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Black Hawk: Straight to Hell
Black Hawk: Straight to Hell
Heavy Metal
3.5/5.0
Kathargo Records
www.myspace.com/blackhawkmetal
www.black-hawk-music.de
By Craig Hartranft, 12.26.2010
Black Hawk (not to be confused with the American Southern rock band) comes from Northern Germany. They started in 1981 with several self-produced and hand distributed demos, resulting in the well-regarded EP First Attack (1989). And then like many upstart bands in those raucous days: Black Hawk went silent. They reemerged in the new millennium with Twenty Five (2005), their first full studio album ever. It was followed by two more albums: Dragon Ride (2007) and The Invasion (2008). 2010 finds Black Hawk in fine and similar form with Straight to Hell, a better than average platter of traditional Teutonic melodic heavy/power metal.
Without sounding dismissive or simplistic, Black Hawk is pure German melodic heavy metal: think equal parts Accept, Udo, Edguy and even Masterplan. Actually, listening to Straight to Hell, Seven Years of Pain or Isolation, I'm not quite sure of Black Hawk's direction. Listening to Bad Pussy, a song somewhere between corny and parody, melodic metal and hard rock, certainly confuses the issue. But it's quite the fun song.
Of Straight to Hell this can be said: this is fundamental and old school heavy metal. I dig it. But I'm not all that convinced. With exceptions of Shoot Shoot and Bad Pussy, nothing truly grabbed me. Yet like many albums I listen to, I'm guessing Straight to Hell will grow on me. I hope so, because Black Hawk gets it right. Recommended.
In Short
Of Straight to Hell this can be said: this is fundamental and old school heavy metal. I dig it. But I'm not all that convinced. With exceptions of Shoot Shoot and Bad Pussy, nothing truly grabbed me. Yet like many albums I listen to, I'm guessing Straight to Hell will grow on me.
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Formed in 1999 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erik Martensson, Sweden's Eclipse is well into their third decade of making music. In the recent past, their recordings and reputation have ... [ Read More ]