Hawkwind Light Orchestra
Carnivorous

(Cherry Red)

7/10

By Decibel Report

Originally slated to be a Dave Brock solo album, along came the pandemic to change his plan as it has done in so many areas of everyone's life. Assisted by Richard Chadwick on drums and Magnus Martin on guitar, this semi formation of Hawkwind is reflected in its Light Orchestra suffix.


No strangers to the dystopian forces of an impending apocalypse usually of sci-fi sorts, Covid 19 seems to have gotten the juices flowing over at Brock’s farmhouse HQ - the album title being a pun - with Carnivorous, if not containing some of his very best work, it certainly isn’t his worst even though it sprawls along at times.

There are the re-assuring usual suspects of sound effects from chugging, driving guitars with ambient loops, squeaking synths that blip with abandon on songs that range from rave tinged Dyna-Mite and Repel Attract, an epic paean to vegetarianism on The Virus, the space-rock, psych-out of Lockdown (Keep Calm) which wonderfully override the mundane moments on Model Farm Blues with its commonplace presence amongst these otherworldly sounds.

A Dave Brock orchestrated Hawkwind release is always a very welcome moment in time on this double album's worth of mostly maverick material.