Patience and Perseverance

Gypsyhawk is a now-defunct hard rock band from Los Angeles that I once saw live where the quartet convinced with its liberating, passionate and unpretentious approach to music and stage presence. I decided to support the group and purchased its first full length record that has a cool vintage artwork and a nice booklet. The music itself is simple hard rock inspired by the seventies and bands such as Thin Lizzy. While the record is a little bit too long, it's actually a nice album to listen to while you're riding your car in the summertime.

There are a couple of quite enjoyable tracks among a mass of good average but ultimately exchangeable tunes that are sometimes a little bit too long and playful for their own good. The opener and band hymn ''Gypsyhawk'' is a great rocking tune with powerful riffs, a tight rhythm section and memorable vocals that manage to sound raw and melodic at the same time. This is definitely one of the catchiest tunes on this release. The band can also play some slower, more melancholic and slightly psychedelic tracks such as the dreamy and profound ''Eyes of Ibad'' that really sticks out as a welcome change of style. The band proves that it's able to do much more than simply rocking out as proven in ''The Bokor's Procession'' that comes around with a few cool bass and guitar solos.

Overall, this easy-listening record doesn't reinvent anything but that was never the purpose of this band anyway. ''Patience and Perseverance'' is a nice vintage hard rock record that works best as enjoyable background music during a ride in your car during summer time. While this album is overall rather unspectacular, the band really convinced during its authentic live shows and will be remembered for its tight performances on stage.