Alexander Örn Númason - Bass guitars, backing vocals, synthesizers, Farfisa

THE VINTAGE CARAVAN online:

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
X
YOUTUBE
SPOTIFY
NAPALM RECORDS

Thanks to Hold Tight PR and All Noir PR for all of the details.

The Vintage Caravan - Gateways (Album Review)

Release date: August 31st 2018. Label: Nuclear Blast Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Gateways – Tracklisting

Set Your Sights

The Way

Reflections

On The Run

All This Time

Hidden Streams

Reset

Nebula

Farewell

Tune Out

The Chain (FLEETWOOD MAC Cover) Bonus Track (DIGI and 2LP only!)

Members

Óskar Logi - Guitar and vocals

Alexander Örn - Bass and backup vocals

Stefán Ari - Drums and backup vocals

Review

Icelandic trio The Vintage Caravan describe their sound as Classic Rock. There bio notes that the average age of the band members is around 24 years old. As this guy just turned 41, my definition of classic rock (Zeppelin, Who, Boston) differs a bit from theirs (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine), which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Gateways is the band's fourth album, but is my first exposure to these guys, and I am glad to have finally found them. While their sound is classic rock influenced, I wouldn’t necessarily say it is a retro sound, but a bit more in feel. Gateways is a sonically inspired, excellently played and well recorded record. The guitars are big and crunch, the drumming is heavy, and the band carries a solid groove throughout. The vocals are also very solid and cleanly delivered.

The record opens with the groove heavy Set Your Sights which delivers on the big time crunchy guitar sound and closes with some killer soloing and sweet tempo change at the end. The Way opens with a fuzzed out Lenny Kravitz like guitar riff that carries on throughout the song and features an absolutely wicked solo. A marching drum sound opens the tightly wound Reflections, that explodes with an intense, monster riff and a killer bass groove. 

On the Run opens with an acoustic guitar opening and a low rumbling intro that gives way to a killer 80’s rock sound and some more intense solos. This is an awesome track! All This Time rumbles in with a RATM guitar and bass groove and a super catchy chorus. Hidden Streams follows and is a song that shows the bands multifaceted range. It is a high energy rock song with a couple of tempo shifts and changes. Reset brings in a bit of an Urge Overkill sounding chorus with a heavy psych breakdown. 

Nebula opens with a spacy, acoustic sound that is very Bowie/Floyd inspired and also brings in elements of Alice in Chains like vocals and vibe. The song closes with a big guitar outro. The albums closes on a bit of a darker note with Farewell. The song has a darker, grungier feel, especially with the chorus. The vibe continues in to the closer, Tune Out, and it’s somber, dark, spacy tempo and feel. The track also features a bit of mellotron and a psych heavy, Blue Oyster Cult like breakdown.

(Editor’s Note - Sadly our promo review copy didn’t have The Chain listed which the retail copies will have).

Gateways is an impressive record with it’s themes of travelling both mentally and physically showing the band with a mature approach to their music and songwriting. Whatever era you consider classic rock, you are sure to find to find elements of those songs with the Vintage Caravan. The band has a real knack for taking the sounds of others and making them uniquely their own. I would highly recommend Gateways! Dig on it.

Todd S - Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Words by Todd Stealey

Gateways be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Nuclear Blast Records from August 31^st 2018

Links:

Official | Facebook