Nighthawk – Prowler
Nighthawk – Prowler
Mighty Music
Release Date: 12/05/2023
Running Time: 34:03
Review by Chris Galea
8/10
In case, like me, you had missed the first outing of Nighthawk (not to be confused with the homonymous German band of the late 1990s), the band was conceived by Robert Majd (bassist with Metalite) around 2021 as a pet project of his in which he invited various musicians to contribute to the songs.
Sophomore album “Prowler” follows the same modus operandi and we have guests such as singer Björn Strid and keyboardist John Lönnmyr, both of The Night Flight Orchestra. In fact the approach and music style in this album is very similar to The Night Flight Orchestra, so this means we have infectiously catchy songs, often verging on Pop music, that are written and recorded to elevated standards.
For example, we have Hammond-infused tunes such as ‘Action’, anthemic numbers like ‘Strike Like Lightning’ and ‘Free Your Mind’, which at times reminded me of classic Europe. Nighthawk even throw in a brilliant rendition of Kiss’ ‘God Of Thunder’. Incidentally, the influence of Kiss could also be noticed in other songs, such as ‘Burn The Night’. There’s also a cover of ‘Cover Me’ (originally recorded by Bruce Springsteen) which I didn’t feel added anything worthwhile to the original version but it’s not a bad version either.
My main beef with this album is that not only is it short but the songs themselves are over very quickly – they’re never given time to develop and remain with you. Other than that, “Prowler” is bursting with ensnaring melodies and cheery songs.
It’s not metal but it rocks!
‘Running Wild’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Highest Score
02. Running Wild
03. Action
04. Flame Still Burns
05. Free Your Mind
06. God Of Thunder (Kiss cover)
07. Strike Like Lightning
08. Cover Me (Bruce Springsteen cover)
09. Burn The Night
10. Playing The Game
11. See You Again
LINE-UP:
Robert Majd – guitar
Björn Strid – vocals
Magnus Ulfstedt – drums
John Lönnmyr – keyboards
Christian Ek – bass/backing vocals
LINKS:
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