Hawkwind – Stories From Time And Space (Cherry Red Records) [Paul Hutchings]
They release albums at a pace that few can match, and the 36th studio album by the legendary Hawkwind is yet another album that simply sweeps you up into their world for over an hour of progressive yet retrospective space rock.
Timeless in style and substance, Stories From Time And Space features all that one would expect from Hawkwind. There are the gentle, melancholic reflections of opener Can’t Last Forever, possibly an acknowledgement that even for this iconic band, the end is closer than we think, with its sweeping synths and undulating rhythms, and Dave Brock’s inimitable vocals.
Timeless in style and substance, Stories From Time And Space features all that one would expect from Hawkwind. There are the gentle, melancholic reflections of opener Can’t Last Forever, possibly an acknowledgement that even for this iconic band, the end is closer than we think, with its sweeping synths and undulating rhythms, and Dave Brock’s inimitable vocals.
The psychedelic swirl that follows on The Starship (One Love One Life) sees the band slowly ramp up the pace and kick into their traditional expansive exploration, whilst What Are We Going To Do While We Are Here sees some moody saxophone mix it with menacing riffs and a typically driving Hawkwind riff.
It’s incredible how Hawkwind continue to produce what at first listen appears to be repetition of their work from previous albums, yet every song has subtle switches, changes, and flicks that make each one so individual. Let’s face it, if you are not a fan of them, Stories From Time And Space won’t change your mind. But if, like me, they are one of the most reliable and enjoyable bands that you’ve experienced both on record and live, then this is going to fill you with joy.
There are the usual rambling passages, semi-coherent narrative, but beneath it all the unit of Brock, Magnus Martin, Doug McKinnon, Richard Chadwick, and Tim ‘Thighpaulsandra’ Lewis are tighter than ever. The glorious refrain on The Tracker, the ethereal interlude of Eternal Light, and the emotive Til I Found You with Lewis’ soaring synths and Martin’s vocals taking centre stage are all brilliant.
For me, there is always one stellar song that lurks within the gems on a Hawkwind album, and here is no different. The seven-minute Traveller Of Time & Space allows you to drift out into the cosmos, with its gentle vibe and chorus that hooks into the psyche before it really ignites. Sometimes the chilled, relaxed feel of a song is all you need, and after a day at work, little can lift the spirits better than this track as it slowly expands. Lose yourself in the dreamy feel and appreciate the way that Hawkwind can craft such mellow goodness.
With 13 songs to absorb, this is an album that may take a while to take in. And yet, there is something instant about the album too, with songs such as Regenerate with its slow percussion build delving deep into the psyche. Classic on every level, Hawkwind continue to astound with their amazing sounds. Although it’s inevitable that time is against them, whilst they continue to create such satisfying music, one can only be greedy and hope for a few more years. Possibly the UKs greatest rock band of all time. There’s only one score I can give. 10/10
Greyhawk - Thunderheart (Fighter Records) [Richard Oliver]
Old school heavy metal is very much a comfort blanket for me and I equally love the original bands from back in the day and the new wave of younger bands emulating that glorious classic metal sound. With the new wave of bands coming out, you know exactly what you are going to get but when I listen to bands such as Greyhawk I am not looking for something new or cutting edge, I just want crunchy riffs, pounding rhythms, bug melodies and epic anthems to throw my fist in the air to and bang my goddamn head. Greyhawk know their assignment and they meet my trad metal standards in spadefuls.
Formed in Seattle by an international crew of heavy metal maniacs who have earned their denim and leather dues in bands such as Skelator and Aggression amongst others, Greyhawk have an album and two E.P.’s of heavy metal glory already under their belts but it is on second album Thunderheart that the band have really come into their own building upon what they have done previously and taking their epic metal sound to greater levels of glory.
Greyhawk have a sound that mixes trad metal with old school U.S. power metal wrapped up in tunes which have killer riffs, powerful vocals, epic melodies and gargantuan hooks in plentiful amount. The songs themselves range from rhythmic battering rams such as Spellstone and Sacrifice Of Steel to epic metal monoliths such as Steadfast and the title track to cliché ridden rockers such as Rock & Roll City and Back In The Fight. The band sound tighter than ever with killer performances all round with special mention going to singer Rev Taylor who sounds absolutely phenomenal on this album.
Thunderheart is an album that sounds exactly how you would expect an album with such a heavy metal title as Thunderheart to sound. This is truly epic heavy metal which exudes power and glory. It is as over the top and theatrical as one would expect but channels that wondrous 80’s metal sound beautifully. If classic bands such as Manowar, Dio and Judas Priest as well as new wave bands such as Visigoth, Eternal Champion and Smoulder are your cup of tea then Greyhawk are the tasty biscuit that very much needs to be dunked in that cuppa. Greyhawk are not doing anything new but they are living proof that the old ways will never die and especially when it sounds this damn good. 9/10
Concrete Age - Motherland (Soundage Productions) [Mark Young]
Thunderheart is an album that sounds exactly how you would expect an album with such a heavy metal title as Thunderheart to sound. This is truly epic heavy metal which exudes power and glory. It is as over the top and theatrical as one would expect but channels that wondrous 80’s metal sound beautifully. If classic bands such as Manowar, Dio and Judas Priest as well as new wave bands such as Visigoth, Eternal Champion and Smoulder are your cup of tea then Greyhawk are the tasty biscuit that very much needs to be dunked in that cuppa. Greyhawk are not doing anything new but they are living proof that the old ways will never die and especially when it sounds this damn good. 9/10
Concrete Age - Motherland (Soundage Productions) [Mark Young]
The term Ethnic-Metal is one I don’t have a great deal of experience with, and I think it may give a potential listener pause as to what they may expect. What I didn’t expect was an album like this that mixed hyper-speed rhythms with the use of traditional instruments and melodies that are taken from their homeland. This is the ninth album from Concrete Age, and it hits like a band who are just starting out on their journey within the industry.
Raida-Raida is just rapid. I mean it’s a complete speed-fest, even with the chanting in a very brief middle section it just ploughs forward until they hit the brakes and change tack to herald / honour their homeland with the use of traditional instruments that shows just how well they can integrate it into their sound without it being weakened in any way.
Raida-Raida is just rapid. I mean it’s a complete speed-fest, even with the chanting in a very brief middle section it just ploughs forward until they hit the brakes and change tack to herald / honour their homeland with the use of traditional instruments that shows just how well they can integrate it into their sound without it being weakened in any way.
Its welcome too, because although playing faster than the speed of light will provide a blast of energy, the worry is that it won’t be sustained without repetition and ultimately lose its audience. Battle For The Caucasus throws in some fantastic rhythm work, increasing the use of those local instruments to expand the sound. It has this grand sense of scale as they spin this tale with music to provide the necessary muscle behind it. With just these two tracks they show that they successfully balance both sides of their musical coin.
Mestizo brings more frantic guitar work with a solo that is a fret-melter whilst Nomads is a head-banger for the ages. Both songs could be held as prime examples of how they successfully bring all of their influences together without sounding twee or put on. The one thing they don’t forget is cramming each song full of top-class riffing, even when they run at full-bore. There are no weak or fill-in songs here as each one stands on its own merits (Mouth Of The Elbrus for me is a favourite) and that level of quality they manifest on Raida-Raida is maintained right through.
With a guitar tone that is heavy without sounding muddy, which I love. You can hear everything so you can pick up on every nuance, every little change. What do you get is a massive feeling of joy as they drop each song, Kara Kol for example has that build to it where it feels as though they are sat round playing with massive smiles on their respective faces. Try listening to Shalaho without feeling happy at the end of it.
Any initial worries of them not being able to keep the pace and interest going dissipated as they enter the final three songs – Cossack’s Pride is a stormer that just rips from start to finish, Adeghaga with its chanted introduction leading into a mid-tempo stomper that leans heavily into their roots and final track, Hasbulat has them cross the finish line in fine style. Again, bringing their traditional instrument to play with a more understated approach pays dividends, closing an album of quality out which has taken me completely by surprise.
Sometimes the boss throws me a curveball or two and to be honest I didn’t think I would like this as much as I have. For this I say thanks because its one of the best releases of the year. Everything is on point and the way they balance the differing facets of their sound is spot on. I can’t fault anything with this at all and if you are a fan of Concrete Age and Ethnic Metal in general then you will have a lot of fun here. 9/10
Icosandria – A Scarlet Lunar Glow (Black Lava Records) [Paul Scoble]
Icosandria are a Porto, Portugal based band that have been putting out material since 2022. The four piece made up of Nuno Lobão on bass, Miguel Oliveira on drums, Rui Moreira on drums and Tiago Pereira on vocals, guitars and synths. In the time the band have been together they have released two singles and a self titled EP.
Icosandria have a sound that is a mix of post black metal and post metal, and anything else the band feel fits they remit; the sound ranges from harsh lo-fi black metal, to the dreamiest of dream pop.
The album kicks off with the song Black Hxle 1999, which gets thing going with some doomy post black metal with a mid-paced tempo, before nasty harsh vocals are added, and with them some dissonance to the guitars. The song then drops the listener into some fairly savage lo-fi black metal blasting with a melody lead. The two dominant sounds on the song are repeated before a guitar solo takes the song to it’s end.
Next comes the track Event Horizon which opens with a blast beat, but it is less nasty than the ones we met on the previous song, the blast has a tremolo picked riff that has a lot of melody to it and has a feeling of post black metal rather than strait black metal. The song then goes into purposeful section that is full of drive and energy, but also some very good clean vocals with beautiful backing vocals, that has more of a post metal sound. The blasting post black metal returns briefly but this song is mainly about expansive post metal and beautiful layered vocals.
A Scarlet Lunar Glow Part 1 opens with post black metal in a slow and drifting tempo, before Harsh Vocals are added, there is a very interesting section where harsh and clean vocals are used at the same time, in a very effective way. The song then takes a turn towards post metal and a very expansive section that has those wonderful layered vocals with a tempo that is dreamlike. The song diminishes to clean guitar with a post rock feel with lots of melody. The song then builds back up adding big riffs and increasing the intensity and drive, a tremolo picked riff is added and this is starting to sound like Alcest at their most savage.
Icosandria – A Scarlet Lunar Glow (Black Lava Records) [Paul Scoble]
Icosandria are a Porto, Portugal based band that have been putting out material since 2022. The four piece made up of Nuno Lobão on bass, Miguel Oliveira on drums, Rui Moreira on drums and Tiago Pereira on vocals, guitars and synths. In the time the band have been together they have released two singles and a self titled EP.
Icosandria have a sound that is a mix of post black metal and post metal, and anything else the band feel fits they remit; the sound ranges from harsh lo-fi black metal, to the dreamiest of dream pop.
The album kicks off with the song Black Hxle 1999, which gets thing going with some doomy post black metal with a mid-paced tempo, before nasty harsh vocals are added, and with them some dissonance to the guitars. The song then drops the listener into some fairly savage lo-fi black metal blasting with a melody lead. The two dominant sounds on the song are repeated before a guitar solo takes the song to it’s end.
Next comes the track Event Horizon which opens with a blast beat, but it is less nasty than the ones we met on the previous song, the blast has a tremolo picked riff that has a lot of melody to it and has a feeling of post black metal rather than strait black metal. The song then goes into purposeful section that is full of drive and energy, but also some very good clean vocals with beautiful backing vocals, that has more of a post metal sound. The blasting post black metal returns briefly but this song is mainly about expansive post metal and beautiful layered vocals.
A Scarlet Lunar Glow Part 1 opens with post black metal in a slow and drifting tempo, before Harsh Vocals are added, there is a very interesting section where harsh and clean vocals are used at the same time, in a very effective way. The song then takes a turn towards post metal and a very expansive section that has those wonderful layered vocals with a tempo that is dreamlike. The song diminishes to clean guitar with a post rock feel with lots of melody. The song then builds back up adding big riffs and increasing the intensity and drive, a tremolo picked riff is added and this is starting to sound like Alcest at their most savage.
The clean post rock segment returns to take the song to it’s end. Next we get Yggdrasil, which is blissful post metal full of layered vocals that sound so lush and guitar riffs that are tight with a light feel to them. The song has a soft post rock section before the post metal, layered vocals and lashings of melody take the song to it’s end. Neverending has a similar feel to the song that preceded it, it’s mainly made up of post metal and soft, clean post rock, and feels as if it is full of sunshine. The song has some beautifully tight, bright guitar riffs in the opening section, but does have a little more aggression to it right at the end, where we get a post black metal section that is very aggressive when compared to the material that came before it.
Longing has an up-tempo beginning with some great riffs that have a bit of a new wave, early eighties feel to them. The song builds in intensity after a heavy guitar is added, building until the song drops us into a blast beat whilst keeping everything but the beat the same, giving the song a massive increase in energy, before the post metal returns to take the song to it’s end.
Forlorn is a short quiet instrumental that describes how it feels. The final track is the second part of the title track; A Scarlet Lunar Glow Pt. II it opens with post black metal with harsh vocals and a melody lead driving the song forward, the song then turns towards post metal with a section that is expansive and ethereal with clean vocals. Again we get the really interesting use of clean and harsh vocals together, before the clean and layered backing vocals return. The song has another harsh post black metal part, before the lush post metal returns for a huge, expansive, ethereal and emotional ending.
A Scarlet Lunar Glow is a great album, it mixes lots of different elements, some of which are disparate, in a way where the transitions feel effortless, and completely natural. The song writing is very impressive, as this could have been a mess, but instead is a triumph. The way melody is used to bridge some of these transitions is very clever and stops any of these changes being jarring, which would have ruined the flow of the album. Added to this the gorgeous vocals and music that drips warmth and sunlight, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was made by a band with years of experience, rather than a band on their first album. 8/10
Longing has an up-tempo beginning with some great riffs that have a bit of a new wave, early eighties feel to them. The song builds in intensity after a heavy guitar is added, building until the song drops us into a blast beat whilst keeping everything but the beat the same, giving the song a massive increase in energy, before the post metal returns to take the song to it’s end.
Forlorn is a short quiet instrumental that describes how it feels. The final track is the second part of the title track; A Scarlet Lunar Glow Pt. II it opens with post black metal with harsh vocals and a melody lead driving the song forward, the song then turns towards post metal with a section that is expansive and ethereal with clean vocals. Again we get the really interesting use of clean and harsh vocals together, before the clean and layered backing vocals return. The song has another harsh post black metal part, before the lush post metal returns for a huge, expansive, ethereal and emotional ending.
A Scarlet Lunar Glow is a great album, it mixes lots of different elements, some of which are disparate, in a way where the transitions feel effortless, and completely natural. The song writing is very impressive, as this could have been a mess, but instead is a triumph. The way melody is used to bridge some of these transitions is very clever and stops any of these changes being jarring, which would have ruined the flow of the album. Added to this the gorgeous vocals and music that drips warmth and sunlight, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this was made by a band with years of experience, rather than a band on their first album. 8/10
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