Spacehead - "Roadburn 2006"
(self-released 2006)

From Aural Innovations #35 (January 2007)

One thing I've learned from doing Aural Innovations is that there are many interpretations and conceptions of what Space Rock is. The journey and discovery has been pure joy. So much great and varied kinds of music. But precious little of it seems to be good old rock n rolling Hawkwind inspired Space Rock anymore. Spacehead have long carried that torch and continue to shine it brightly. And while Roadburn 2006 continues the pattern of live releases and compilations, rather than a proper new Spacehead album, it's a welcome CD nonetheless, and shows the band in top concert form, performing at the 11th annual Roadburn festival in the Netherlands.

This is, as any Spacehead fan might expect, classic ass kicking Space Rock 'n roll. "Cosmic Man" opens the set and is a heavy driving rocker singing about time travel. Excellent song with some killer guitar bits. "Fly On the Wall" and "Axis of Evil" are more great songs, the former rocking in space with a tasty metallic edge. "Copters" is one of the few songs of the set I don't know. Not sure if it was released before or not. But it's easy paced yet very heavy and darkly atmospheric. The alien synths are all over the place, and along with the eerie keyboards and pounding rhythm section makes for a powerfully intense slab of molten hot Space Rock. Outstanding! "Continuum" is an equally haunting song that rocks hard in metallic space while retaining an atmospheric quality. But when the band takes off, this sucker ROCKS! Great jam sections. An outstanding song with lyrics about traveling through the galaxy to destinations unknown. "Eclipse" is a floating cosmic instrumental that serves as the perfect lead in to the power rocking "Standing On The Edge", one of the truly great Spacehead "songs". If they ever released a single… this would be it. The band close the set with a monster version of "Dark Star", one of their earlier songs. Top it off with a rousing cover of Hawkwind's "Blue Skin" and you've got a steam rolling set of heavy duty SPACE ROCK. Temporary drummer Steve Young, recruited only 6 weeks before the show, really stepped up to the plate and fits in with the band quite comfortably. Buy it directly from band and check out sample songs at their Myspace page.

For more information you can visit the Spacehead web site at: http://www.myspace.com/spaceheaduk.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

In the absence of a long promised but yet to see the light of day Hawkwind album, the past year has seen the void filled with much satisfacton by such high powered space rock releases as the debut Litmus CD, the long awaited new Krel, and now a document of Spaceheads performance at the Hawkfest 2003 festival. In a nutshell, this is one serious fasten-yer-seatbelts, blast-off into space, holy goddamn sh*t slab of heavy duty cosmic SPACE ROCK! Mr. Dibs and company get right in our faces with a blazing set of Spacehead favorites and Hawkwind covers. Yesiree, these guys graduated cum laude from the Hawkwind school.

Spacehead open the set with two deliciously long cosmic tracks, "Mechanoid Dream/Dark Star" and "Fyre Dragons/Oriris", both of which soar into the cosmos with heavy rocking, wailing and screaming trip guitars, pounding, throbbing bass, mind melting keys and synths, and intense vocal delivery from Dibs. The band ease the pace but raise the bar for psychedelic intensity on the gripping and ultra hypnotic "Song #23". I could just feel the liquid throb coursing through my body and swirling in my brain on this one. "Continuum" is equally hypnotic but more atmospheric and haunting. Spacehead display their flair for solid songwriting on the excellent "Standing On The Edge Of Time" and "Nucleii". And of course you can't play a Hawkfest without a tip of the hat to the mighty Hawks, which Spacehead do most capably with kick ass covers of "Quark, Strangeness & Charm" and "Choose Your Masques". Wow, not much more to say. If you're a committed space rock fan you should waste no time and grab this right now.

For more information you can visit the Spacehead web site at: http://www.spacehead-lab23.co.uk.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz