Hauk

Heathen Metal band Hauk and Baldur Rising Music will celebrate the release of their newest recording, No Mercy for the Slain at the Steel Pit in Tujunga on Saturday, February 2 at 9 pm. Hauk seamlessly combines elements as seemingly disparate as Irish folk, classical and thrash metal music, looking to Odin for inspiration and guidance. With the intensity of shamans preaching that Ragnarok is about to hit, they’ll celebrate their new album with a night of music that will take no prisoners and show no mercy!
No Mercy for the Slain was produced by Gavin Ross, Techno, and the band’s frontman, also named Hauk. The album features a stunning array of artists from all walks of the musical world, including drummer Rhino, a member of Holy Hell and formerly of the legendary metal band Manowar, who contributes to “Baldur Rising;” and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Allan Vogel – commonly acknowledged to be the world’s best oboist – who lends his talent to “Rage for a Dying World.” The album deals mainly with the confrontation and defiance of death – both human and of the world itself. Odinic, howling vocals combine with relentlessly thrashing guitar, tribal drumming and sweeping orchestral sound, resulting in more of a spiritual journey than a mere album. With No Mercy for the Slain, Hauk has embraced death, shrugged off fear, and has its blades sharpened.
“A lot of the songs on the album are about trying to see outside this world, kind of like Jim Morrison’s – except we didn’t just break on through to the other side, we broke on through, established a beach-head, conquered territory, and claimed it for Odin!” says frontman Hauk. He says that many of the songs are “shamanic” - prophetic in nature, like apocalyptic visions. But while seemingly dark, the songs can also be uplifting. The title track’s encouragement to “die fighting, fight and ye shall rise again” is not as much about violence and death as it is a message to “make the most of the time you have – if you hide in a hole, you’ll waste your time, and not live any longer or gain anything by it.”

New Album: No Mercy for the Slain: $15

CD: Hard Lemonade: $10

CD: Love Songs, Lamentations, and Lifthrasir: $10

All 3 CDs: $30