We featured Black Falcon in the run-up to Bloodstock 2019, and Ross spoke to them at the festival where they furnished us with a copy of their album which I am belatedly giving a spin. We do promise to review all the media we’re given while we’re there. We just don’t put a timescale on it!
Dropping some groove / stoner rock onto the Jager stage this year, the band did Bradford proud and with an album as strong as this to feed their setlist it’s no surprise. Turn Around… features almost an hour of tight tracks, all designed to have you banging your head at one velocity or another. On the other hand, several of the songs have a more laid back feel so you’ve got more of a nod and boogie feel going on (“Enough”, for example).
While each track is recognisably Black Falcon, each is definitely unique. It’s impressive that they’ve managed to cram together a dozen numbers which define them as a band without getting “samey”. Take driving pace of “The Wolf You Feed”, for instance, and compare it to the funky “The Final Must-Hang”.
Through the twelve tracks, there’s a strong display of musicianship and good songwriting skills. Everything has its place and the five are obviously great together as a unit. The strong bass line can be heard throughout most of the songs, keeping things kicking along with the drums which – just the right amount – go a little tonto. The guitars always seem to complement each other, too. A lot of this is down to production and as ever it amazes me that independent bands can create something that matches the quality of something from a major label.
I still sometimes see people querying why Bloodstock, as a “metal” festival, lets “rock” bands onto the bill. This. This is why. It’s because they’re bloody good.
Black Falcon: facebook | instagram | youtube | spotify
