May 21, 2001

Spirit Caravan : Elusive Truth

Music for riding motorcycles [I]without[/I] wearing a helmet.

7 / 10 Heaviosity like never before, dude Every scene has its legend. The recent mainstream rediscovery of proper loud fucking heavy rock music and its subsequent renaissance featuring the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age can be traced back to the man who many describe as the scene's godfather: Spirit Caravan's Scott 'Wino' Weinrich. The former leader of The Obsessed and Saint Vitus, there is no dude hairier, more tattooed or heavier than Wino.

'Elusive Truth' is the second album from Spirit Caravan following '99's 'Jug Fulla Sun', and it is, thankfully, more unreconstructed Sabbath and Deep Purple-infused sludge. Just check out third track 'Retroman', with riffs that hammer while the vocals growl "Sideburn sportin' ridin' a Norton, snortin' white, singin' his song". Elsewhere,
lost Obsessed tune 'Lifer City' is dusted down and rebuilt ready
to ride out for the summer.
The closer 'The Departure' provides a perfect Heavy Metal Egyptology soundtrack for hot drunken afternoons.

Queens Of The Stone Age, Goatsnake and even Britain's
own Orange Goblin owe this man their careers and 'Elusive Truth' proves that the Godfather still knows how to rock with the best
of them. Music for riding motorcycles without wearing
a helmet.

Neil Thomson