Biography

Heavy metal band Black Hawk made its official recorded debut with 2005's Twentyfive album, which is in no way remarkable lest one is aware that its title actually commemorated a quarter-century since the band's foundation in the town of Mölln, Germany in 1981 Yes, here's a band that spent nearly two decades struggling to launch its career, recording five overlooked demos before disbanding in 1997, then re-forming eight years later and experiencing a belated, and admittedly still low-profile, breakthrough. But at least as of this rebirth, bandmembers Udo Bethke (lead vocals), Norbert Wieczorek (guitar, later replaced by Wolfgang Tewes), Torsten Bettge (guitar), Michael Wiekenberg (bass), Gonzo Loss (drums, later replaced by Niko Schaper) have made up for lost time with a steady stream of releases -- including 2007's Dragonride, 2008's The Invasion, and 2010's Straight to Hell -- all of them virtual time machines taking listeners back to heavy metal's '80s aesthetic. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi