Now seven albums into their career, Swedish classic rock veterans Gin Lady appear to be embracing a little bit more of their progressive rock beginnings with their latest release Before the Dawn of Time. It's also a new start for the band, as they now find themselves on Ripple Music, a great label mostly known for stoner, doom, and heavy rock & psych bands, none of which really matches the music of Gin Lady, but the more you think about it, this might just be a genius signing for the label. Formed out of the ashes of the great prog act Black Bonzo, Gin Lady chose to forge a path more closely rooted in classic rock sounds, both from America and the UK, so we've come to expect flavors of The Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers Band, Black Crowes, Tom Petty, The Faces, as well as a drop of Deep Purple here and there. With Before the Dawn of Time, all that is still here, but the band has increased the psychedelic and prog flavors in a big way on this one, which you can hear right from the outset on the catchy, groovy, and trippy "The Paramount", complete with crisp guitar licks, flute, Mellotron, acoustic guitar, and soaring vocal passages. "Mighty River" is like a psychedelic cross between The Doors, Moody Blues, and Tom Petty, while the lush, rootsy vibe of "Ways to Cross the Sky" screams American indie rock, and contains some stinging lead guitar work. "Turn Back" is a hard-charging '70s styled retro hard rocker, but the floating, melodic vocals sound like a cross between Justin Hayward and Jeff Lynne, with the added synths giving it a Hawkwind feel. Great stuff. "Mulberry Bend" is splendid late '60s Moody Blues, and the lush, dreamy "The Universe Vibrant Rings" just oozes the psychedelic best of The Beatles as well the already mentioned Moody Blues. Similar vibes can be heard on the soaring "The Brain", and the heartland-styled rocker "You're a Big Star" wouldn't have sounded out of place on Petty's classic Damn the Torpedos album.
The vocals are spectacular, the guitars are jangly and crisp, and the organ, Mellotron, and other keyboard sounds are way more prevalent than on previous albums. Now that I've had this one for a little bit, my rating has even slid up a tad as these memorable songs continue to grow on me. Let's hope that Before the Dawn of Time not only brings more ears to the music of Gin Lady, but also more eyes on their new label Ripple Music. Great stuff!
Track Listing
1.
The Paramount 04:42
2.
Mighty River 04:08
3.
Tingens sanna natur 04:55
4.
The Long Now 02:34
5.
Ways to Cross The Sky 05:53
6.
Turn Back 04:25
7.
Mulberry Bend 03:19
8.
The Universe Vibrant Rings 03:30
9.
The Brain 03:59
10.
Bliss on the Line 02:38
11.
You're a Big Star 04:29
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