Hand To Hand

Boasting a roster that includes an ex-As Friends Rust member, Orlando’s Hand To Hand are a far cry from the type of hardcore perpetrated by the now-defunct group. If the words "produced by James Paul Wisner” don’t immediately tell you what you’re in for, you’ll soon realise after a quick spin of album opener "Preamble.” Gunning for the same audience as other Wisner productions such as Further Seems Forever and Underoath, the group bears a remarkable similarity to the latter. Still, there is worse company to be in, and the intense guitar work or tracks like "Insult with Injuries” offer some intriguing sonic possibilities. Similarly, the singing/screaming vocal trade-off that occurs between Robert Kellom and Brock Berryhill may be an over-used hardcore cliché, but it is used here to ample effect, layering the sound of songs like "The Arson” with considerable emotional depth.