Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Hawkwind
Label: Cherry Red Records
Release: 2017
Running time: 63:53
Rating: 4.5/5
Space rock titans Hawkwind are back with a new album, »Into the Woods«, the follow-up to the conceptual treat »The Machine Stops« (2016), which proved once again that after almost fifty years on the music scene they haven’t got a tired bone in their bodies. »Into the Woods« is already the thirtieth studio album in the space rock champions’ extremely rich and turbulent career, if you count the three albums released as Hawklords, Psychadelic Warriors and Hawkwind Light Orchestra in the Hawkwind discography. Charismatic guitarist/vocalist and sole founding member Dave Brock, longtime drummer Richard Chadwick, who has been in the band since 1988, vocalist/bassist Mr Dibs and bassist Haz Wheaton have this time welcomed a new keyboardist, Magnus Martin, who occasionally picks up a guitar too. He replaces Niall Hone, Dead Fred and Tim Blake, who took turns in the lead keyboard spot over the past seven years.
Even though hardly any Hawkwind album, almost by tradition, goes by without at least one change in the lineup, their core, gathered around Brock, Chadwick and Dibs, is as stable as it’s been in a long time, while the band is bursting with renewed energy — in less than a year since »The Machine Stops« they’ve already recorded a new studio album, which is definitely no small feat. »Into the Woods«, which even tops its excellent predecessor in quality, is marked by a characteristic, you could say classic Hawkwind sound, built on psychedelic space rock arrangements with a heavy emphasis on electronic textures, (proto)punk bass lines and hard rock or blues-salted guitar passages from the inimitable Brock. Old songwriting and arranging tricks are successfully merged with some fresh ideas and modern production, which means the album will appeal to longtime fans and those just discovering the legendary band alike.
The opening title track is an unexpected detour into heavy metal, mixed with typical Hawkwind space rock tricks, and makes for a hugely energetic start to the album. The psychedelic »Cottage in the Woods«, built mostly on electronic synth sounds and nostalgic guitar harmonies, creates a very fitting ambient contrast. The melodic »Have You Seen Them« has a thoroughly retro seventies feel, similar to »Spaceship Blues«. The latter is one of the most interesting experiments on »Into the Woods«, since after some space rock blues rock it veers toward the end into space rock country territory, and overall it sounds like it was recorded sometime in the early seventies with the late Lemmy on bass.
Tracks like the ultra-psychedelic »The Whind«, with its narration and dissonant ‘nature’ sounds in the background, once again remind you where the roots of a band lie that started out under the strong influence of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. »Vegan Lunch«, on the other hand, successfully blends space rock experimentation with melody, and the same goes for »Magic Scenes«, which, thanks to its futuristic synth textures and branching harmonies, is one of the highlights of »Into the Woods«. The epic-erotic »Wood Nymph«, which can already be called a true Hawkwind evergreen, and the closing instrumental masterpiece »Magic Mushroom« belong in that company too. The seventy-five-year-old Brock shows at every turn how, over the decades, he has grown from an improviser obsessed with blues riffs into an eclectic guitar virtuoso who never stops thrilling with his cosmic soloing. Unlike its predecessor, which stood out with an intriguing sci-fi concept about a dystopian society, this time there’s no concept to be found, though most of the lyrics deal in a romantic way with forests and the forest dwellers of assorted folk tales, which will remind quite a few prog rock fans a bit of the Jethro Tull classic »Songs from the Woods« (1977), with which, musically speaking, there’s of course no resemblance whatsoever.
Captain Brock and his Hawkwind spaceship crew have touched down in the middle of an evergreen forest this time, where they hung out with wood nymphs and gorged themselves on magic mushrooms. »Into the Woods« is clear proof that even after almost five decades Hawkwind are still in superb space rock form, which means longtime fans can once again be very happy with the new compositions. While most of their peers from the golden era of prog rock have either retired or are just a pale shadow of their former greatness, Hawkwind really do age like fine wine, and it seems their renaissance, which more or less kicked off with Mr Dibs joining, just keeps going and going. Sadly, their upcoming tour will be firmly cemented to home turf in Great Britain, which we’ve kind of gotten used to over the past few years.
Line-up
Dave Brock – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Jonathan Derbyshire “Mr. Dibs” – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, cello
Magnus Martin – keyboards, guitar
Haz Wheaton – bass guitar
Richard Chadwick – drums, backing vocals
Production
Hawkwind
Track list
1. Into The Woods
2. Cottage In The Woods
3. The Woodpecker
4. Have You Seen Them
5. Ascent
6. Space Ship Blues
7. The Wind
8. Vegan Lunch
9. Magic Scenes
10. Darkland
11. Wood Nymph
12. Deep Cavern
13. Magic Mushroom
