Kev Rowland In some ways it is hard to believe that this is the work of an Icelandic trio in 2018, as opposed to a British quartet from the Seventies, but The Vintage Caravan are back with their fourth album and yet again they prove that they know exactly what they want, and have no plans at all of changing their approach. This is classic hard rock, with just a hint of blues and a touch of prog, as they create something which is whole and hearty. Of course there is going to be an organ on it somewhere, and of course it will be a Hammond, but it is used sparingly and for the most part this is all about bass, guitar and drums combining to create something that is heavy and with a groove, bringing to mind the likes of Free, Budgie and Mountain.

Influenced by the early Seventies, there is certainly no hint of anything from the last forty years in what they are doing, but I for one see nothing wrong with that whatsoever. But, while it is a solid album, it isn’t indispensable, and while I enjoyed it while I was playing it the tunes were soon gone from my mind. The Vintage Caravan are a band who have their place, and if you really want a blast from the past from a band that are going today then this is for you, but while it is a wonderful homage it must be said that it can never be as good as the real thing.

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.

Nightfly The Vintage Caravan released their first album in 2009 when the average age of the band was only 15. I've never heard it unfortunately but what I can say is their second album – Voyage released three years later in 2012, when they must have still only been around eighteen, was a pretty mature piece of psych and blues tinged hard rock for such a young band. Not a classic by any stretch but showing a lot of promise for sure.

Forward another three years and their third album Arrival shows improvements in their chops as well as in the songwriting department. It treads the same ground of psychedelic bluesy hard rock with some excellent tracks like the driving Monolith and Sandwalker as well as showing a mellower side on Innerverse. Perhaps best of all is the almost nine minute Winter Queen which after a bombastic opening surprises with a lovely melody but still packing a considerable punch with a tasty guitar solo too. Particularly in view of their young age the band play well and tight but the music does have a pleasing looseness to it redolent of much of the late sixties/seventies era that clearly inspire this band.

What robs the album of greatness is some of the tracks while initially full of bluster don’t leave any great lasting impression, Crazy Horses being a perfect example. Nevertheless, Arrival is a good solid album and this band have time on their side and I can see them going from strength to strength in the future. Their best is surely yet to come.