6. May 2025
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Media Review

Black Hawk – Soulkeeper

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Black Hawk - Soulkeeper

Black Hawk - Soulkeeper
4.3

Rating

 4.3/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Cool rock'n'roll sound
  • Straight, honest and fun songs

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Few arrangement issues (in my point of view)
  • Songs are a bit of similar

Four decades of guitar riffs – the hard rockers / metalheads Black Hawk already have quite a long history. The German band has just released their new album on 24th March 2023. I had the opportunity to give it a listen.

 

Black Hawk – About The Artists

Black Hawk is a metal quartet from Northern Germany. They already do music since 1981, when the band has been founded in Mölln, roughly between Hamburg and Lübeck. Nowadays, they are located in Hamburg. The singer of Black Hawk is Udo Bethke, the guitars are played by Wolfgang Tewes. Thomas Zottel Wiekenberg is the bassist and Ovidiu Zeres the drummer of the band. Including the five track debut release First Attack (1989), Soulkeeper is already the ninth long play of the band.

 

Black Hawk – Soulkeeper – Track by Track

The ten track album lasts 49 minutes.

1. Soulkeeper

All in one: the album is starting with its title track, which is also the featured song for promotion. In general, I like the speedy song with the smashing messages like We will catch you, you cannot escape. The chorus stays in your mind and as well and the guitars grumbling their chords at high speed are a treat for metal lovers. I struggle a bit with the vocal side, unfortunately. Udo Bethke could sounds a bit too thin to me compared to the instrumental firework.

2. Angry Machines

The album has a couple of really political and social-critic songs – like this ones, when the Germans set up their angry machines against corruption. The balance between instruments and vocals works much better in this track, I feel.

3. War Zone

Would you imagine a gentle, fragile ballad when you read this title, War Zone? Of course, you get another rocker. The structure is similar to the two opening tracks. Especially Tewes and Wiekenberg have quite a good workout on their strings in here – Bethke is adding the story on this massive metal foundation. It works.

4. Better Times

Better Times is a very harsh critics on the Covid-19 measures, which have been in place between 2020 and 2022. Bring me back to the better times and We want to live in a better time are key phrases of this song, which has partially works with the groove of a blues rock track.

5. Survivor

I guess that’s what you call stadium rock. When the quartet is stating I’m a survivor, you just feel to sing along. The only rationale which prevents from it is that I personally don’t agree to all the statements, which again deal with the Covid-19 measures. Even though I do understand statements like No shows, no concerts, what can we do? Culturists? Don’t exist!

6. Bells Of Death

The six minute track Bells Of Death is the longest song on the album. The song has a nice sing-a-long potential again. One of the best vocal performances on the album – and when the Bells Of Death are ringing, you just cannot thinking about the good, old Hells Bells. 

7. Bullet

This song is indeed Flying like a bullet. The song is speedy and comparably short (just some three minutes…). Unfortunately, this shotgun does not add too many hits to the scoreboard – not a bad one, but quite in line with other tracks.

8. Mystic

The first half of this 5:31 minute song feel like a typical rock ballad. By the way, I again struggle with the arrangement of the vocals. Then, all of a sudden, the guitars almost feel to explode and run the track in its second half. Very contrasting song, but not a too bad blending.

9. We Stay Strong

We stay strong – music is our life – the song feels like a mantra or a band’s anthem. Like in other tracks, Black Hawk is is not shy of sending clear messages like Music is our freedom. These kind of Black Hawk songs are the best ones in my point of view.

10. Rock ‘n’ Roll In My Head

I just needed to read the title of the closing song and felt that this track will be a good fit to Black Hawk. These guys don’t disappoint me. A bit of simple on the lyrics side – but ain’t that the perfect way to write a song which boosts a show rather at its end, when the fans already had a few beers and are warmed up? Oh yeah!

 

Black Hawk – Soulkeeper – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Black Hawk – Soulkeeper – My View

Soulkeeper is not always top notch songwriting and storytelling. I also have some spots of the song which make me struggle with the arrangement. The big plus of this album: it damn rocks. And it is f*cking honest and straight. I simply love it! Black Hawk is fun.

 

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