Carl Anderson – Heaven’s Door

Carl Anderson – Heaven’s Door – Album Review

*mighty mouse theme starts to play

“Here he comes to save the daaaaaaaay…”

Believe me when I tell ya, I’m certainly not going to refuse an album by Carl Anderson in what has been the driest year for independent music that I’ve personally witnessed in the last twelve freakin’ years.  As reliable as they come, this remarkably innovative artist is one that I’ve continuously looked forward to finding in my inbox again from the moment I first started listening, way back in 2021.  Fun fact – he’s the ONLY name that has ever made our yearly top ten list three years in a row, and I highly suspect he’ll be the only person to accomplish that on this site for a very, very long time.  I don’t want you all to think this is unfiltered adoration though – this review will be every bit as objective as any I’ve ever written, and I can promise you that before it’s finished, Carl Anderson will piss in all of our collective cornflakes.

So buckle up & be ready for that.  This will not all be good news.

Carl’s got himself a nice & gratuitous opening to this album, with “Heaven’s Door” rumbling slowly into place & taking nearly two minutes to get into the action.  Your mom has already tuned him out and gone back to her favorite television show, but the rest of us diehards know what’s sure to come, eventually.  Always worth following down the rabbit hole, Anderson gets his familiar Alternative Spoken Word style up and running around the 1:50 mark as the curious vibes of “Heaven’s Door” begin, and the voice proceeds to remind us just how small and not special we really are.  While it’s factually accurate stuff, it’s also arguably the stuff of nightmares that’ll keep many of you awake at night.  “Heaven’s Door” is essentially an objective assessment of the cosmos & how things will play out for life on Earth as we know it, and of course if you’ve put a red cent’s worth of effort into learning about it yourself, you know the ending ain’t exactly all that great.  Of course, I could sit here and argue that the valley of malls we’ve created bloody well deserves to be burnt up to a fiery crisp or absorb into a thousand black holes and supernovas all colliding at one, but this experience we call life is the only one I know.  It’s far from ideal or what the majority of us would likely consider to be perfect, but it is the only shot at this we get that we know of.  I’m not gonna go into the whole reincarnation thing…I might actually believe in that myself, but as far as I can tell, we still don’t get to remember anything past the one experience we’re living in at the time, so even IF it’s real, it doesn’t do us all that much good except for comforting our psyches and allowing us to believe we can do better the next time around when we should be using ALL of that energy for this trip around the sun.  Anyhow.  “Heaven’s Door” reminds us that we’re in a much more fragile state of existence than we like to admit.  We pretend otherwise, but deep down, we all know the truth, because anytime we really think about how we got here, what purpose we serve, what the meaning of existence really is, or where we’re going next, we all draw complete blanks.  I’ve always loved how Anderson’s music not only finds these absolutely mind-blowing samples to use for the vocals, but how he’s always crafted such impressively thought-provoking tunes around them.  Just when you think you’ve had as much as you can handle, his guitar comes searing straight outta the heavens above – or the hell below, I’ll let you choose – the words subside, and his music continues to speak on its own behalf.  Crunchy, meaty, sounds your brain can chew on.  Carl Anderson makes God-tier type music y’all.

Whoa, whoa, WHOA!  At the beginning of “Jesus Take The Wheel,” the voice tells us that “alcohol and gasoline don’t mix” – but if that’s REALLY the case, how does Bourbon exist?  Furthermore, why in the all-hell does my wife like to drink it so much?  Should I save on insurance by jumping on her back and driving her around town?  Food for thought…or drinks for thinkin’ – you get it.  There ain’t too many tunes that you’ll listen to from Anderson’s catalog and feel like they’d work in the way we typically associate a single would grab the attention of the masses & casual everyday listeners out there, but “Jesus Take The Wheel” might be about as close as it gets.  The saxophone appearance from Jordan Mazza is pure brilliance, and a great addition to what’s already been a complete riot to listen to – the whole song sounds infused with a level of menace & mayhem that is powerfully irresistible.  You can feel the danger in this track mounting second by second as it rages on, and it’s every bit as awesome as you might think it is – if not even BETTER.  So do yourselves a fucking favor and push PLAY on this track will ya?  “Jesus Take The Wheel” is a stellar example of why this crossover combination of Spoken Word and instrumental music has always worked so well throughout this man’s catalog.  The old-school PSA-style vocals that are practically lifeless in their lessons & teachings, surrounded by music that is so constantly ALIVE…I mean…it’s a tried, tested & true recipe that gets your brain moving and your blood pumping.  As much as the messages in this track will remind ya that it’s not exactly the best idea to drink and drive, lord help anyone out there on the road if I’ve got this on as my soundtrack while I’m out rippin’ around.  Seriously wicked appeal to this track…if you can resist turning this UP, you’re much stronger than I am.

“Omertà” – I know that word!  Now let me look it up to make sure I really know what it means for sure – hang on, I’ll be right back.  Okay, I was way off…I thought it had something to do with death.  I mean, I suppose you could make an argument that it could LEAD to death if the “code of silence about criminal activity and refusal to give evidence to authorities” (thanks Google!) is not adhered to, but yeah, I guess that’s much more of an indirect implication.  Obviously the mob-like Mafioso connotations are present, and as we enter into a Spoken Word interview with a man named Joey that has certainly SEEN SOME SHIT in his lifetime, you get what “Omertà Part 1” is all about.  I have said it before, and hopefully one day I’ll say it again (stay tuned on that folks), Carl Anderson’s music is among some of the most fascinating your ears will ever be lucky enough to hear.  The use of atmosphere on “Omertà Part 1” is freakin’ staggering.  I love how haunting the music is to begin with, and how insightful the pairing is with the interview that Carl’s chosen to add into it – but as an audiophile, I’m even a fan of how we can hear that extra ambience that comes along with the vocal samples.  Now…maybe that’s intentional, maybe not – honestly, it’s hard to say…Anderson might find the right sample to inspire him, and then have no other choice other than to take this found audio footage as it originally comes.  Regardless, it adds a bit more texture and uniqueness to a track like “Omertà Part 1,” and I’m absolutely here for it.  All-in-all, it’s a fairly understated cut on the record when it comes right down to it, or at least it feels that way in comparison to the wild vibes of “Jesus Take The Wheel” that came beforehand – but in my opinion, I feel like every note and tone of “Omertà Part 1” will continue to cling to your bones long after the song itself has stopped playing.  It’s got a wonderful creepiness to it that you couldn’t possibly wash off ya.

As the title implies, it’s also part of a series – which is actually played in five parts.  “Omertà Part 2” keeps the mob-like theme goin’ strong, with detailed admissions coming straight from a bunch of snitchin’ mouths I tell ya!  Is it just me, or do these voices all sound like Robert DeNiro?  I’m sure they’re not, but at the same time, kudos to the man himself for getting that cadence down so tight throughout the years of his career.  “Omertà Part 2” is played ferociously and fiercely, right up to the serenity you’ll find in the breakdown around the 3:45 mark.  Really clever stuff, as it always is when it comes to the music of Carl Anderson…I’m stoked on what I hear from the lefts to the rights, and absolutely LOVING the punch that a track like “Omertà Part 2” packs into our speakers – it’s straight-up forceful stuff yo!  Cued in from the drums supplied by Bernardo Yacono all the way from Argentina, these two proceed to make some serious noise for ya on this second part in the series.  Love the way that Carl backs it out to being driven mainly by the bass as the storyline to this song kicks in as well…the design is very clever & very precise, possessing a wildly dynamic structure that is guaranteed to keep you listening on the edge of your seat.  Whether it’s the intensity of the music, or the details of the story, he keeps you engaged and attentive at all times.  I don’t know if I ever considered a mobster having a favorite place to shoot somebody before hearing this song, and now I’m wondering if they all naturally have a favorite spot to shoot their victims in.  I guess it makes enough sense in regards to efficiency…practice makes perfect.

“Omertà Part 3” continues the interview, but lightens things up, because hey, just because we’re dealin’ with the official distributors of death doesn’t mean we can’t have a great time, right?  There’s a solid combination of Blues and Jazz goin’ on in this tune, assisted greatly by the piano added in by guest-star Neemias Teixeira, who continues the worldly-trend of players on this record, coming from Brazil this time around.  I think it was a great idea on Carl’s part…you’ll find artists from England, Argentina, the USA, Brazil, and Georgia on this album…and honestly, it gives the songs a refreshed perspective and revitalized sound.  I would think anyone out there would be jazzed to play with a musician of Anderson‘s caliber if they got the opportunity to, and to be truthful, I feel like you can really hear it in the results throughout this album – they ARE excited for the chance to play on this record.  You can audibly hear the inspiration and how it plays a role in songs like “Omertà Part 3” – one half inspires the other, and vice versa…it’s the kind of sonic relationship that gets everyone contributing their best, and you hear that in this particular tune for sure.  Teixeira is an exceptional player without a doubt, and he’s added an exquisite part to the melody flowing throughout this song that “Omertà Part 3” quite frankly would not be the same without.  I’ll put it to ya this way – I might be more personally stoked about the gripping energy of tracks like “Jesus Take The Wheel” or the punch found in “Omertà Part 2” beforehand if we’re talking about the songs as a whole – but I’d also readily tell ya that one of my favorite all-around performances is found on “Omertà Part 3.”  It’s enchanting, it’s bold, it’s beautiful…but it’s still dangerous too…”Omertà Part 3” has it all.

When you consider how the album started, and the journey it takes you on sound-wise, I feel like there is a solid argument to be made that Heaven’s Door is Carl Anderson’s most potently versatile record to-date.  As you shift into tracks like “Omertà Part 4,” you’ll hear that diversity in the spotlight again.  Each track has its own vibrant personality in the music, even as the storyline itself follows a continuous thread in the interview and Q&A of the Spoken Word alongside it.  Anderson continues to make depth and dimension a real priority with his music, and I think it’s a genuine testament to his musicianship and range of ideas on Heaven’s Door that quite often the Spoken Word element becomes more of a background element than it has been in the past.  I mean, I think we naturally gravitate towards the words because it’s what we all have in common whether we’re musicians or not, but you get what I mean…in comparison to the previous albums from Anderson’s catalog, I feel like you notice the versatility in the sound of the songs more-so this time around.  It’s probably fair to say that on those first couple spins you might still find yourself attached to the words, but it’s not long before you’ll recognize how much variety there is in the songs overall.  “Omertà Part 4” is a perfect example…it’s an ambitious and adventurous track that has a full range of colorful ideas on display that extend from the approach straight on through to the sound selection, and as a result, you get a ton of stuff in the music that’ll grab your attention potentially even more than the words do.  Not a bad problem to have when you’re putting in as much effort as Carl does.

Wrapping up the series with “Omertà Part 5,” Anderson again lets the atmosphere in his ideas lead him to another victory.  From the haunting vibes floating through the air, to the way the chops of his guitar slash through it and spiral into mysterious directions, he’s a master of keeping you guessing as to which way he’ll turn next while still keeping his songs highly tangible and cohesive from start to finish.  There’s a logic to it all, don’t get me wrong, but he’s also very clever in where he chooses to insert the vocals in these tunes, or where he chooses to expand his musicianship from the main theme he’s rocking with into one of its many sonic sub-plots.  “Omertà Part 5” is the longest part of the series, but each part of this “Omertà” adventure plays its own significant role in keeping you entertained in a different way – and heck yeah, my ears appreciate that.  It’s not only an interesting look at the psyche of a killer and what is/isn’t important to them when it comes to regarding human life and/or how they act differently than the rest of us non-murdering folks do, but the music has been purely outstanding.  I love the way that “Omertà Part 5” is filled with intense juxtaposition, whether it’s through the interview you’ll hear, or through the way the sound flows through the light & dark of this track…it’s very well-conceived stuff.  I also love that we don’t really have any other choice other than to confront the fact that a lot of what our friend Joey has to say, is true, or at the very least, you can make sense of why he’s chosen to do so much of what he has for the reasons that he has.  I dunno…I keep circling back to how so many of the greats…guitarists like Vai, Satriani, Johnson & such…like, their music would have been so much BETTER than it is if they had employed similar methods to what Anderson is using, rather than decide to grab the mic and water their material down so brutally.  There were other ways of doing what they do that would have been so much more effective at making it stand out, but from what I can tell, egos often got in the way, and rather than search for innovative paths that could rival their incredible skillsets, they fell into the trap of doing things ‘normally’ in terms of what they thought a ‘song’ was, you know what I mean?  I ain’t dismissing their contributions – I listen to all the names I’ve cited – but I can’t help but hear what Anderson creates as a lost opportunity for some of the giants in the industry.  It’s hard to hear an album by someone as awesome as Vai and not notice there’s a dated element to it, whereas hearing what Carl is doing sounds so fresh and forward-thinking when it comes to what guitar-based records can truly be.  That’s my take on it, take it or leave it.  I remain as relentlessly impressed by his compositional acumen and I am with his ideas & ability to execute them on a technical level…Carl is one of a kind right now, but I guarantee there will be others eventually inspired by what/how he creates that will adopt & employ his methods as their own, and that’ll become the biggest compliment to his creativity over time.

C’mon y’all – “Verboten,” you feel me!?!  Anderson has been on fire throughout this record once again, and somehow, he’s still cookin’ on full blast even way deep into Heaven’s Door at track eight.  I mean, you’d think he’d take a track or two off like EVERYBODY ELSE DOES on just about EVERY ALBUM EVER MADE, but no…this dude is superhuman, just like I’ve been tellin’ ya he is from day one.  He’s got such an amazing way of making instrumental music speak to you, and on “Verboten,” he proves that he doesn’t NEED the Spoken Word element added in to get your attention or keep you fully engaged.  It’s always been an awesome aspect of his music, but it’s never been required to keep you listening – and it’s tracks like “Verboten” that are the proof in that particular pudding scenario.  Love the bass lines he’s added into this…the steadiness he plays with there really allows his guitar notes to start soaring into the atmosphere and continue to find uniquely innovative ways to impress our ears, and when played in tandem with the low end, the energy of this track gets outright nuclear.  Anderson has also done himself a serious service by enlisting the talents of Yacono for the drums on Heaven’s Door too – that guy is a machine on the throne, and his incredible contributions have certainly not gone unnoticed by me.  I’d be inclined to put “Verboten” up there with my favorites on this record for sure though, which is honestly saying something given how much I really love the way that Anderson combines his music with the whole realm of Spoken Word stuff.  I said what I said & I stand by it firmly like I always do – “Verboten” is straight-up gripping from start to finish, and might just be more killer than our friend Joey even was.

Ayyyyy – Jon Stewart!  I recognize that voice!  “America” is…startlingly accurate, whether you like it or not.  Or perhaps more accurately put, whether you REALIZE it, or not.  It’s also a highly unique track in the Carl Anderson catalog…don’t get it twisted, he’s always had a point of view that he’s communicated between the lines & what he’s chosen to present through the samples he’s included into his music, but I think we’d all agree that this is arguably the most politically-direct he’s been in that regard.  What I love about so much of what Carl has created throughout his time, is the fearlessness you find in what he does.  Generally speaking, that’s always come through the emboldened commitment he plays with, but this time, it’s by including samples that highlight so much of what people really need to hear right now.  Do I have any faith that it’ll change any hearts and minds out there?  Hell no!  How could I?  Good lord almighty, “America” and its people have proven to be fucking impervious to knowledge at this point, and continue to vote against their own self-interests…but it’s to the point where you can’t help but feel bad for them when it comes right down to it.  Look…if they were truly equipped with the kind of minds capable of making better decisions, I’d say it’s all their fault – but I think the reality suggests that they’re not!  There are definitely many nefarious characters, yessir – but the general public is so mentally enfeebled that if they were aware of it, I like to think they’d be nothing but embarrassed as they shuffle their feet from store to store.  They’re a muddled mess and a divided nation, and really that division occurs largest through their economic disparity.  That’s where it starts.  From there, it continues down to the basic level of asshat-ery that we experience through their hypocritical nature of being entirely ill informed and uneducated.  “America” highlights a lot of this, and just about everyone else engages with the rest in our daily lives, no matter where the fuck we live.  I’m Canadian, and I deal with the bullshit of US politics every single fucking day, no matter what I do…because we’re all living in a version of the Independence Day movie whether we like it or not.  Well, that and Groundhog Day combined at this point.  “America” takes on the stupidity head-on with no fucks given and no apologies, and I’m absolutely here for it.  Especially when it comes to arguing against gun control when staring directly in the face of the statistical facts that prove how outright destructive and devastating they are.  “America” will go on to take on other issues as well, from the concept of health care and how it seems to elude their country even though it should absolutely be considered to be a basic human right, to the impacts of consumerism and how that affects the choices we make, money in politics, corporate interests and how they taint the process & make sure the playing field is never going to be level for anyone…Carl’s managed to confront so many of the issues that “America” faces within the span of nearly nine minutes.  To be kind to us, he’s incorporated the gorgeous violin playing of Nino Chikvaladze of Georgia, to soothe our minds for a moment or two of reprieve so that people like myself don’t get so amped up that we run outta the house with the intent to BURN THIS WHOLE MOTHERFUCKER DOWN TO THE GROUND.  Because I’m tellin’ ya folks…if you’ve got a brain in your head, you are TIRED of the way that things have been going, and even more TIRED of the concept that “America” is supposed to be the country that somehow serves as the world’s moral compass, and the rest of us are supposed to follow their lead.  I’m a political junkie outside of listening to music, and I’m trying to curb that behavior…the idea that when we’re online, we’re exposed to basically two things now, is maddening.  We’re either forced to pay our attention to the madness of politics and an endless string of bad takes by your dumbass uncle that really doesn’t understand fuck all, or another cute picture of a cat…and that’s about it…is insanity.  Don’t believe me?  Take it from a guy that’s been posting about music for more than half his life.  People don’t care about the stuff in between…art, music, and the most beautiful things about life and what makes it actually worth living, continually fall through the cracks into oblivion.  I could post about the best music you’ve ever heard in your LIFE (and hey look at that – I am right now!) and it’ll get about 1.5 thumbs up while ANY of the most mundane political posts (or cat pictures) will garner tens upon tens of thousands.  We’re fucked y’all – our priorities are all completely backwards.  “America” highlights so much of how we’re eating our society from the inside out…and all I can do is sit here & hope you actually pay attention to what a guy like Carl and his friend Jon Stewart are spelling out for ya.  There are many stellar songs throughout this record as there are with any Carl Anderson album, but “America” could very well be its crown jewel.  We NEED songs like this right now.  Art and music are the best educators we have ever had on this planet.  Great to have Neemias show up again on the piano, and the core duo of Anderson and Yacono stomp and storm their way to victory…”America” is a seriously powerful cut.

Jesus.  I need to calm down after that track, every time.  Thankfully, Carl gives us the opportunity to do that with the final song “Mortal Coil.”  Orchestral, angelic, evocative…Opera-esque…there’s a lot of ways you could describe this last track I suppose – all I know is that I love what I hear and think it was as brilliant of a conclusion to Heaven’s Door as Anderson could have possibly conceived.  Mailen B’s vocals are spellbinding y’all – like, she should leave you in AWE when you listen to her sing.  Samples are great, the bass is amazing, the whole composition is outstanding…and if I’m not mistaken, it’s a cornucopia of pieces of Carl’s music that we’ve heard throughout his catalog, which was an incredible way to finish things off.  Not just on this record, but…brace yourselves for the bad news…as far as he’s told me, this is the end…Heaven’s Door is the last album he intends to make, ever.  Believe me, I’d love to think there is anything I could say that could talk him out of it, but after interviewing him in the past on SBS Live This Week, I’m well aware that he is a man that always means what he says.  I’ll put it to you this way – every time I’ve ever heard someone tell me that’s it, that’s all, I’ve scorned them and ridiculed them and told them directly that they’ll be back – and all but one person, his name is Brian Pampaselle, who used to make music in a project he called Undocument, has proven me to be RIGHT about that.  They ALWAYS come back.  Musicians are an overly emotional lot for the most part.  With Carl, I’m not even going to try to convince him otherwise, because I know he means what he says.  I don’t think there’s ever going to be a situation where I’d be happier to be wrong…and if he does somehow come back to making music one day, I will certainly be there with open arms & open ears ready to listen – but I am 100% sure he is hanging up the spurs once and for all.  So instead of wasting my breath and his time by trying to talk him out of it, I’m simply going to say thank you.  Thank you for all the music you’ve made Carl.  From start to finish, you came, you saw, you played, and you conquered.  For what it’s worth, I heard you brother, even if it felt like no one else ever did.  You made a difference in my life, and you made my life BETTER through your gifted talents, insightful music, and legendary chops.  As much as it pains me to know there won’t be more, I’m honored to be able to say that I literally heard it ALL, and I know you left nothing else on the table by the time it was all over my friend.  You couldn’t have gone out on a stronger note than what you’ve created with Heaven’s Door, and you’ve built yourself a legacy to be proud of.

So truly and sincerely, thank you for everything Mr. Carl Anderson.

If this review seems hella long, it’s because I really didn’t want this journey to ever end.

You will not be forgotten, and I wish you the best for whatever it is that comes next for you.

You made my whole world a better place through your music, and I will continue to spin your records until the ears fall right off of my face.

Do yourselves a favor and honor this man’s efforts by downloading his entire catalog – for FREE – from his official page at Bandcamp, right here:  https://carlanderson2.bandcamp.com

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