Black Hawk Straight to Hell

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by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Straight to Hell is the fourth studio album from long-running German traditional metal band Black Hawk. Apparently this band has been kicking around in some form or another (there aren’t any original members left at this point), but didn’t start releasing proper albums since 2005. It’s an odd history, but then end result is a “new” band with veteran skills.

Black Hawk plays heavy metal. Period. Not neoclassical metal with progressive touches, not symphonic power metal, just heavy by God metal. Think Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, Running Wild and Accept. It’s the kind of metal that ruled 30 years ago, and it still sounds damn good today, especially by a band as talented as Black Hawk. Straight to Hell sounds like Biff Byford fronting Accept. You’ve got some great speedy riffing, solid melodies, strong vocals, cheesy (in the best possible way) lyrics, and the kind of anthemic choruses that make you want to shout along and raise your fist, preferably with beer in hand.

“Straight to Hell” and “Guardians of the Night” are the best songs on the album, but the whole thing is pretty solid. There’s even a faithful cover of the Saxon classic “Crusader” that fits perfectly with the rest of Straight to Hell. The only real clunker here is the silly “Bad Pussy,” which sounds like an AC/DC b-side, but you have to wonder if an album clocking in at just 47 minutes really needed three instrumental tracks. The showy “Crystal Shark Part 1” is fun enough, but “In Hell” and “The Last Mile” are throwaways.

Black Hawk may not be delivering the most cutting edge metal, but there’s definitely something to be said for these veteran bands who can still knock out first rate traditional heavy metal albums. It’s why we still get excited when Saxon or Accept release a new album, and it’s what makes Straight to Hell so enjoyable. If old school heavy metal is your thing, you’re definitely going to want to hear this one.

Genre: Heavy Metal

Band:
Udo Bethke (v)
Thorsten Bettge (g)
Wolfgang Tewes (g)
Michael Wieckenberg (b)
Niko Schaper (d)

Track Listing:

1. In Hell
2. Isolation
3. Shoot Shoot
4. Straight to Hell
5. Seven Years of Pain
6. Crystal Shark, Part I
7. Crusader
8. Nothing to Lose
9. The Last Mile
10. Stranger in this Land
11. Bad Pussy
12. Guardians of the Night

Label: Karthago

Website: www.black-hawk-music.de

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.6/10