Hawk Eyes

After a mention in Classic Rock Magazine's "Best Of 2012" issue, I decided to check out the band Hawk Eyes from the UK, and I'm glad I did.  This first video is from their first album Modern Bodies released in 2010, under the moniker of Chickenhawk.  Their debut is more of a constant sonic assault of aggressive metal/hardcore.  This is an amazing video for the best song "I Hate This, Do You Like It?" on that album.  Check out the breakdown around the 2:30 mark.  I don't recall anyone else ever pulling off a band-to-zombie transformation better than this.

They changed their name to Hawk Eyes for their most recent release, Ideas (2012), which is quite fitting, as they really come into their own on this one.  Their musicianship reaches another level with more focused precision.  They maintain the forcefulness of the first, but with much more melody & crunching grooves.  The vocals are way more prominent, and when the music turns on a dime every member of the band has their 2 cents to throw in.  That schizo-metal fun of bands like Helmet, Faith No More, or even Queens Of The Stone Age is all over this.  If I would have discovered this album earlier, it definitely would have made my "Best of 2012" list.   Check out this fantastic video for "Headstrung" off of the album Ideas...