I knew Gypsyhawk was a band I needed to check out when I heard they were touring with my Ripple label mates Mothership in March. Being overwhelmed with adult responsibility meant I had to wait until my own band Mighty High got to play in New York City with them, Ramming Speed and Valient Thorr. It was a great night and all the bands kicked ass and Gypsyhawk were everything I had hoped for.
As much as I love intense metal, at heart I'm really a classic rock guy and Gypsyhawk is all about classic rock. The main influence is Thin Lizzy but there's also some Deep Purple and BTO. Diamond Head, too. Some of the members of Gypsyhawk were previously in metal bands like Skeletonwitch and White Wizard so that's not surprising. Revelry & Resilience is just a non-stop kick ass classic rock album. Every song rocks with major authority and Thin Lizzy fans should check these guys out. Killer drumming and tons of harmony leads that bring to mind the classic Gorham/Robertson era. Bassist/vocalist Eric Harris has a raspy shout that's not quite Lemmy-like to keep it from getting too close to just being a Thin Lizzy tribute band.
Standout jams include album opener "Overloaded" (great title), "Hedgeking," "1345" and the road trippin "State Lines." But I must make special mention of their excellent cover of Rick Derringer's "Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo." It's a shame that classic rock radio will probably not put it into heavy rotation on Friday afternoons. It could help bridge the gap with older classic rock fans that don't think there are good rock bands anymore . Plus he yells "smoke weed!" before the ripping guitar solos in the middle of the song! Hopefully some of them will see this review and check out Gypsyhawk. The night I saw them play they did a great version of Boston's "Piece Of Mind" and they've done Ram Jam's "Black Betty" in the past. Kick ass!
--Woody
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"Hedgeking"
"Black Betty"