1981's Sonic Attack was Hawkwind's eleventh studio album, and saw the departure of drummer Ginger Baker and keyboard player Keith Hale, both of whom had a great impact on their previous release Levitation. Joining founding member Dave Brock (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Harvey Bainbridge (bass, keyboards, vocals), and Huw Lloyd-Langton (lead guitar, vocals) was drummer Martin Griffin, who had previously been in the band under the Hawklords moniker. Brock & Bainbridge covered all the keyboard parts on the album instead of bringing on board a new member to fill that role. Longtime collaborator, science fiction author Michael Moorcock also contributes some lyrics as well as vocals on one track.
While Sonic Attack probably doesn't quite hit the high marks of some of Hawkwind's more beloved '70s albums, it's still pretty solid and a good representation of just where the band and the space rock scene in general were in the early '80s. Tracks like "Sonic Attack" and "Rocky Paths" straddle the line between prog, hard rock, techno, psychedelia, and punk, while "Virgin of the World", with it's bubbling, spacey synths, effects laden vocals, and creepy atmosphere, is a space rock lovers dream and will certainly appeal to fans of Pink Floyd's '70s material. The band dives into their brand of space metal on the hard driving "Angels of Death", a style that they would dip into quite a bit in this era, complete with heavy riffs, zig-zagging synths, and intriguing vocals. Lots of wild & tasty lead guitar work from Lloyd-Langton on this one as well, as he shows just what an underrated player he always was. "Living on a Knife Edge" is a very dated piece, as the band seem to be incorporating a new wave, almost Talking Heads influence, while "Coded Languages" is a bizarre spacey punk rock number with some highly annoying vocals from Moorcock. The band go for a melodic hard rock/metal feel on the dark "Streets of Fear", another piece littered with sizzling Lloyd-Langton lead guitar work, and "Lost Chances" closes out the album in fine Hawkwind fashion, as Brock's far reaching vocals soar over waves of synths and metallic riffing. Lyrically, it's another interesting song that talks about living with regret and how the past always catches up to you.
Atomhenge's remaster sound great and features a second disc of bonus material. While there are plenty of alternate and extended versions of some of the songs, the appeal for most will be the inclusion of stuff like the single B-side "Transdimensional Man", a truly great song that is as good if not better than most of the tunes on Sonic Attack. "Out of the Void" is an almost techno/ambient synth track that is actually a demo of the song "Joker at the Gate" from the Church of Hawkwind album, and both "Devilish Dirge" & The End of Earth City" are also demo versions of songs that would later wind up on that album one year after this one was released. Toss in a wonderful booklet packed with photos, artwork, lyrics, and info, and you have another fine Hawkwind reissue from the folks at Atomhenge/Cherry Red Records.
Track Listing
Disc One
1) Sonic Attack
2) Rocky Paths
3) Psychosonia
4) Virgin of the World
5) Angels of Death
6) Living on a Knife Edge
7) Coded Languages
8) Disintegration
9) Streets of Fear
10) Lost Chances
Disc Two
1) Angels of Death (single version)
2) Transdimensional Man (single B-side)
3) Sonic Attack (first version)
4) Out of the Void
5) Lost Chances (extended version)
6) Streets of Fear (alternate version)
7) Devilish Dirge
8) The End of Earth City (demo)
9) The Speed of Light (Transdimensional Man demo)
10) Living on a Knife Edge (extended version)
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