On their second album Revelry & Resilience, Gypsyhawk take their love for '70s & '80s hard rock/metal and Thin Lizzy to another level, injecting more of their own personal touch but still coming up with a great sounding release that fans of vintage heavy rock will love. Ex-Skeltonwitch singer/bassist Eric Harris once again leads the charge here, joined by the twin guitar army of Erik Kuibler & Andrew Packer and drummer Ian Brown. Fans of catchy heavy rock tunes littered with plenty of crunchy riffs, melodic solos and twin guitar harmonies certainly will find a lot to love here.
Harris still sounds a lot like the late Phil Lynnott, so coupled with the awesome dual guitar work on tunes like "Overloaded", "Hedgeking" and "Frostwyrm", you can't help but think of all those classic Thin Lizzy albums of the mid-late '70s. "Galaxy Rise" has a sort of UFO meets Motorhead swagger to it, and the crunchy "1345" will easily appeal to fans of the NWOBHM movement, especially bands like Saxon, Iron Maiden, and Tank, complete with galloping rhythms and speedy riffs. The slower, more grinding "Night Songs From The Desert" has some fantastic riffs (man, Kuibler & Packer are two fine players, and they are produced so well here) that just scream 1976, while "Silver Queen" could have easily been a leftover from Lizzy's Bad Reputation. Gypsyhawk even add in a fun cover of the Johnny Winter/Rick Derringer classic "Rock and Roll Hootchie Coo", complete with plenty of guitar pyrotechnics.
As derivative as some might find Revelry & Resilience, bands just aren't making hard rock albums like this these days. Not only does it pay homage to the classic acts of the '70s and '80s, but it contains some of the hottest twin guitar work you'll hear this year. More please!
Track Listing
1. Overloaded
2. The Fields
3. Hedgeking
4. Frostwyrm
5. Galaxy Rise
6. 1345
7. Night Songs From The Desert
8. The Red Wedding
9. Silver Queen
10. State Lines
11. Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
