Taraban - How the East was Lost

Taraban

How the East was Lost

by Dani Bandolier at 23 December 2019, 12:10 PM

TARABAN (2015) is a 3 man heavy prog-rock steamroller from Krakow, Poland and while “How the East Was Lost” is a direct riff on a kick-ass LED ZEPPELIN live disc title recorded out California way, the comparisons carry little more water.  Singer Daniel Suder has plenty of Robert Plant squall and bawl in his vocals and drummer Kris Gonda has a rockin’ Vistalite drum kit Zep style, but I reckon this group of musicians shares more space-time continuum with proggers KING CRIMSON, Argentina’s PROYECTO QUASAR and at times Denmark’s CAUSA SUI and of course the legendary space rockers HAWKWIND. “How The East Was Lost” debuted on the December 2019 Doom Charts (doomcharts.com) at #19 just between mighty MONOLORD and legendary KADAVAR.

The super dynamic “Last Laugh” kicks down for the opening of “How the East Was Lost” with a waltzy dancing riff that in its 10:46 elapsed time takes you places that 3 songs from a lesser band couldn’t manage. The jammy outro here is groovey, mates. “Backseat Driver” continues the far-out riffage with slight echos of Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and space truckin’ rave cascades. Track #3 “The Plague” evokes an IRON BUTTERFLY vibe. Yes, that IRON BUTTERFLY.  “White Lies” features the female vocals of Wiktoria Tabak that bring some soothing reflective counterpoint to the lads’ swingin’ goloshes. “Liberty Fraternity Eternity” closes up shop proper with a right melancholy wailing space rock freakout.

TARABAN describes themselves as 70’s style and these cats are not just pissing in the wind, they got the whole 70’s thing down with an extra dimensionality that a lot of the ancient rock dinosaurs couldn’t usually get quite congealed in their musical output due to being strictly “this” or “that” kind of rock music– rock being the defining term. TARABAN and bands like them conspicuously feel more freedom to let it all hang out … and hang out it does. This is apparent in the “How the East Was Lost” song sequences … the running order is just perfect.

The righteous musical company continues for TARABAN featuring a January 2020 show at Poglos in Warsaw with BELZEBONG and WEEDPECKER. Be good kids and maybe Papa Noel will leave a bottle of Baczewski vodka and a couple of passes for the show under your tree … and if you can’t make it then send ‘em to me.

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 8
Production: 8