Released on double vinyl for Record Store Day Carnival Of Souls is the latest band featuring the twin talents of Youth and Zodiac Mindwarp re-united for one more brilliant smouldering hard rock band over the last 20 years, before Zodiac suffered the traumatic brain injury, that has left him in dire need of help and full-time assistance. Carnival Of Souls was recorded with help from James Sedwards, David Nock, Andrew Robertson, Alex Ward, Brian James, Zoot Starwarp, Nik Turner, Michael Rendall and John Chester. The album was recorded mixed and mastered by Michael Rendall at at Meridian Studios and Kingston University Studios.
The album starts as it means to go on, hard riffing into The Gun That's In My Hand allowing Zodiac to declaim over the wall of guitars about all that ails him and why he needs that gun and what is likely to happen to him because of it, played like they are the bastard offspring of The Stooges and Ministry, super heavy rock.
Electricity does indeed come from other planets and this careens through the speakers with the harmonica keeping up with the blistering heavy guitars riffing while Zodiac waits for the shake down so we can all go wild on the dancefloor, to the groove that underpins this monster of a tune, making them plead for you to strip naked once more.
Atmosphere is something this pair have always known about, Zodiac mumbles in our ears like a resurrected Captain Beefheart about the sort of party he loves and other dark adventures, set against the dirtiest brass section alive and some wailing irresistible guitar.
White Witch will make you lockup your children and get down on your knees to party at the church of Zodiac Youth's gospel revival and witch determining ceremony, are you really a White Witch, well are you, nope according to Zodiac they are all black.
Bummed Out In Memphis takes a colossal riff adds some soul sax and grinds away at all the things Bumming them out in Memphis and no it's not about Elvis and his gal pals. Romona re-works the Loose riff, giving this a West london Stooges feel, for this dark tale of suicide and distress, Brian James guitar squalling across the speakers like a maniac, Alex Wards sax doing its best Steve Mackay routine.
Burn Down Your House has a free jazz rock opening, allowing Zodiac to go full Mick Farren in his slow poetic depiction of the events that mean we need to Burn Down Your House with the riff rising and getting more forceful, this lays bare Zodiac's hatred of all traffic, except those on shanks pony and our need to go back to a horse drawn world.
Howl is slow burning punk blues with a riff that slowly gains pace and builds and builds towards the deepest darkest Howl Zodiac can manage, on this dark tale of how you can be redeemed when the lord is with you.
Gay Friend will allow us all to chant along to the magical chorus of You and Your Gay Friend can smoke some weed over the greasy grinding guitars, wailing stooge like, this just makes me need to light up and join in to this classic stoner rock epic.
Texas And The Big Beat tells the tale of John The Revelator once more in a psyche blitz of electricity and hazy backing vocals, we check on the weather man and find out which way the wind blows, within the hurricane Zodiac Youth whip up.
Walk After Midnight is the only time Zodiac liked to go out walking, being a proper vampire who hated the sunlight, tossing off barbs and getting ready to shake it like you mean it, to the sound of devastating guitars and a monster bassline, taking us to the darkest late-night streets they can find.
Whatever has the prophetic lyrics that he looks in the mirror and doesn't recognise himself, the distressed guitars and rampant sax leaving no doubt that he needs to come down, back to himself once more, but its morning and he never function properly in the morning, he wants to avoid you, so he doesn't confess to what made him look like such a nightmare.
Texas Jesus FT Nik Turner opens with some church organ and the good Reverend Zodiac delivering his sermon outside his church for a necktie party, with Nik Turners slow probing free jazz sax and atmospheric cymbals, while those awful cowboys get ready to jerk their victim to Jesus.
The album closes with the monumental title song The Carnival Of Souls a slow desert blues epistle for The Carnival Of Souls mesmeric guitar and bass and Zodiacs drawled tales, from deep in the heart of Dixie, hanging with all the wrong Dixiecrats. The song builds and falls the story unfolding and needing to be heard a few times to make sure you know what happened.
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