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 Perhaps great for fans of emocore, but weak otherwise Apr 11, 2006
Florida's Hand To Hand may be exactly what fans of melodic hardcore with emo-style vocals have been waiting for. Yes, A Perfect Way to Say Goodbye is highly melodic; it's filled with hook-laden guitar riffs, always placed neatly under the semi-screamed and semi-clean emo vocals of Brock Berryhill and Robert Kellom respectively. Berryhill also plays guitars and pretty much every song is opened with his and second guitarist Jay Vilardi's melodic guitar lines, as Berryhill also displays his angst-ridden side spewing out screechy vocal lines before the clean singer takes over and lays down his poppier, more accessible harmonies. While this may sound new and groundbreaking to the emocore audience, I still can't help but think it's just a less intricate and obviously less metallic approach taken from the Swedish Gothenburg scene.
The main difference between this type of music and Swedish melodic death metal is that, on albums like this, the guitars are no longer the lead instrument in the music. Rather, they are often watery and utilised to fills the gaps between the vocals and incessant double bass drum work. The are no lead riffs, let alone solos apparently. Everything is supposed to serve the vocals and make them more accessible. Judging by that, Hand To Hand does a great job, as all their songs are marked by fierce screams and contrasting melodic voices, and a suitable rhythmic awareness. Drummer Zach Swain actually stands out in some of the pieces, like the rhythmically challenging "Reused Decision", where he lays down the groove with great timing and variation. Even the guitar work is more ambitious on this track, alternating between electric leads and acoustic breaks. Most of the track is sung in clean vocals, except the chorus which is meant to sound evil. Not the best song you'll hear in this genre, but it works a lot better than the bass-ridden opening track, where the track is formulated by shifting vocal passages and a repetitive chord progression on the guitars. "The Arson" is another melodic number, featuring a healthy dose of acoustic guitars, a small bass solo, shimmering cymbal work, and riffs with a great catchiness to them.
With all that said, Hand To Hand is basically just another hardcore band that will leave little to no mark on metalheads, but might find lots of appeal from the American emocore crowd. To be honest, I feel most of the American bands on Lifeforce Records pale in comparison to their European peers, with the exception of the amazing Withered. Then again, I'm still questioning why Withered are on Lifeforce, considering they play a great style of old-school death metal that bears no similarities to the other bands on their roster.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 So You Want Emotional Hardcore? Nov 05, 2005
Then I would recommend you look no further than Hand To Hand. To be honest there's more than enough screamo and emocore bands filling up the scene at the moment, and it's getting more and more difficult to distinguish yourself amongst your peers right now. Enter Hand To Hand. Blending the finest aspects and intensity of hardcore, with the technicality of metal, and the heartfelt emotions of emo, not many other bands can match up to Hand to Hand's sound. Their diverse range of elements however gives them even greater popularity among fans of many different genres, and most everyone can find something about this band to love.
Opening up "Preamble", you get introduced to Hand To Hand's idea of emocore; painful screaming over top of original dual guitar riffs, giant choruses with soaring melodies, and introspective lyrics that almost any listener can relate to. Instead of doing what a lot of bands are doing right now and making some songs soft, some songs heavy, HTH effectively blends their unique sound into each song, making each song equally as memorable as the previous, and not making the listener feel like he or she is getting cheated by getting 2 or 3 good, heavy songs, and a couple good soft ones, and then the rest being throw aways. While some songs are obviously heavier than others ("Reused Direction", "Predictable Gathering"), you never get the sense that the band is out to trick you when it comes to their sound. Songs like "The Arson" and "Insult With Injuries" contain lethal doses of melody as well as aggression, which makes them two of the better songs on the album. There's plenty of interesting guitar riffs, as well as innovative breakdowns found through out the music, giving HTH their own feel, and not making you feel like somewhere before you've heard this band. The biggest standout on the album personally though has to be "In A Name", which is such a good song, without being overly emo or hardcore. You get the perfect combination of moodiness, while hearing screams only in the appropriate places. This is obviously a band that knows what they are doing when it comes to making good music. Personal favorites are : "Allude", "Insult With Injuries" and "In A Name."
This very well may be the best emocore record of the year, seeing as their are few albums that even stand up to Hand To Hand's "A Perfect Way To Say Goodbye." If you're a fan of emo, metal or hardcore, then you definitely owe it to yourself to give Hand To Hand a listen. I guarantee you'll find yourself singing along during the melodies, and finding most of the songs stuck in your head for days. If you ever get a chance, check them out live as well, because they're great. Don't miss one of the absolute highlight albums of '05, pick this up today.
A sleeper in 2005? May 19, 2005
I found out about these guys on a whim by checking out the Change of Pace review on this site, and boy am I glad I checked out the album. Its kind of hard to categorize their sound, other than to say they blend hardcore and (at times) metal with the edgy percussion of great punk rock bands. The choruses and breakdowns are melodic for the most part, but they do get really heavy in ways you really never thought possible (just listening to the opening verse on "Preamble" almost made my jaw drop). Its hard to imagine that these guys aren't really big just yet, but give this album a few months and I'm sure it will pick up. If you're into Glassjaw, Beloved, Secret Lives..., Candiria, Haste, Underoath, or Thrice- definitely check these guys out, you won't be disappointed. My picks are: "Preamble", 'Reused Decision' and "In a Name".
Stunning debut lp Apr 01, 2005
This is definitely one of the best albums i have heard in the last year. Screamo / emo / hardcore hybrid bands have infested the scene like a cancer, and about 5% of them actually have enough talent to get a record deal. Hand to hand go above and beyond the norms for such bands, with soaring melodies and truly crushing 'breakdowns'. I have put 'breakdowns' in inverted commas because they aren't your typical simple hardcore breakdowns; some of the guitar arrangements are pretty amazing. Standout tracks are 'preamble', 'the arson', 'a silver medal', and 'in a name'. It doesn't matter what kind of heavy music you are in to, you will appreciate the clean vocals and musicianship on 'a perfect way to say goodbye'. Get it now, it may just change your life.
A Perfect Way to Say Goodbye Mar 01, 2005
Hand to Hand's debut album "A Perfect Way to Say Goodbye" is one of the finest produced first albums I have ever heard. These guys are amazing musicians and their mix of metal, beautiful harmonies, great lyrics, and some heavy screaming is one that most anyone with a pulse will enjoy. You never quite know where they are headed with a song until you've heard the last note fade away...I definitely recommend this album for anyone who loves metal or screamo or who can appreciate great new talent in any form.
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