Spirit Caravan
Elusive Truth

Wino Weinreich, a man, a cool guy. If there's anyone besides Black Sabbath who can boast the title of Doomster version 1.0 original, it’s precisely the aforementioned gentleman. Ok, the Sabs came first, they are the fathers of the movement blah blah blah, but Wino is the illegitimate nephew of Toni Iommi. If the legendary Obsessed weren't enough to establish the greatness of this man, and you think that Saint Vitus are a clerical group (which sounds so much like 1970s Italy), then change review, surely IO has made one on Hammerfall. Spirit Caravan is the latest attempt at reincarnating Black Sabbath (even if it’s much more southern), a couple of albums, EPs, etc. in tribute to the uncles. You listen to it the first time and say: "Damn plagiarists (damn)", the second time "How nice to hear doom-rock old style sounds in these electro-post-hardcore times", the third time "this album is really good, who cares if they copy Black Sabbath".

Just when towards the end of the '90s everyone is trying to endlessly develop doom, distorting it (as Jus Oborn has masterfully been doing for years) or standardizing it as Cathedral or the reformed Candlemass teach, here comes old Wino with an album with purely seventies sounds that sounds just like a record of a less saturated and more genuine Sabs (although there's not much genuine here). Had it been done by Yob, I would have given it a straight 1, I admit it, but I'm convinced that good Wino (haha stands in the small cask haha... sorry) did everything with full knowledge of the cause (a clear example of what I'm saying is the rating I gave to "Reinventing The Steel" by Panta). Great album indeed, too bad that after two years Spirit Caravan broke up damn... Oh well, it doesn't matter much now the great one has already put together the Hidden Hand project, waiting. One thing, do you know Place Of Skull? No? Darn, I knew it...