By: Aaron Pickford
Album Type: Full
Length
Date Released: 11/10/2011
Label: Small
Stones Records
Freedom Hawk has flair and flamboyance in their sound, most
importantly the ability to write memorable tunes. This skill
intertwined with an unyielding production from Vince Burke (Beaten Back to
Pure) gives the album a classic sound of days gone by, when albums were
recorded in 7 days and you were excited to open your gatefold vinyl for the
first time. ‘Holding On’ is an
album which adds further credibility and quality to the genre, and of classic
albums we have grown up with.
‘Holding On’ CD//DD//LP track Listing
1.
Thunderfoot (4:10)
2.
Living for Days (2:50)
3.
Edge of Destiny (4:13)
4.
Her Addiction (3:59)
5.
Zelda (1:44)
6.
Nomad (4:44)
7.
Magic Lady (4:44)
8.
Bandito 3:07)
9.
Flat Tyre (4:36)
10.
North Swell (4:02)
11.
Standing in Line (4:31)
12.
Faded (4:56)
13.
Indian Summer (4:15)
Freedom Hawk is:
T.
R. Morton | Vocals, Guitars and Organ
Lenny
Hines | Drums
Matt
Cave | Guitars
Mark
Cave | Bass
The Review:
Monster Magnet, Kyuss, Fu Manchu, 3 bands who immediately spring to mind when
you’re thinking of stoner or desert rock. Synonymous with the scene for over 20
years, they been the catalyst for many bands seeking to emulate or copy their
sound, sometimes producing music of quality and others time not. For that reason, I often feel a sense of
apprehension when exposed to new bands in the genre, due in no small part to an
over saturation in the market of poor quality music and perhaps for reasons
that some bands are intent on trying to be the next Monster Magnet,
Kyuss or Fu Manchu. Having
never heard Freedom Hawk before, the usual feelings
started to stir. Thankfully Freedom Hawk here, with
their third official release ‘Holding
On’, have
produced an album of impeccable quality.
What
you have, is what you expect from stoner/desert rock, bucket loads of riffs and
that trademark fuzzy bass groove. Whilst listening to this record, I
couldn’t help feeling that I was being transported back to 1970’s America;
peace and love, warm summers, driving in your convertible and heading down to
the beach. Think Cheech & Chong, and their ‘fiberweed’ van and
you’ll get the general idea. Having been
labelled "the East Coast's answer to Fu Manchu", you
might expect a band to flounder perhaps sacrificing originality in favour of
being a nostalgia act; however ‘Holding On’ is a
headstrong, full throttle adrenaline ride, with a tank full of groovy riffs,
blistering guitar solos and enough swagger to make their contemporaries green
(no pun intended) with envy.
‘Holding On’ resonates
with the influence of Dio era Black Sabbath, and also the solo career of Ozzy Osborne, specifically ‘Blizzard of Oz’. Indeed T.R. Morton’s voice has an
uncanny resemblance to Ozzy, yet retains
originality. More importantly, the exemplary vocals only serve to
make this album such fantastic fun. The band sHEAVY also
springs to mind when I listened to this record. Is it any wonder
this record is awesome? Since their
inception in 1995, Small Stone Records have an exemplary track record of
producing bands and releasing music of superior quality and ‘Holding On’ continues that great
tradition. "Thunderfoot, ‘Living for Days’, ’Edge of Destiny’ and ‘Her Addiction’ are fused with
powerful chords, Iommi-esque guitar solos and an impressive use of ambience,
creating the aesthetic of psychedelia and fuzziness, giving you that warm
tripped out feeling and infecting your psyche to its core. The sporadic use of
organ’s provide the album with a spaced out / out of body sensation, all of
which sets them apart in their own right from the aforementioned Fu Manchu. I couldn’t help thinking on ‘Her Addiction’ that it had just a whiff of The Ramones influence on it, giving it that punchy attitude
and up tempo ‘punk’ vibe.
Throughout
the album T.R. Morton's Ozzy influenced vocals
add supreme quality to the record and it infuses well with the bands fuzzed out
sound and further cementing their ‘70s rock sound. Slower more
experimental detours on the album such as "Zelda", which could be their ‘Planet Caravan’, add definition and texture
to the album. Plan and simple, ‘Holding On’ is just downright impressive. During the 13 tracks on offer here, Freedom Hawk provides the listener with the sweetest
grooves imaginable, yet offers something truly unique. The band has the uncanny
knack of producing polished melodies with beefy riffs, giving substance and
vigour to the album. Tracks like ‘Bandito’ are catchy as hell and take you on rollercoaster
ride, leaving you disorientated and bewildered, by what has just happened.
Freedom Hawk has flair and flamboyance in their
sound, most importantly the ability to write memorable tunes. This
skill intertwined with an unyielding production from Vince Burke (Beaten Back to Pure) gives the album a classic sound of
days gone by, when albums were recorded in 7 days and you were excited to open
your gatefold vinyl for the first time. ‘Holding On’ is an album which adds further
credibility and quality to the genre, and of classic albums we have grown up
with. The album is a grower and the more you listen, the more you grasp the
depth of influences which have inspired this band to write it. I can
only hope that Freedom Hawk continue to produce albums of
this quality, because if they do, ‘Holding
On’ is the beginning of very bright future for them. This
album is choc full of hooks, groove and muscular riffs and to top it off,
excellent vocals. To quote Cheech Marin, ‘Holy sheep shit! It’s guitar
Heaven! I can’t recommend this album highly enough. Go
buy it!
‘Holding On’
is available here
