OFF/HW: Reptilian Reviews: Chronicle of The Black Sord

[christmu@eunet.no]

Go to http://home.eunet.no/~christmu/pulp/charlieyga.html for a recently
updated musical review section, also containing live reviews and an article
on comic books with magickal content or significance. The CD's and 7"'s
reviewed are:

V.A. : "Alpha Motherfuckers" - A Tribute To Turbonegro
Hawkwind - "Chronicle of The Black Sword"
Suicide - Suicide
Voivod - Killing Technology
Inner City Unit - Passout: The 360 Degree Psycho Deliria Sound
The Damned - The Black Album
Third World War - Third World War
The 13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere
Entombed/New Bomb Turks split 7" - Night of The Vampire/I Hate People

Extract from from review section...:
Hawkwind - "Chronicle of The Black Sword" (Flicknife1985, SHARP033)

Being the first Hawkwind album I ever bought, "Chronicle of The Black
Sword" proved it was only a matter of time before the undisputed Kings of
Spacerock and British underground institution, the trusty crew of Star Rats
led by Baron Dave Brock himself, the mighty Hawkwind, would release a
concept album based on long time collaborator Michael Moorcock's
mythological fantasy hero cycle, starring the apocalypse junkie warrior
Elric of Melnibone and his soul drinking black sword Stormbringer. Having
yet again teamed up with bassist Alan Davey (Al Chemical), drummer Danny
Thompson (D.T. Turbine), guitarist Huw Lloyd Langton (Rocky Paths) and
synthmeister Harvey Bainbridge (Black Earl Brainbox), this 80s classic
lineup of Hawkwind also went on to do several successful theatrical live
performances of the material at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1985 and 86 which
was celebrated in the form of a video and a following double live album,
"Live Chronicles".

Kicking off with "Song of The Swords", a rocking Brock heavy metal tune
with a snarling and challenging vocal line, "Chronicle of The Black Sword"
is qute a varied effort as shown with the next track, Bainbridge's "Shade
Gate", a gently soothing and rhythmic ambient piece of psychedelia,
followed by a characteristic Langton piece, "Sea King". Overall, the album
is a great mix of varied lyrical and musical material, with the classic
live hit "Needle Gun" sounding something like a souped up, evil sounding ZZ
Top! "Elric" is an excellent rock number poetically chronicling the central
character, "Zarozinia" a distant, drifting psychedelic ballad of Elric's
magickally sleeping lover-cousin, and "Arioch" is a ripping piece of acid
drenched instrumental speed metal summoning the diety and Lord of Chaos
himself. Other tracks like "Chaos Army" and "The Demise" are more
atmospheric and theatrical pieces chronicling the onmarching horror hordes
of the forces of Chaos and Elric's sacrifice to Arioch. "Sleep of A 1000
Tears" is a Moorcock co-penned classic Hawkwind styled driving psychedelic
rock number. The original Flicknife version of the CD came with an
excellent live version of the classic "Assault & Battery", something of a
biker anthem off 1975's classic "Warrior on The Edge of Time" LP. Overall,
with "Chronicle of The Black Sword", Hawkwind had proven that "concept"
wasn't dead afterall in the UK underground scene of the mid-80s, and that
heavy metal could survive just as well along with it.

Otherwise, as usual the Hawkwind Electric Library is up at
http://home.eunet.no/~christmu/hawkwind.html , containing rare Hawkwind
related graphics from classic underground newspapers, paperbacks and comic
books. One may also pay the main section, A Disease of The Mind, a
collection gallery of rare pulp paperback covers, obscure comics and
strange toys, a visit. Finally, The Blasphemers of Sodom Present Scenes of
Black Sorcery page is also to be found at
http://home.eunet.no/~christmu/pulp/tubrok.html , chronicling the violent
and true tale of a Warrior Dragon Head's alien trek through the Apocalypse
and beyond. Horrorists beware; it contains authentic lust, death, magick
and horror...

Chr.