Hawkwind – The Future Never Waits

Although we’ve gained quite the reputation for covering so called “legacy acts”, there are few bands whose legacies are as extensive and storied as space rock warriors, Hawkwind. Formed all the way back in 1969, the band was pivotal to the development of progressive rock, punk, and metal music. Now I can think of bands from the late 60s and early 70s who were influential to one of these subgenres, or perhaps even two of them, but all three? Unheard of. Albums like In Search of Space (1971), Doremi Fasol Latido (1972), and Hall of the Mountain Grill (1974) remain as fresh today as they were half a century ago, and let’s not forget that there’s no Motörhead without Hawkwind.

With all that said, Hawkwind has managed to weather the storm, continuing to peddle their spacey, sci-fi heavy sound to their devoted cult fanbase for nearly 55 years. Quite the incredible feat, if I must say so myself. And although they may have never reached the creative heights of their 70s heyday again, there are no shortage of hidden gems throughout Hawkwind’s vast catalog. Take 1985’s The Chronicle of the Black Sword for example: A space metal opera chronicling Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné. Or the electronic tinged Electric Teepee (1992), which spat in the face of the stripped down minimalism of the grunge era. Or even their latest outing, The Future Never Waits.

On this latest studio effort, their 35th to be exact, Hawkwind relies heavily on lengthy, mind-expanding, and of course, spacey instrumentals. These vast soundscapes draw from the outer reaches of drone, jazz rock, and electronic music, just to name a few genres explored. The opening 10+ minute title track establishes atmosphere and mood with its tripped out space synth textures. The mostly instrumental “They Are So Easily Distracted” showcases the band’s technical and melodic chops, while “USB1” goes for an ambient chillout approach and “Outside of Time” lies somewhere between jazz, drone, and another dimension.

Those of a more orthodox disposition, longing for the Hawkwind sound of yore, fear not. There’s no shortage of old school space rockin’ on here as well. Cuts like “The End” and “Rama (The Prophecy)” sound straight out of the early 70s, with their heavy intergalactic riffs, haunting melodies, and urban attitude. Spaced out metalpunk? Bring it on. Frontman/founder Dave Brock sure knows how to write’ em all these years later. My choice cut, however, is the absolutely incredible “The Beginning”. To summarize this 8+ minute epic without spoiling it entirely, let me put it this way: I listened to this song sober and it shook me to my very core. God forbid I was under the influence of any substances, I’d likely be writing this review from the comfort of a rubber room.

If The Future Never Waits, neither does Hawkwind. These veterans are guaranteed to hit you with the trippiest album of the year, every year, or at least every other year. Aside from maybe Status Quo, I can’t think of another band whose career goes back THAT far and is as prolific today as they were back then (even Deep Purple takes about 5 years between albums). So to all you space-age headbangers, rejoice and be strange. The Sonic Attack of these Warriors on the Edge of Time remains lethal as ever.

7 out of 10

Label: Cherry Red Records

Genre: Space Rock

For fans of: Nektar, Ozric Tentacles, Voivod