photos by Jehn.w.a.
Decibel Magazine is hosting the exclusive premiere of “Uncanny,” the new single from Bay Area heavy metal trio HANDS OF GORO, formed by members of Spirit Adrift, Nite, Slough Feg, and former live members of Carcass and Angel Witch. The song is the latest preview of the band’s impending eponymous debut LP, nearing release March 1st.
The eight songs on Hands Of Goro thunder with elements of anthemic, epic, traditional heavy metal with torrents of harmonized savagery and brief ventures into the likes of punk, classic rock, and more. The album was recorded and produced by HANDS OF GORO, captured at The Boatyard and Francisco Studios. The drums and guitars were recorded in two secret rooms located on a dilapidated former naval base, and the vocals, bass and synthesizers tracked in an underground space right off the dirty streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Mixing and engineering was handled by the band’s Avinash Mittur, the tracks were mastered by Justin Weis at Trakworx Studio, and the album was completed with artwork by Christie Crapeticio and photography by Jehn.w.a. and Raymond Ahner.
With the release of “Uncanny,” Draper reveals, “This was the first song Adrian showed me when we started jamming. I love how many different parts the song has, especially on the studio version where there’s a veritable orchestra of guitar harmonies throughout.”
Mittur adds, “When we wrapped up our first recording session with time to spare, we decided to track a couple of extra tunes just for fun and I asked the guys if we could do this one. We blazed through ‘Uncanny’ just once at the end of the night, and that single drum take is what you hear on the album.”
Maestas proclaims, “Under the tutelage of the great Shao Kahn, Goro gained the ability see into the near future and can easily predict subsequent moves by any opponent, thus his counter attacks are most effective not only by their ferocity, but the confusion that sets in when opponents realize that Goro knows their next move before they do.”
With the song’s premiere, Decibel writes, “With a pedigree that includes members of Spirit Adrift, Slough Feg, and Nite, it should come as no surprise that Bay Area-based trio HANDS OF GORO are spinning powerful trad metal a little on the quirky side on their new single ‘Uncanny,’” noting how the track shows the band, “going all-in on a guitar-harmony onslaught pretty much from the opening licks. In fact, though this isn’t an instrumental, Draper lets fly with the pyrotechnics throughout, as he’s given extended opportunities to show his chops.”
Stop by Decibel Magazine to stream HANDS OF GORO’s “Uncanny” first RIGHT HERE.
Hands Of Goro will see release March 1st on the band’s own BSP Records digitally and on vinyl. Find preorders where “Archduke Of Fear” is streaming HERE.
Additional previews of the album will drop over the weeks ahead.
Having demonstrated their craft live supporting the likes of Slough Feg, Raven, Charger, and others over the past year or so, HANDS OF GORO is plotting new live excursions in support of the album including a hometown record release show and more.
HANDS OF GORO formed in November 2016 with the shared desire to strike fear of the infamous half-man/half-dragon into the heart of humanity. Hailing from opposite sides of the pond, founding guitarist Tom Draper (Spirit Adrift, ex-Carcass and Angel Witch-live) and bassist Adrian Maestas (Slough Feg) conspired to form a band that would spearhead a sound known as the Third Wave Of British Heavy Metal (TWOBHM). In 2020, the two recruited drummer Avinash Mittur (Nite, Wretched Stench), completing the current lineup.
As society slowly re-emerged from pandemic life, HANDS OF GORO set about simply recording two songs in the summer of 2021. Between unearthing old numbers and writing new ones though, the planned humble seven-inch grew into a menacing full-length, which now arrives as the band’s eponymous debut album. With evident intrinsic influence from their metal-fertile home region flowing through its veins, the beast writhes with a slightly whimsical originality that will attract a wide range of diehards from the more traditional realms of the heavy metal spectrum. The shadow of the four-armed beast is cast. Goro will dominate over Earthrealm.
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