No Mercy For The Slain

No matter what adjective you put in front of the word Rock, there is no end to the many variations that Rock music can take. As of late, I've acquired a taste for Rock mixed with Celtic styles such as The Dropkick Murphys. Upon receiving the promo CD from the band Hauk, I thought I'd be in store for some type of Viking/Heathen metal in the vein of bands like Tyr or even Moonsorrow based on the cover of Hauk's album No Mercy For The Slain and some of the song titles like Hymn To Death, Raven Wings, Rage and No Mercy. Well, as they say, never judge a book by it's cover! No Mercy For The Slain sounds nothing like Tyr or even Moonsorrow for that matter. No Mercy For The Slain is a hybrid of traditional Irish and Celtic Folk music, instrumentation and themes mixed with Rock and metal elements. The music of Hauk is driven by the use of the violin and tribal like drum beats and patterns. The band consists of Hauk (vocals, guitar, bass), Duke Dubeau (keyboards, vocals), Chris Dooly (drums, percussion) and Boyd Ervin (guitar, bass, vocals). Upon the first listen of No Mercy For The Slain, I had a really hard time accepting it for what it was. There were a few things from the start of the first song that I did not like. For one, the lead vocals. They are way too loud in the mix. Also, the style of the male lead vocals are delivered in a snarl manner at times, reminiscent of a drunken pirate or an Irish James Hetfield meets an I Don't Like Mondays Bob Geldof. In fact, he doesn't really sing with any power or range. It sounds more like he is talking with some melody rather than singing. At times the male background vocal chants make me feel like I'm at a rugby or soccer game. The female vocals that are used help give the music more color and dynamics. As for the instruments, the drums use way too much high hat for my tastes. And the snare drum sounds like a pillow at times. I do like the sound of the acoustic guitars. They have a nice, crisp clear tone to them. But the electric, rhythm guitars are lost in the mix and seem to have a very low, bass tone to them. I also like the violin/viola playing. Some keyboards are used as well as the oboe, cello, Uilleann pipes and wooden flute. I do find the songs pretty interesting from the lyrical standpoint . They are quite spiritual in nature and I do like the Celtic feel and atmosphere of the songs. But over all this is an album that I would listen to once in a blue moon, like on St. Patricks Day or something. You really need to be in the mood to listen to this type of stuff. I feel that it will take several listens for it to really sink in with most people. The overall production of No Mercy For The Slain is raw but fitting for this type of music as it gives it more of a live feel than anything. Hauk have compared themselves to having elements used in bands such as The Pogues and the Flogging Mollys. If you like these bands, then Hauk might be up your alley. I even hear a little bit of Kansas and Mahavishnu Orchestra, probably because of the violins. I do give this band credit for sounding somewhat unique but based on some of the things I touched upon as far the male lead vocals, electric rhythm guitars and drum sound, Hauk has alot of room for improvement!