Today I'm reviewing Cruel Hand's debut full length on Bridge Nine Records, Prying Eyes. CH hails from Portland, Maine and is a side project from 3 members of Outbreak. I first heard of this band through a few friends and then saw they were opening the H2O/Bane tour, so I had to check them out. I was into the tracks they had up on their myspace, and when I saw the record on sale at Hot Topic, I didn't hesitate to pick it up (the gift card helped too). In my opinion, Prying Eyes has everything you want out of a hardcore release. The record clocks in at 23 minutes with 12 tracks full of chunky (yes, chunky) guitar riffs, raw energy, and rhythms that'll have you stomping, two-stepping, and running in circles regardless of your setting. Lyrical content is huge for me, and Cruel Hand doesn't let down. I have found that a lot of hardcore bands today (and even older bands) often write the same song over and over again, but just word things differently. The variety on Prying Eyes is pleasing and refreshing. A few lines that stuck out to me in the song "Life In Shambles" are: "Anger's not strength, it's a different defense, insanity is where I'm walking the fence. You can try to magnify the broken pieces of my life... to come up short is no surprise." There's a lot more where that came from too. Just read the lyrics for "House Arrest." If I had any gripes about the record, I would say that at times it starts to sound redundant, but then I quickly remember I'm listening to a hardcore album. Tracks 5-8 are definitely the dark horses being surrounded by amazing songs from 1-4 and 9-12. When it comes to the record on the whole, it's still fantastic. I legitimately give it a solid 8.5/10.
Cruel Hand- Prying Eyes
Bridge Nine Records
2008
Recorded at Getaway Recordings (guitar/vocals) and God City Studios (drums)
1. Above and Below*
2. Dead Weight
3. Life In Shambles*
4. Begin Descension
5. Motions That Lie
6. Hounds
7. Damaged Goods
8. Heart Failure
9. No Known Graves
10. Prying Eyes
11. House Arrest*
12. Wisdom Pain*
* = Denotes favorite track
I hope you enjoyed this review. I'm still not sure how I want to do this, so take this as a test run. Please leave me feed back on your thoughts and if you think I should change/add anything. Thanks! Next week: Blackened- This Means War.
-CRED MUNNY
