Harnessing the swagger of '70s rock,
Carousel take listeners on a voyage to a time when behemoth riffs as big as all outdoors strode the airwaves with their full-length debut,
Jeweler's Daughter. Channeling the sound of classic hard rock acts like
Mountain,
Bad Company, and
Nazareth, the band captures not just the sound of that era, but the attitude. In order to sit back in the cut and jam on a massive, bluesy guitar riff, a band needs a certain kind of confidence; a certainty that they don't need to dazzle the listener with musical virtuosity, but instead can trust in the power of their songwriting to carry the tune along on its own. This feeling of sureness, this certainty of intent, makes it feel as though the band are presenting their bona fides, assuring old-school hard rock fans that they're not going to dash their hopes like so many bands have done before. Less poetically,
Carousel feel like a legit, down to earth band whose gritty, rust-belt roots shine through with a rough and tumble sound that probably doesn't understand why anyone would ironically wear a jean jacket or drink cheap beer. While there isn't a whole lot to blow your mind here in terms of innovation,
Carousel have really hit the mark in terms of revivalist hard rock worship with an album that tries, and for the most part succeeds, in re-creating the huge sound left behind by the guitar heroes of yore. ~ Gregory Heaney