Chickenhawk - Demo 2005
Self-released Demo 2005
By Katalin Sipos
Where does it lead if you have a weird sense of humour - that might be simply labeled as stupidity by some - and a weak side for guitar driven extreme music, without paying attention to the unwritten rules of any genre, just following your (animal) insticts? This combination bred the Leeds-based band Chickenhawk. These three guys decided to shock and shake up the world of rock music and composed three songs, with which they are testing the limits of the listeners open-mindness and tolerance. Oh well, it is not that as bad as it may sound, I am just trying to prepare you for something unusual. Believe me, youre gonna like it.
Their music can be described as noisy, experimental wanna-be metalcore spiced up with slight punk rock and lots of stoner flavours, that is, all in all, trying to sound as unconventional as Faith No More already did more than a decade ago. Dirty, muddy sludge riffs and dissonant changes are based on stonerish rhythms, whirling together in an unpredictable musical chaos. Faster parts (their bleak hawk side?) reminded me of The Melvins and Yakuza while the slower parts (revealing their helpless inner chicken self?) bring Pelican and Isis to mind. No matter, they never lose the energy or the freshness. The repetitive choruses and melodic twists easily get stuck into your head already after a few spins, and soon you will feel the need to listen to this demo again.
The strong FNM feeling I mentioned, I had during their second track, Dr. Fellatio, where some parts were weirdly like The Real Thing tracks. The bands singer sounds a lot like Mr. Danzing here. Strange or not, this is an interesting combination, and the end of this song holds another surprise for the listeners. The unique vocals - beside the usual shouting, singing and shrieking include something chickenish. Yes, you can hear distorted clucking-like vocals here and there and it is as good as crazy it sounds. The only thing I dont like about this demo is the drum sound at the end of the first song. It felt like they were recorded by somebody stamping his feat instead of using normal drum beats.
Are they genius or are they just making fun of the listeners? It is up to you to decide, but beware: The end is in sight, only assimilation to the Chickenhawk Brigade can save you now! Good music that should be taken seriosly, but only to a small degree. Let them entertain us.
8/10
Official Chickenhawk Website
Self-released Demo 2005
By Katalin Sipos
Where does it lead if you have a weird sense of humour - that might be simply labeled as stupidity by some - and a weak side for guitar driven extreme music, without paying attention to the unwritten rules of any genre, just following your (animal) insticts? This combination bred the Leeds-based band Chickenhawk. These three guys decided to shock and shake up the world of rock music and composed three songs, with which they are testing the limits of the listeners open-mindness and tolerance. Oh well, it is not that as bad as it may sound, I am just trying to prepare you for something unusual. Believe me, youre gonna like it.
Their music can be described as noisy, experimental wanna-be metalcore spiced up with slight punk rock and lots of stoner flavours, that is, all in all, trying to sound as unconventional as Faith No More already did more than a decade ago. Dirty, muddy sludge riffs and dissonant changes are based on stonerish rhythms, whirling together in an unpredictable musical chaos. Faster parts (their bleak hawk side?) reminded me of The Melvins and Yakuza while the slower parts (revealing their helpless inner chicken self?) bring Pelican and Isis to mind. No matter, they never lose the energy or the freshness. The repetitive choruses and melodic twists easily get stuck into your head already after a few spins, and soon you will feel the need to listen to this demo again.
The strong FNM feeling I mentioned, I had during their second track, Dr. Fellatio, where some parts were weirdly like The Real Thing tracks. The bands singer sounds a lot like Mr. Danzing here. Strange or not, this is an interesting combination, and the end of this song holds another surprise for the listeners. The unique vocals - beside the usual shouting, singing and shrieking include something chickenish. Yes, you can hear distorted clucking-like vocals here and there and it is as good as crazy it sounds. The only thing I dont like about this demo is the drum sound at the end of the first song. It felt like they were recorded by somebody stamping his feat instead of using normal drum beats.
Are they genius or are they just making fun of the listeners? It is up to you to decide, but beware: The end is in sight, only assimilation to the Chickenhawk Brigade can save you now! Good music that should be taken seriosly, but only to a small degree. Let them entertain us.
8/10
Official Chickenhawk Website
