Voyage by The Vintage Caravan

Voyage by The Vintage Caravan

The Vintage Caravan is a trio from Iceland that delivers a brand of classic rock heavily influenced by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, which contains no irony whatsoever. There are no smiles, grins or anything hip on the band's debut Voyage and its straightforwardness—combined with the trio's powerhouse riffs and room demolishing punch—makes for an undeniably refreshing experience in 2014.  

That doesn't necessarily mean that Voyage is a truly effective album.  It's not missing grit.  It has plenty of that, in fact.  What it is missing—and absolutely needs—is a few truly spellbinding songs.  In that department, this trio provides none.  Those looking for a hard rock hit a la "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" will be disappointed.  But, if you just want to rock for 50 minutes, you really can't go wrong here.

At their best, The Vintage Caravan makes a totally convincing case for charging a $5-$8 cover to see them at a hot bar in town.  At their worst, they seem only marginally better than the average seasoned hard rock band taping posters to the windows at Guitar Center.  

It's not a bad debut record though and on "Winterland," an Alice in Chains/Pink Floyd pastiche, and especially on the 12-minute epic "The King's Voyage," these Icelanders sound good enough to ask for—and receive—a case of beer on their hospitality rider.