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As with their fellow Örebro residents Witchcraft, it’s forever 1971 in Captain Crimson’s musical world. Proudly steeped in the proto-metal and heavy psych traditions established by the likes of Sir Lord Baltimore, Cactus, Leaf Hound and Birth Control, these hirsute time travellers could easily come across as mindless slaves to nostalgia, but their debut album – which is cheekily named after a song from 70s cult heroes Captain Beyond’s classic debut album – suggests that they have the songwriting chops to match their lust for corduroy-clad authenticity.
Ultimately, this is a top quality blues-tinged heavy rock riff-fest with plenty of stirring melodies planted between the moments of unapologetic retro indulgence.
With the exception of one possibly unintentional nod to Black Sabbath’s The Wizard on the sprawling title track, Captain Crimson nimbly avoid sounding like anyone in particular: songs like Lonely Devils Club and Wizard’s Bonnet evoke the spirit of old but with the enticing whoosh of the modern propelling everything along. Yet another reason why we should all move to Sweden and grow beards.
