Science fiction and heavy metal make for a wondrous partnership. Hailing from Berlin, These Hands Conspire have drawn on the classic 70’s and 80’s metal influences to create a soundtrack to their galactic tale. Debut effort, “Sword Of Korhan”, being the story of a humanoid god-king and his interstellar travels surely needs a soundtrack with planet destroying weight. The band has drawn on that era’s influences and has come up with something far from genre specific that will likely gain broad appeal.
The early tracks, “Praise To The Nova Rider” and “The Beast Cometh” are brash statements in raw, old fashioned, clean riffs that are simply big and remind of albums like Black Sabbath’s Sabotage and Judas Priest’s Sad Wings of Destiny. Overlaid with Felix’s clean vocals, there is an instant classic feel to the sound. The story telling element shines through and there’s also nods toward the melodious twin guitar of Thin Lizzy from Tom and Stefan. While the stylistic influences are rooted in the 70’s, the delivery has a fresh feel about it. There’s plenty of space between the instruments and the production feels clean and not overdone.
“The Inner Core Of The Middle Sun” brings in some doomier textures before the urgent groove of “The Battle of Sur”. Powerful, James Hetfield style guitar work is guaranteed to get you moving as the band blast through their journey. There’s some neat soloing on “Ambush at Antarox IV” which feels a little like early Bruce Dickinson era Iron Maiden with plenty of power behind the fiery leads. All these influences continue to blend nicely and don’t allow the album to descend into predictability.
The end of the story slows to a doomier, stoner feel on “Son Of Korhan” which is a rich, weighty affair followed by the brief, spacey “Outro” which leaves us wondering where the journey will go from here.
“Sword Of Korhan” is a killer album that checks a lot of boxes. These Hands Conspire have created a propulsive blast of old school heavy metal which is very easy to get into. The fact that they’ve built it on a concept gives it focus and direction and thankfully there’s no self-indulgence to let it overstay its’ welcome. For a debut, they’ve crafted a really solid piece that will ensure interest in the band builds.
(8/10 Johnny Zed)
Leave a Reply