ProgressoR - Detailed Reviews - The Captain T Band (USA) - 1999

The Captain T Band (USA) - 1999 - "The Captain T Band"
(Demo CD) (27 min, "Captain T Band")

The Captain T Band is a powerful psychedelic trio (interesting combination, no?) from New York City. Many of their lyrics are written by a twisted underground poet known only as "The Madd Doctor". They perform live on a regular basis throughout the Northeastern United States. As I know, this is their very first self-released CD.

The album.

Manifest Destiny. The majority of instrumental parts are really heavy, powerful and energetic. During the vocal themes the instrumentations are a bit less heavy, with monolithic guitar riffs, eastern, hypnotically psychedelic guitar solos and a powerful rhythm-section. Vocals are diverse, but mostly strong and sombre. Nearer to the end sound interesting psychedelic arrangements by guitar.

Dishonest. Very varied riffs, created in the first place by Black Sabbath, though. The vocal theme develops under light guitar passages and rhythms, but continues with extremely heavy sounding bass and guitar riffs. Next part starts slow with guitar and vocals, but a little later an instrumental part develops with unique guitar solos, distinct bass lines and powerful drums. Next move shows wonderfully diverse psychedelic guitar riffs-solos together with an original singing, but the composition completes with slow and soft singing in the accompaniment of gentle passages by guitar.

Interplanetary Disgrace. Opens with uneartly unusual psychedelic sounds somewhere in the vein of the early Pink Floyd. Gradually this atmosphere gives way to more concrete structures with varied rhythm guitar passages and the same as in the beginning cascades of fantastic effects and excellent bass arrangements. Changes of tempo take place out of joint with musical laws. A heavy slow theme turns to a vocal suite with an eastern guitar solo. Then the same vocal keeps on with the story now accompanied by beautiful guitar flageolettos and soft bass riffs. The next picture is drawn by dark and gloomy, very original bass lines. This theme quite suddenly falls into a full-fledged Progressive set with an exceptionally innovative rhythm guitar, magic solos from bass and mind-blowing drumming. Constant changes of tempos, short yet beautiful polymorphous vocals, and a dark "philosophic" guitar putting out interesting solos and interplays create on the whole a unique atmosphere. Noises, masterly made by guitar with flageolettos, fluid eastern bass - all instruments play here their own role creating all together a complex harmonious integrity. The next vocal episode is slow, with some echoes, whereas the following instrumental is fast and heavy with diverse bass and guitar interplays. The thing finishes with heavy riffs and aggressive vocals.

Summary. The two first songs are not Progressive, though they contain some interesting moments. On the other hand, the last side-long composition Interplanetary Disgrace has absolutely the elements of Prog. This is a very original and quite complex composition, which looks quite strange among the rest songs. I'd recommend these guys to direct their obvious talent to this road, where they can really find what they are searching for in music.

VM. January 1, 2000