Review by: Kunal Nandi
Scott Weinrich (Wino to his many friends and fans) is more punk than you’ll ever be. It’s not that he plays speedy three-chord punk, or has so many patches on his denim sleeveless jacket that he might as well call it a “patch jacket.” Ho no. He’s probably been THE cornerstone of American stoner/doom rock, towering over the past two decades thanks to his work in The Obsessed, St. Vitus, Place Of Skulls and Spirit Caravan, and is now thoroughly rocking the joint with his new power-trio The Hidden Hand. Let me know when you’ve written and recorded class music, toured like a dog, giving it all at every gig, all without caring whether success beckons for the better part of twenty years, and we might take a look at your scene credentials.
I’m doing them a slight disservice with this very belated review (their second album is already out on Southern Lord), but this album is still totally worth talking about. As with everything Wino’s involved with, what you have here is some pretty traditional Black Sabbath-inspired rock, except that it’s infused with a spiritual soulfulness and an essential catchiness that elevates it above and beyond mere mechanical plagiarism. Although Wino shares vocal duties more than in previous outfits, mostly with bassist Bruce Falkinburg (himself a very talented producer), his note-perfect, melancholy delivery is the one to listen out for, as well as his completely effortless guitar solos.
It feels as though Wino and co. have perhaps been overdoing the old wacky baccy, as the overriding feel with the lyrical content is one of paranoia and mistrust, both with the government and the media. The David Icke book on the recommended reading list is a good indicator too! The angrier feel is in turn carried through to the music, which is harder-edged and more vital than I remember the sometimes quite soporific Spirit Caravan being. This new rhythm section (rounded out by relative newcomer Dave Hennessy) has really helped inject some new lifeblood into an old blueprint, with a perhaps more hardcore-leaning style in the songs, erring towards catchier, simpler structures without sacrificing that all important soul that is often missing from music like this.