Review by Paddy Gallagher for MPM
The Vintage Caravan are a truly special band. In a well populated field, The Vintage Caravan ply a superior blend of psychedelic blues riffage.
Richly organic and oozing groove, the 3-piece from Álftanes, Iceland releases their sixth studio album “Portals” on the Napalm Records label on 26th September 2025!
Formed in 2006 by school friends Óskar Logi Ágústsson (guitar and vocals) and Guðjón Reynisson (drums) the band’s self-titled debut album was self-released in 2011 followed by their second album “Voyage” in 2014. “Voyage” was initially released on the Sena label and later re-released by Nuclear Blast who continued as their label for album number three, “Arrival” in 2015 and album number four, “Gateways” in 2018. “Monuments” is album number five and was released on Napalm Records in 2021 and continued the strides taken in their evolution.
Perhaps becoming known to a wider audience when they were announced as support for Opeth’s “In Cauda Venenum” tour in 2019, our Icelandic heroes were on the road promoting their fourth studio album, “Gateways” and their performance in that 8-song supporting slot was mesmerising, spell binding musicianship was on show, a truly captivating performance given their relatively young age.
The band has become regular touring buddies with Opeth forming a friendship that resulted in Mikael Åkerfeldt guesting on the opening track on “Portals” and second single “Philosopher” which commences with a beautiful acoustic guitar before the distorted electric kicks in, with a distinct sing a long chorus soaked in a 1970’s vibe.
The band’s development shines through without losing their retro sound, the emotion filled lead guitar work of Óskar would induce tears in appreciation, his voice envisages the classic tones of years gone by, the Coverdales and Gillans of the world. The rhythm section now consists of Alexander Örn Númason on bass and backing vocals (since 2012) and Stefán Ari Stefánsson on drums (since 2015).
“Portals 1” is a brief, 36 second interlude of birds tweeting and flute before that groove kicks in again on “Days Go By”. Heavy and pulsating is the order of the day here. Another brief interlude called “Portal II” leads us to “Here You Come Again” which starts with a tidy, soft tapping of drums and bass before Óskar’s fretboard erupts. It’s evident here how important Alexander’s bass and Stefán’s drums are to the overall sound.
Track six, “Current” just oozes the blues. Superb! “Give and Take” gets the swagger back before the brief “Portals III” leads us into “Crossroads” where we again hear nice runs on the bass and the stop / start feel lending credence to the progressive tinges to the music.
“Alone” is track 10 contains an instant singalong chorus with the imploring lyric of “I don’t wanna be alone no more”. And that guitar solo! We need to catch our breath so “Portal IV” provides that 27 second respite.
“Freedom” keeps the groove a groovin’ and the feet a tappin’ before “Riot”, the first single from the album, with its thumping stoner rock pulse shakes foundations. “Electrified” keeps the pace, only with a slightly lower tempo in the verses, a background organ filling out the texture. Call the Fire and Rescue Service as fretboards are seriously red-hot here.
“The last interlude, “Portal V” leads us to the beautiful acoustic guitar of “My Aurora” with backing flute and emotional vocals, this one has potential to be The Vintage |Caravan’s stairway to superstardom.
The final track, “This Road” with its driving pace and pulsating rhythm rounds out a simply superb release. All through the album there is a superb retro feel to the production, evoking an accompanying graphic of retro coloured kaleidoscope. There are clear traces of influences from The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and similarities to modern purveyors Graveyard, Blues Pills, Rival Sons, Monkey3 and Kadavar, and the solidification of The Vintage Caravan as leaders in their field.
Swoon at the musicianship and let the talent of the band take you on a trip. For those who enjoy heartfelt music coming from the soul, marvel at the freshness of The Vintage Caravan’s take on retro!
While 2025 may have had some fine albums released by other bands, The Vintage Caravan is in strong contention for releasing album of the year, superior songwriting, paying homage to the influence of the 70’s but forging ahead with their own take, presenting a unique tablet of undoubted originality and progression forging miles ahead of any contemporaries! This album surely blows them away.
Final UK date Saturday 1st November with a so far empty tour diary until January in Argentina, could a promoter from these shores bring them over the North Channel for a gig or two?
Pre-order Portals here: https://lnk.to/TheVintageCaravan-Portals/napalmrecords
Track list:
1. Philosopher (ft. Mikael Åkerfeldt)
2. Portal I
3. Days Go By
4. Portal II
5. Here You Come Again
6. Current
7. Give and Take
8. Portal III
9. Crossroads
10. Alone
11. Portal IV
12. Freedom
13. Riot
14. Electrified
15. Portal V
16. My Aurora
17. This Road
THE VINTAGE CARAVAN are:
Stefán Ari Stefánsson – Drums, backing vocals, percussion
Óskar Logi Águstsson – Electric guitars, vocals, acoustic guitars, flute
Alexander Örn Númason – Bass guitars, backing vocals, synthesizers, Farfisa
THE VINTAGE CARAVAN online:
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
X
YOUTUBE
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NAPALM RECORDS
