CAPTAIN BEYOND

This is an absolute blast ! Cosmic lyrics with some heavy duty guitar driven instrumental work will usually make me giddy, and CAPTAIN BEYOND have succeeded with this their debut from 1972. And when you consider the band members here were once parts of IRON BUTTERFLY, JOHNNY WINTER and DEEP PURPLE it's no surprise that this is heavy. Cool to see them dedicate this record to the memory of Duanne Allman. There are 13 short tracks but many of them blend into one another. I like the Psychedelic vibe on this recording as well. Rod Evans is rough and passionate on vocals while Bobby Caldwell might be the one who impresses me the most on drums.

"Dancing Madly Backwards (On A Sea Of Air)" is heavy with bass, guitar and drums as vocals join in. I like when the tempo picks up before 2 minutes. Some ripping guitar joins in. Nice. "Armworth" has this guitar sound that reminds me of Duane Allman. I really like this one, the vocals aren't as aggressive. Great tune ! It blends into "Myopic Void" which is psychedelic and spacey until it kicks in after 2 1/2 minutes. "Mesmerization Eclipse" has such a good guitar intro as drums pound. Vocals have attitude here. Killer guitar here too. "Raging River Of Fear" offers up more fantastic drumming and "in your face" guitar.There's a Hendrix vibe here. Some harmonies too when the tempo picks up.

"Thousand Days Of Yesterdays (Intro)" features acoustic guitar and reserved vocals that blend into "Frozen Over" where it kicks in heavily and quickly. I like the bass in this one. Check out the drumming 2 minutes in followed by this wondrous guitar ! "Thousand Days Of Yesterdays (Time Since Come And Gone)" is catchy with strummed guitar and a good beat. Tasteful guitar 2 minutes in followed by vocal melodies. A surprisingly light but uptempo track. "I Can't Feel Nothin'" is drum led early before the guitar steals the show late. It blends into "As The Moon Speaks (To The Waves Of The Sea)" where it calms down and we get spoken words and vocal melodies. It kicks in then It blends into "Astral Lady" which blends into "As The Moon Speaks (Return)" where spoken words and vocal melodies take over. Vocals follow. Percussion late as it blends into the final track "I Can't Feel Nothin' (Part II). Kicking ass !

If you like heavy music, this is a classic and a must have.