BLOOD OF THE EARTH

It is very common to link the term of "space rock" with Hawkwind, a band whose first album was released back in 1970, that's a lot of time. Anyway, the band is still composing and creating very good songs and albums. Their last one had been released in 2006, but now after four years they returned with "Blood of the Earth", and believe me, it is nice to see a veteran band creating stuff like this.

The album is composed by ten tracks, with a total time of almost one hour, so fasten your seatbelts and prepare to this musical journey. "Seahawks" has since the very first moments those spacey effects that create a fascinating atmosphere. This is actually a great introduction to the album, it is like a movie trailer or at least I though that since the first time I listened to it. Vocals are just nice, but the music in general is pretty cool. I like both the guitars and synthesizer. "Blood of the Earth" is a short track in which just a spacey atmosphere sounds, if you close your eyes, you will find yourself floating in a galaxy, waiting for the next episode.

After that calm passage, "Wraith" begins all of a sudden with a faster and heavier sound, this reminds me totally to this same band, but in their seventies, so their style and quality remains despite forty years of difference. This is a cool song; the best are the keyboards and its effects, really good.

Now a contrast, after that fast Hawkwind song, here we have "Green Machine" which is an instrumental track that really moves me. It has a calm and peaceful atmosphere that sounds very emotive thanks to the guitar solos. The ambient is gentle all the time, a moment of tranquility where one can take a deep breath and think. Though this may not be a song that clearly defines the band's sound, I can say that it is one of my favorite tracks here (if not my fave).

"Inner Visions" is a pretty catchy song that suggests movement, I mean I cannot help but moving my head and body while listening to this. I like the bass and of course as usual, the synth effects. "Sweet Obsession" is another fast time that reminds me to some of their 70s moments, and the vocals actually, remind me to some krautrock passages, it is odd I know, nice song. "Comfy Chair" calms down the rhythm, after those rockier moments here I found a thoughtful one, with great musical elements created by all the instruments, I like the bass and of course, the keyboards.

"Prometheus" is a nice track with an eastern flavor. It has some kind of sitar at the beginning, but sadly that does not sound again until the last part. The rhythm is the same all the song, but it is quite enjoyable to my ears. "You'd Better Believe it" , I'll be terribly honest, this song at first reminded me to a certain U2 song, I know you'll kill me but I can't omit this part. The song is actually another example of that space rock ala Hawkwind, but there are much better songs than this one.

"Sentinel" seems to be alike to Green Machine due to its softness and peace created, but later with the addition of vocals and some guitar notes, that road changes and that beauty is shown only in passages, not in the whole song. Anyway, this is actually one of my preferred moments on this album. And it finishes with "Starshine" which is an instrumental song. A track that suggests tranquility and peace, seven minutes of soft and calm sounds, a nice way to end this album.

Well, I listened the album several times before writing this review, sure thing is that I really liked it, but in moments I felt it a bit uneven, I mean it is not as strong as I thought in my first listen, that is why I will rate it with three stars (3.5 would be more accurate). But in the end, it is fascinating to see a band like Hawkwind still alive and sharing their quality.

Enjoy it!

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