From the Rocky Mountains hails this three piece, riff driven rock band by the name of Woodhawk.  Recently I got the opportunity to check out their new 9 track album Violent Nature.

To me the entire album screamed Wolfmother, and for me that’s not a great thing as I can’t say I’m really a fan, but hey lots of people are so I can see Woodhawk appealing to a pretty expansive audience, and this album will probably be one that many will purchase.

Snake in the Grass is the first cab off the rank, and it was really catchy. Heavy rockin sound with clear yet slightly harsh vocals. It was something that could really grab you and I could picture people in the mosh pit at a rock festival going nuts for this track.

Up next is Weightless Light – punchy without being too heavy with yelly vocals. This is where the Wolfmother sound really started standing out to me.

Dry Blood was even more Wolfmother sounding. Hard rocking with a vocal that gave an almost echo type feel.

Heart Stopper was pretty much that.  It’s another big track, and like the first one I could picture it at a music festival mosh pit.

Old Silence is where I got a tad bored with the album. It became a bit tedious as the vocal range didn’t really change. Musically however the track was a knock out.

Clear the Air was a welcome change.  It’s a bit slower with a more relaxed sound. This was great, it gave me a chance to breath and my ears the chance to regain some interest. Bluesy/rock.

Title track, Violent Nature, brings us back to heavier vibes again, and a similar sound to the first 5 songs. You would think if you’re going to name your album after a track you would really want it to be a stand out killer but.. it wasn’t… EPIC FAIL!!!

As a Friend, now this track is great lyrically and the sound is slightly different to the rest  I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it.

Our Greatest Weakness excited me to begin with, slow and meaningful with tamer vocal and deep lyrics, then halfway through they decided to go back to their usual sound. To me that murdered what could have been a great track and felt it completely unnecessary.

So in conclusion I wasn’t a lover but I can see why they may gather some following and that’s why I gave it the score I did.

6/10

Steph Suter-James.