Swedes’ new one ticks all Bernard’s boxes
Nothing gets my musical interest like an e-mail appearing in my inbox that mentions Sweden and Smallstone Records. Sweden seems to have a plethora of like-minded guitar based rock bands that include Spiritual Beggars, Graveyard, Witchcraft, Blues Pills and Free Fall. Add to that others I’ve already reviewed for this site including Gin Lady and Wheel In The Sky and Sweden seems to be the place to be. Add Smallstone Records to the mix as one of the best labels for finding out quality blues-based rock and Captain Crimson found themselves playing on my PC pretty quickly.
This four piece band has been around since 2010 and this is their third album and I’m pleased to report that it’s great.
‘Ghost Town’ opens proceedings with a musical salvo that Blues Pills fans will love as the have that same warm guitar sound riffing away over a rock solid rhythm section. ‘Bells From The Underground’ follows and this is the best song Spiritual Beggars never wrote, as it really sounds like something off their early albums. The musical bridge in the middle of this song is probably the closest they get to metal as things turn a bit more intense leading into a great guitar solo. ‘Love Street’ is a little more blues based than the preceding tracks before ‘Black Rose’ arrives, which suggests that Captain Crimson are the natural choice to carry on where Graveyard left off. ‘Money’ is a slow number with superb Robin Trower style blues guitar underpinning the song throughout, it’s simply great. ‘Drifting’ is a short and sweet rocker which immediately ups the tempo and this leads to the title track, which for my money is the stand-out track on the album. The verses are quieter, each building to the chorus and more blues guitar. ‘Let Her Go’ has a swagger and shuffle to it before ‘Alone’, the only acoustic track here. It’s a very low-key, almost folk style song which provides a nice contrast to the rest of the songs here. The closing track is ‘Senseless Mind’ which opens with an enormous guitar riff and is a fitting closer for the album. It’s another outstanding track in a strong collection.
I shall be keeping an eye on Captain Crimson with the hope that we get to see them playing in the UK in the not too distant future. They are a talented band who have made a great album which deservedly puts sits them at the table with all the great Swedish bands mentioned elsewhere in this review.
8/10
