Album Reviews

After having previously released two EP’s, UK hardcore outfit Rough Hands have now unleashed their debut full-length on the unsuspecting masses.

“Let Me Win Your Hearts And Minds” starts off in blast mode with “Choke”, a scorching 2-minute opener that will pretty much kick your ass with hard-hitting drums, chugga chugga style riffs and screams that border on the hysterical. “Relapsed” continues down the same path, but here the vocals get so crazy that you feel like you should get the dude a bag so he’ll stop hyperventilating. I’m all for aggressive vocals, but this is slightly over the top.

Nope, then I prefer the gloomier, almost grunge-y “Swim In The Blues” or the Deftones vibe in “Leaving My Will”, followed nicely by the atmospheric interlude that is “The Underlying Negative”. Musically there is quite a lot to enjoy on “Let Me Win Your Hearts And Minds”. Rough Hands play some pretty brutal hardcore with a penchant for Deftones-like atmospherics. It’s just that when vocalist Alex Dench goes all out, it becomes a bit much for me.