WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME

For me HAWKWIND hit their peak with this album and the previous one "Hall Of The Mountain Grill". Certainly the addition of Simon House and his liberal use of mellotron adds some softness and beauty to both of these records.This would be the last studio record from HAWKWIND that House would use mellotron.This would also be Lemmy's last album with the band.

"Assault & Battery Part I" and the next song "The Golden Void Part II" blend together making it in my opinion the best 10 minutes of music that HAWKWIND have ever recorded. It opens with Lemmy's bass lines and a windstorm of mellotron. The tempo picks up as the drums come in and then vocals. I like the vocal melodies too. Flute from Turner before 2 minutes. Themes are repeated and we get lots of flute 4 minutes in. As it blends into the next track we again start out with a river of mellotron. Sax and organ also help out with synths. Vocals penetrate the wall of sound. A nice heavy beat and more passionate vocals 2 minutes in. Sax returns and it goes on and on to the end. "The Wizard Blew His Horn" features spoken words that echo from Sci-Fi writer Mike Moorlock.This reminds me of Nik Turner's solo album "Xitintoday". It blends into "Opa-Loka" which features a good hypnotic beat(like CAN is known for) that builds including mellotron. Spacey sounds come in late. Great tune.

"The Demented Man" opens with the sounds of seagulls as acoustic guitar then vocals come in. Drums and a fuller sound a minute in. Mellotron comes in as seagulls can still be heard. "Magnu" opens with the sound of wind and rain before an excellent riff comes in. Vocals follow and there's an eastern feel in the background. Some violin before 3 minutes with lots of spacey sounds followed by sax. A cool spacey interlude 5 minutes in where they jam until it blends into "Standing At The Edge" which features another spoken word section this time by Nik. "Spiral Galaxy 28948" is dark and sinister sounding to begin with. Then synths come in and the tempo picks up to change the mood. Flute and spacey synths dominate as drums pound. "Warriors" features more spoken words by Mike again. "Dying Seas" opens with bass and a catchy rhythm as vocals from Turner join in. Lots of spacey sounds and some violin along with some minor riffing. "Kings Of Speed" is a rocker. I keep thinking he's singing "Ace Of Spades". Yeah it's similar to what MOTORHEAD would do but with better vocals. Haha. Violin after 2 minutes.

A must have HAWKWIND album if there ever was one.