December 27, 2008

Render Unto Caesar...


















Band: The Hidden Hand
Album: Devoid Of Color EP
Origin: U.S.A. (Potomac, Maryland)
Genre: Doom
Year: 2005

"...The studio EP portion of Devoid of Color is a bit mellower than previous releases, but still rock and roll. "The Key" is a roiling instrumental that gets you in the mood for the rest of the record. It is a lot more upbeat than "Devoid of Color," the title track, which is one of the most subdued songs that I have heard from The Hidden Hand. It has a surprisingly melodic quality to it. At first, it struck me as too unlike the band to do something like this, but I actually dig it after repeated listens. "The Dagger" is mellow, but it's heavier than "Devoid of Color." I like the sense of melody that Wino and the boys put on display with this record. The vocal track on this song is particularly good, especially the harmonized chorus. "Vulcan's Children" is upbeat and more like what one would expect in regards to their previous material. The last track is an extremely subdued instrumental.

The Hidden Hand upped the ante by releasing an EP along with their DVD. The EP actually makes this release for me. It is a good progression for the band. It has some interesting dynamics going on that I was not used to from their past work. If you see Devoid of Color, pick it up. It is worth it for the EP alone." (ScenePointBlank.com)

3 comments:

RyGar said...

This cover art reminds me of a moment from one of my favorite movies, "Phantasm". Lady in Lavender gets her tits out, and then... A dagger! Stab stab stab.

Unknown said...

Heh, never heard about it, but maybe it is inspired by it.

Chairmaker said...

Thanks for this- I'm very partial to melodic Wino: 'Mourning' is one of favorite Obsessed songs.