Here at Lazland, we are only vaguely familiar with the fascinating world of role-playing games. My son as a teenager went through a pretty intense Warhammer phase, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I thought the models were pretty cool, but that was it, really. When he was younger, I did the obligatory Dad “Rayman Rabbit”/” Lego”/” SpongeBob” & etc. stuff on Xbox and PlayStation, but that is the extent of it.
Therefore, I am not in too much of a position to pass cultural comments on the Bardic Compass debut concept album, Songs of the Caravan. Drummer David Wilson reached out to me recently and explained that the band had used the backdrop of epic fantasy and specifically more modern role-playing settings to tell stories of self-realisation, triumph through adversity, and heroic self-sacrifice. The Maryland collective consists of Wilson; Artem Bank on vocals, bass, guitar and keys; Carl Hengen on vocals & guitar; and Damian Silvas on guitar. You can listen to the entire album on Bandcamp at https://bardiccompass.bandcamp.com/album/songs-of-the-caravan
So, ten tracks of derring-do! How does the music match up to the undoubted grand intentions? Well, I rather enjoy it, a decent mix of classic rock with the melodious end of the heavy progressive rock spectrum. Further, it is an interesting slant on the sort of classic sci-fi/fantasy stuff Rush and Dio especially put out when they started – this type of musical theme has a long and proud history, and certainly Bardic Compass do it proud and with no little aplomb.
We open with Convergence. It is a rollicking start, and I especially like the quieter “champions come to the table” segment which starts at two minutes in, with some fine guitar licks and orchestral bells ringing. Throughout, those of you who like their guitar riffs loud & proud will find much to enjoy here.
Born From the Ashes follows. Wilson’s thumping drums and an epic guitar lick herald this piece, which fair races along in a tale of wanting to do the past heroes proud. There are some fine riffs in this.
Black Tusk is a great title and is interesting lyrically dealing with the dichotomy of being half man and half monster. The start is very Black Sabbath influenced, and I really like it with its doom-laden riffs and the crashing rhythm section before the dramatic story voice is introduced. I appreciate the interesting choice of the jazzy piano amongst the main action, and the choral effects are strong. I have embedded this highlight of the album below.
Monster is up next, a heavy and dark romp of a track dealing with the need to protect the child from the frightening monsters “out there” (traditionally, horror and fantasy has always been a metaphor for the real world we inhabit, and certainly there are multiple monsters to keep us awake currently). This is quite a tuneful track vocally.
The Girl from the Woods is, at just over six minutes, the second longest on the album. I really like the southern rock feel to the first part of the song which takes me back many years, as does the heavily Geezer Butler type bass riff in the middle of the track which leads to a closing passage that has more in common with Aston than with Alabama. The drums at the end are particularly good.
The One You Need is a song of romance and a coming together, a decent power ballad with more than a commercial feel to it.
The Door in the Dark has some very heavy riffs and some keyboards mimicking the supernatural of what lies behind the other side. The sequence with dystopian effects and the crunching rhythm section is very good and disappointingly short for me.
Zhin’s Sermon, a shortish three-minute piece, does also have an acoustic version, and I have embedded both below for you to compare. The album version is a cracker to these ears, the type of track, which is all over FM and internet metal radio, a sort of staple of American rock aside of course from the subject matter of a lizardfolk party member. The acoustic version is nicely tuneful and an interesting watch with the protagonists surrounded by their equipment and audio stuff.
Feels Like Home is a thoughtful, more laid back, melodic piece of music and the vocals are quite raw in their emotion here. Take a listen to it. It is thoughtful, very well executed, and thoroughly genuine.
Shipwrecked closes proceedings and is the longest piece on the album at just over eight minutes long. There are some interesting chords here in a song which does highlight the band’s clear progressive sensibilities, certainly when you witness the wonderful change of time and mood five minutes in with a funky feel underneath a strong guitar riff, and the closing lyrics tell us that the quest isn’t over, and the caravan will be moving on. A strong close.
I have enjoyed reviewing this album and this is a band, I feel, who have a lot of good stuff in them as they mature as recording artists.