Hutch checks out a new level of brutality from the West Midlands

You’d expect Callous Hands to rip the flesh off your face, wouldn’t you? The Birmingham quintet are one angry bunch. Perhaps it’s that hard hands-on work and gym bars that cause them to need moisturiser for those roughened digits? Whatever is fuelling this lot, you really don’t want to get in the way, for Trapped in Animated Flesh is a ferocious ball of rage that is unrelenting from start to finish. 

Now, I’ll stick my neck out here, for Callous Hands brand of muscular shouty core isn’t one that floats my boat, but I can certainly appreciate the energy, power, and passion that the band throw into their music. It’s hard, aggressive, and straddles several genres. So, whilst I’m not likely to rush out and buy this, the sheer punishment that Callous Hands dish out certainly receives my admiration and respect. 

It’s interesting to read that the band started out with NOLA sludge influences, for these still seep through the maelstrom created. It’s not a surprise that Malevolence, Pantera, and Lamb of God are major influences, for Callous Hands roll all these together, and them slam you around the head with it. 

When you first hit play, all that bruising energy appears hidden, as the intro to The Cycle Remains serves to build the tension slowly but surely; this is instantly shattered as the body of the song kicks in and then it’s time to grab a crash rail as the ride is brutally bumpy. Huge, crushing slabs of riffs rain down, the cookie monster vocals scream and roar, and the breakdowns will no doubt encourage scenes of carnage amongst those young, or foolish enough to enter the pit. Some neat lead work and a pause in the tempo allow room for the band to expand their sound, a welcome approach given the song is just shy of eight minutes in length. Think of it as a cardio workout in under ten minutes! 

If ever a song was aptly titled, then Suffocate is it. A blistering workout that leaves oxygen as an unnecessary extra, this is a punitively harsh and vicious beastie. The vocals are particularly savage, with massive roars that surely deserves a sponsorship from Strepsils (other lozenges are available folks!). Aside from the singing, the band are tight, locked in without so much as a breeze getting through. The slowing towards the end of the song throws in more sludgy goodness, although the hardcore elements still provide attention. Suffocate is followed by The Great Unknown, which begins slowly, and then erupts like Krakatoa with a hangover before pushing the brake and unleashing even more bone-crushing severity. This is a song that kills with heaviness that comes with intensity rather than speed; until the explosive mid-latter section where suddenly things are raging. There’s a bit of Machine Head screaming to be released in there, something that I consider a good thing.

There are five tracks on Trapped in Animated Flesh, which I think is a good thing, for this is an exhausting EP. Trapped is the penultimate track and shows even less mercy than the previous songs. Its rapid-fire aural assault provides an all-out hailstorm of riffing, bludgeoning drumming, and feral vocals, all wrapped up in under four-minutes. It paves the way for final song Fractured World. Perhaps fractured hearing should have been the true name, for its evident that Callous Hands are intent on leaving me with some degree of permanent damage in the old ears. Simply put, this is the equivalent of being involved in a car crash at 120mph wearing no seatbelt. It pins you to the seat, whilst chunks of your flesh are ripped off. The respite as the melodic mid-section eases in comes far too late, leaving you crawling toward the stereo on your bloodied stumps, only to press play once more, allowing Callous Hands latest release to carve deeper into your bones. 

I’m still not the biggest fan of the music but Trapped in Animated Flesh is such a killer release that I’d be sorely tempted to hide at the back of one of their gigs clad with full body armour. Surely for someone who as a foolish 13-year-old once stuck his head in Lemmy’s Marshall stack, this would count as bravery of the most impressive kind. Or maybe just an illustration of the power that Callous Hands command. Either way, if you like your metal as abusive and impactful as it comes, then this EP needs to be on your list on 7^th July. I’m off for a camomile tea to calm down. It all became just a bit much.