Open Hand - The Dream

For those of you familiar with Open Hand, you probably already know that The Dream is the combination of the band's two EP releases, Radio Days and Evolutions. It is also marks the band's first release on the currently hot Trustkill Records label, which seems to be reason enough for some people to check the band out. However, be warned, if you are looking for another Poison the Well or Eighteen Visions, you might want to look elsewhere. While "The Dream" has it share of metal riffs and heavy grooves, it also has quite a bit of slower more laid back tunes and an overall more indie rock feel. With certain labels, people come to expect a certain sound common in bands on the label. With that in mind, I approached this album expecting to at least find some elements of hardcore or straight up metal; a genre that is becoming extremely played out. However, while the album is aggressive at times, typical metal/hardcore elements like the backup vocalist screaming at opportune times or rants about hate and abuse, are fortunately used sparingly if at all. The band replaces these elements with backup vocals that are typically more melodic and softer elements such as a layer of acoustic guitar on several songs. Beyond that, the overall vocal tone of the album seems relatively aggressive and the mood can be somewhat somber, but through the superb melodies and originality in guitar work Open Hand manages to win you over. Another notable strong point for the band is their great rhythm section that keeps your head bobbing all the way through. I think a large part of what keeps The Dream so interesting is the dynamic drum fills and thick bass lines that creep in when the rest of the mix seems to be kind of dragging, thus ensuring you don’t get bored with the album. The only real complaint I can come up with for this album is that it seems kind of dated, which it actually is. Typically when a band gets picked up by a label they will record a album of new material for release and the go back later and re-release their old material. Instead, Open Hand took the opposite approach, and as a result we don’t really get a feel for what the band sounds like today. Hopefully they will continue to grow and impress us with their new material. [www.openhandmusic.com]