It's been a while but Joe Carpenter is finally back with a new release, the single 'Where The Master Hangs His Hat', and as always he levels the playing field with his creation. Here he has veered away from the industrial metal present in the last releases but goes full tilt metal-wise. All shackles have been thrown off and 'Where The Master Hangs His Hat' comes at you 200mph and performed impeccably. From his very first solo release Joe plays all instruments himself and that hasn't changed although on this single he has added keyboards to great effect and the programmed drums are out of this world. I've said before about his music but I wish other bands/artists who use programmed percussions took the same the time and effort to get the sounds Joe does. It would make their music so much better, so listen and learn.
Opting for a faster heavier approach with more old school, aka original, heavy metal Joe sticks to his guns by not remaining stagnant and taking the easy way out. His sound is ever-present but little tweaks here and there keeps his music fresh. By cutting away the industrial aspect sonically and speeding up the music a notch or two Joe has found yet another avenue that works perfectly for him. The drums and keyboards were mentioned earlier but let's not forget that Mr. Carpenter is a guitar player of quite some pedigree. The solos on here are off the charts as are the riffs and rhythm playing which makes this single pretty damned great, if you ask me.
As a fan of his, I was spoiled for a long time by his steady release schedule, so it's frustrating to have to wait so much longer for new stuff from Joe. Although that's minor thing because it makes the material he does unleash so much more exciting. If you, like me, dear wave rider, enjoy Joe's music do NOT miss out on 'Where The Master Hangs His Hat', it is so bloody great!
- Swedebeast
