Cruel HandOriginally these mother fuckers from Maine were a side project of Outbreak, wanted to switch instruments, decided to get serious with the band...yada yada, and so fourth.
Awhile back I reviewed their debut full length "Without A Pulse" and enjoyed it quite a bit. It was nothing new but their ferocity and intensity more than made up for it. Shit I still spin the record from time to time. So when this thing dropped in my mail box I was ready to see how these guys, now committed to being a full time band, stepped it up.
Well, after giving this thing a fuck ton of time to sink into my dome I can say I am a bit disappointed with this. Don't get me wrong, this shit is good, their take on driving, metallic hardcore similar to that of Down To Nothing and No Turning Back with a bit more metal influence is still above much of the pack but it just didn't connect with me like "Without A Pulse." The urgency in the songs is certainly there but I just found myself getting a little bored by the end. Some of the songs bleed into one another a bit too much. For instance, in the songs "Begin Descension" and "Hounds" they use almost an identical build up and breakdown (in "Begin Descension" it is around 1:40 and in "Hounds" it is near 2:00). Also not only do the first three songs sound a bit too similar, but they are all the same time except for a one second difference in the second track.
The lyrics were also a bit of a let down. If you take away the anti-religious, faith song, "Above and Below" it seems the singer is on a mission to let you know he needs his space, especially "room to breath," so much so that he reminds us in both "Begin Descension" and "Wisdom In Pain" (though one of the better songs lyrically) and while he doesn't use "I need room to breath" again, other words and phrases are used to convey the same point. I appreciate the honesty of lines like "reciting lines that I never meant" (I just hope he wasn't talking about his lyrics!) but it wasn't enough to make up for redundancy of the lyrics overall in my opinion.
There are aspects of the recording that I like more this time around, like the guitar tone which has killer distortion and the drums are more powerful this time around but overall things are a little too slick and streamlined for my liking. It's not over the top by any means but I would've preferred a little more grit.
One area this album is better than their last release is the artwork. The main piece of art looks killer as shit. The scene of an evil ass cemetery with an all-seeing eye in the hand of mummy is on some free mason, Edgar Allen Poe type shit. I just wish they would have expanded upon on the main piece of art throughout the rest of the layout instead of just a plain, black contrasted background with the lyrics over top.
Rating: 3.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: "Above and Below" & "Prying Eyes"
Synopsis: While I didn't enjoy this release as much as their debut full length this is still a solid release and better than most of their peers. However, this isn't one of those releases where you get the sudden urge to put on out of nowhere. Good, but not great.
As I always say, check out the band and decide for yourself. I am but one individual with his own tastes and preferences that are probably much different than yours. With that said, check out these links:
Cruel Hand MySpace
Bridge 9 Records Website