By Deuce

It’s not hard to discern what the inspiration was for Peter Karroll’s latest single, “COMING HOME”, which hit the scene a couple days ago on Halloween. The label backing him is Her Royal Majesty’s Ent (although iGenVentures Corp has a piece of this project, too). Early on he mentions London in 1944 in the lyrics. Moreover, he paints a vivid picture about “with the morning came the darkness after the thunder filled the light” to kick the tune off.

The Second Great War, and it’s ending in particular, is brought back to life in the music, lyrics, and emotion conveyed in this track. The song is well arranged so that this fact is unmistakable. The entire introduction, first verse, and first chorus is devoid of any drums to make it that much easier to hear—and feel—the lyrics of a war torn soldier’s grand finale from one of the 20^th century’s most definitive events.

During that time the music truly takes over as well. There’s what appears to be a distorted guitar (imagine Jimi Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner) taking its time on some really high pitched notes. Plus the synths are swirling, like going somewhere really rapidly while simultaneously levitating in place.

The lead is either truly sparkling keys or an extremely thin, wiry guitar. Whatever it is, it helps to create a sonic landscape in which the tumult of the times, the ravages of the battlefield, and its effect on the human psyche are all at the fore of Karroll’s singing.

Truly, you’ve never heard a more heartfelt hook than this man belting out the fact that “this is the end/I’m coming home”. It’s particularly effectual on the first pass when you’re still uncertain about which direction the track is going, and his ardor is the only thing you really have on which to depend.

He eventually drops the drums, of course, at the outset of the second verse. By this time the music’s moving so well they almost seem unnecessary, though their impact is well felt. He ups the energy on the track with some ethnic sounding percussion, a series of tribal drums that animate the final couple renditions of the chorus.

But it’s his vocals, and passion, that win this one over, both of which are desirable qualities in a singer, a song, and an album (which will be coming soon and shares the same name as the single).