CAPTAIN BEYOND

A criminally-underrated hard rock outfit featuring former members of both Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly, Captain Beyond would never quite manage to rise above cult status during their initial five-year career despite issuing at least two excellent studio albums. Released in 1972, this self-titled debut effort fused energetic hard- rock prowess and bluesy elements with subtle progressive textures and ex-Deep Purple frontman Rod Evans powerful vocals, creating a dense sound that falls somewhere between Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly. With the psychedelic ingredients replaced by melodic guitars and deceptively-intricate rhythms, 'Captain Beyond' remarkably captures the best of several musical worlds, coming off like some kind of prog-tinged proto-metal 1970's rock hybrid that should have been ripe for North American rock radio. For reasons that remain unclear, however, neither this first album or the superior, and overtly-progressive follow-up 'Sufficiently Breathlerss' captured the imaginations of the wider record-purchasing public, the group having to make do with minor- league rock 'n' roll status despite their impressive major-league sound. Both albums are highly recommended for those who enjoy the slightly heavier side of 1970's progressive rock, with this slickly-produced and highly- accomplished album featuring such toe-tapping nuggets as the groove-packed opener 'Dancing Madly Backwards', the catchy rocker 'Raging River Of Fear', the warm melodic strains of 'Thousand Days Of Yesterday' and the catatonic riff-prog of the gutsy 'Frozen Over'. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012