Pittsburgh’s Carousel plays the same touring circuit as many Stoner and Psych Rock groups, but the band’s barroom-boogie is less fuzzed-out and often more up-tempo than its sludgy peers’ output. And, as every review or article about the foursome mentions, Carousel is more indebted to Thin Lizzy (as well as early KISS, Aerosmith and similar ’70s-burn-out soundtrackers) than the scene’s usual prime motivator, Black Sabbath.
Carousel was conceived as a back-to-basics project by veteran Pittsburgh musicians Dave Wheeler (guitar/vocals) and Karl Hendricks Trio drummer Jake Leger. They added bassist Jim Wilson and, knowing a second guitarist was needed for the harmonized riffs Wheeler was home-recording (the prime source of those Thin Lizzy references), Chris Tritschler was enlisted. In 2012, the buzz around a self-released 12-inch EP reached Tee Pee Records, the venerable label home to many Stoner/Psych favorites. Tee Pee put out Carousel’s first long-player, Jeweler’s Daughter, in 2013.
To support the debut, the band was immediately playing shows and festivals across Europe, including dates with long-running Doom Metal pioneers Pentagram. That connection turned out to be crucial to the next phase of Carousel’s career. When the group parted ways with Tritschler, Pentagram guitarist Matt Goldsborough offered to fill in for a run of tour dates. Goldsborough clicked so well with the band that he became an official member, helping Carousel record a new album, this year’s 2113.
The band’s second full-length is another smokin’ riff-feast, but it also shows the growth you’d expect from a band whose members have spent a lot of time on the road together. The swagger and guitarmonies are firmly in tact, but the songwriting is stronger and more impactful. Carousel flexes a more muscular groove at times on 2113, but with tracks like the slo-mo, psychedelic “Strange Revelation” and a dynamic cover of Joe Walsh’s “Turn to Stone,” a fresher sense of diversity is also apparent. Carousel establishes more of its own distinct identity with 2113, proving there is much more to the band than the retro influences it wears on its sleeve.
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This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2015.