When a friend of a friend sent me his music recently, I was intrigued, as it was a pretty fine selection. Being one who loves to delve into rock history, I was impressed with Eric “Ike” Baestlein’s career. A band called ‘Lost Breed’ are at the heart of it, a Sabbath sounding US outfit, who can be found in that ‘Should have been bigger’ category. ‘Ike’ is one of the former members and the guitarist from Albany New York, continues the legacy these days with his ‘Wasted World’, along with Bassist Chris Adamson & Drummer Sean Teeter. The album ‘Tres Lobos’ was released last year, but deserves a look, ten tracks that are heavily influenced by not only Classic Rock, as there’s also Doom, Metal and Garage in the mix.
‘The Huntress And The Buck’ with a rebel soul and gun slinging theme, it’s a fast and furious ride that opens the proceedings. Crashing guitar and a sumptuous bass are behind the blast of vocals that tell the tale. There’s a swirl of guitar magic alongside the melodic rhythm, that soaks up the pace and yes that’s some introduction. More delicious chords bring us ‘Get Quarantined ( Featuring Wino )’ with a guest appearance by Scott “Wino” Weinrich, who fronted ‘Lost Breed’ for around nine months, lifting this tune with a guilty pleasure. ‘Wino’ has depth and carries a more snarling style, he certainly adds a mean angle to the song. ‘Piece Of The Valley’ has a rapturous drum intro from Teeter, that melts into a solid pairing with Adamson’s strings. It’s another with muscle and absorbing words from ‘Ike’. We descend to the basement on ‘I Wanna Be A Victim’, what a hook and that simple riff is well adhering. Again the guitar takes a turn with a solo of quality, very ’Sabbath’ in the makeup, having that darkness running in its veins.
A gentle intro on ‘Just Another Prophecy’ before it starts to cruise along. It’s a step back and more of a reflection, with another mash of strident chords interweaving with the melody. The next track has the enticing title, ’The First Time Was The Last Time’ and changes the albums direction. This is a blend of that sleazy New York sound, that can only be produced in that area. Banging the guitar into motion and creating a laidback and slightly post punk attitude, that I wasn’t expecting, this trio have a few Aces up their ragged sleeves. Time to come up with a ballad and ‘The Heart Of Everything That Is’ hangs on the tears and pulls on the old heartstrings all right. A tale of woe and desperation, akin to the laments of a broken man, ‘Ike’ takes it by the throat and creates a really fulfilling song. Even with the warlike chanting at the end, it’s another shockingly superb number. ‘Lost Time’ raises the temperature after its predecessor’s mellowness, slinky guitar and a hollering of lyrics entangle and delight. A rampant tune with plenty of robust rhythm that gets your toes tapping. Another with rapid fire guitar ‘Iron Wolf’ allows more streaming of fret bashing and unleashes thunderous vocals, that capture how this band hit you with so much quality. ‘Rancid Dancer’ is heavy, like the classic heaviness you don’t often get these days. Chugging and thudding with all the weight of a monster, it encapsulates all that metal and sublime doom that ‘Ike’ has been safeguarding over the years. It’s up there with many of more well known classics and sums up the harsh reality of how fickle and brutal the music Industry is. ‘Ike’ and particularly ‘Lost Breed’ should be household names.
Founded in 2018 ‘Ike’s Wasted World’ deserve a listen, this album was a complete surprise to me. It was like travelling back in time but having episodes of contemporary sounds that were quite amazing.
‘Slinky guitar and a hollering of lyrics, entangle and delight’
HIGHLIGHTS – Get Quarantined (Feat Wino) , I Wanna Be A Victim, The First Time Was The Last Time, Rancid Dancer.
’Tres Lobos’ was produced by Tim Lynch at The Recording Company in New York.
Visit the band’s FACEBOOK page for more info and how to order a copy of ‘Tres Lobos’. You can find their music on Spotify, iTunes etc.
