SPIRIT CARAVAN / BEAVER
"Heavyness from the Source"
We wrote the seventh of September in 1999. The Doom Mothership has landed right here in Cologne in my personal favourite Club, the UNDERGROUND, and it had a heavy load on board.
Out of it came three bands, all packed with great musicians. The admission tickets were about 20 DM. So less money to get really high!!! A band called HOEK opened the heavy assembly. On this point I want to excuse myself by these guys because I don´t know much about them. But this isn´t really important. Their sound gave them their legitimation. Their performance convinced me. When I´ll get the money from my job as demolish noodle I play with the thought to go to the record dealer and order their LP-if there is one. I would really like to hear more of the heavy stuff from the town of knifes (Solingen).
The second part of the musical meeting has been taken over by BEAVER. Virtous heavy stuff from the Netherlands. Their sound went right from the ear to the brain and from there directly to the hip. The four sympathic musicians gave everything and the audience was listening. The song from the split 10" with QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE "Abscene without Leave" burned right away into my head. If you like psychedelic and heavy music you can´t do much wrong if you follow my advise: Go out and support your musical heritage. Watch out for their longplayer "The different Engine".
Last but not least SPIRIT CARAVAN from Maryland/USA took the audience under their spell. A very good friend of mine, who had seen SAINT VITUS and THE OBSESSED live years ago, told me relating to Scott Weinrich something about "Mr. Charisma". For me it was the first time to see SPIRIT CARAVAN. But after this concert I suppose that I knew what he did mean. The combination with the drummer Gary Isom ( former IRON MAN), the man on the bass and vocals Dave Sherman ( former WRETCHED) and Scott Weinrichs (former THE OBSESSED, SAINT VITUS, SHINE) vocals and guitar sound fits the perfect trio. Songs like "Peckerwood Stomp", "Looking Glass" ( old SAINT VITUS classic), "Powertime" or the BLACK SABBATH cover "Wicked World" gave me the creeps. They played two solid hours. Two hours of goosepimples without beeing cold. This heavy music carries so much warmness so that I can say this band really reached my heart. Their heavyness absolutely filled the whole room. If I had to compare with a metapher, I would describe their sound as a sensible earthquake.
If you don´t know anything about SPIRIT CARAVAN go for it and buy the "Dreamwheel" EP and the longplayer "Jug fulla Sun" and you´ll find out. In this connection I would like to say that I´m looking forward to the next concert of SPIRIT CARAVAN. If you didn´t seen them in the UNDERGROUND-don´t miss them for the second time in case of coming back to Germany or wherever they are.That´s it for now. I hope all you people Doom on - So long
(Georg Nageldinger)