Another year, another Hawkwind album! Blessed by the extraterrestrial gods, there is no end in sight for the 83 year old Dave Brock and company, having just bestowed upon us studio album #37, There is No Space for Us. This occasion, mind you, coincides with the 55th anniversary of the band’s groundbreaking eponymous debut. If nothing else, one would have to hand it to Hawkwind for longevity alone. There are few acts in the history of recorded music who have remained as busy in the studio and onstage as Hawkwind. And yet, if you checked out our reviews of 2023’s The Future Never Waits and 2024’s Stories from Time and Space, you’d know that this isn’t just a band banking on former glory, but continuing to be musically fruitful more than half a century on.
On this latest voyage (and that is the word to describe it), Hawkwind present us with a largely synth-driven instrumental affair, one that in many ways recalls the electronic explorations of their ’90s output. While Brock will forever be Hawkwind’s faithful captain, it’s as if he gave keyboardist Thighpaulsandra the co-pilot’s seat, letting him steer the mothership on intergalactic soundscapes like the opening “There is Still Danger There”, “Space Continues (Lifeform)”, and “Changes (Burning Suns and Frozen Waste)”. Brock, meanwhile, assumes his role as half-singer/half-narrator, akin to Ian Anderson’s capacity on latter day Tull outings, albeit in the case of Brock, with far greater conviction than Anderson.
Those who long for the proto-metal and proto-punk meanderings of Hawkwind’s ’70s heyday will likely find themselves disappointed by not just the lack of cosmic rockers, but guitar in general in a riffing capacity. Brock and fellow guitarist Magnus Martin strum away throughout the course of this release, yet whereas past Hawkwind efforts boasted thick, plodding riffs, the guitars on this album are used strictly for ornamentation, either in an acoustic capacity or to add onto Thighpaulsandra’s aforementioned space ambient trip-outs. In other words, the “songs” that make up There is No Space for Us are less songs and more auditory panoramas.
As for yours truly, somebody who appreciates all sides of Hawkwind, from the trippy balladry to the Martian metal to the prog-tronica trip-outs (all things this album offers in spades), I find There is No Space for Us to be a rich and fulfilling listen from top to bottom. Yet the metallist in me (I can never forget where I came from) gravitates strongest to the space metal mania of “Neutron Stars (Pulsating Light)”. Throbbing and grinding like an obscurity Lemmy would’ve adapted on Motörhead’s debut onslaught, “Neutron Stars (Pulsating Light)” proves that you’re never too old to bring the heavy, and leaves me wanting more. Perhaps album #38 will be a full metal platter?
Contrary to the album’s title, there will always be space for Hawkwind in this online metal journalist’s universe. I’m sure I’ve echoed this sentiment elsewhere, but can you think of another band in the history of rock n’ roll who’s proven to be as equally influential on metal, punk, and prog? I can’t. Hawkwind, keep spreading your wings and riding on the wind. Every new album is a space ritual waiting to be explored, consecrated, and worshipped by the psychedelic masses.
7 out of 10
Label: Cherry Red Records
Genre: Space Rock
For fans of: Ozric Tentacles, Eloy, Nektar
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