Cheering to know that, amidst these Covid-ravaged times, some bands born of our island still have the upper hand at combining contemporary metal with classic rock.

 

Stamford, UK quintet, Black Hawk Down open right up right away with a rigid rhythm guitar sound oozing of recent Metallica oil while adding a vocal that sits loosely between Bruce Dickinson and Chris Cornell. BHD don't stop their either. Across all of these eleven tracks you will get to enjoy a rapidly expanding array of inspirations, developing vibes of dirty garage rock, grunge and stoner, and everything else squeezed in and around the sides.

 

'Faces', 'Calling', 'Matchstick Men', 'Poison In My Blood', 'Exposed' and recent single 'Sick Kind'  have as much in common with the 70's and 90's as with the noughties and tennies. Sharp no-nonsense grooves and psychedelic edged lead solos get the heat up as high as a morning debate with Piers Morgan. Sized up against singer, Ben Yardley's smooth, gravelly throat, the formula is long set in stone by the album's closing chord. Driving and emotive rock that evokes passion from all corners, Black Hawk Down's debut is one to avoid not getting.

 

Here's hoping that the next chapter will be even more gripping as 'Chapter One' has already been a hell of a page turner.