Hammerhands

Canadian quartet HAMMERHANDS have been grinding since 2013, having performed with the likes of Sons of Otis, Telekinetic Yeti, King Buffalo, and the Great Sabatini, the band have built a solid following by fluidly integrating elements of doom, stoner rock, and noise with a penchant for technical and thematic constructs that yield relentless heaviness. Now, three years on from their critically acclaimed album ‘Largo Forte’, they are ready to release their third full-length album ‘Model Citizen’.


Gone are the drawn-out soundscapes, the long overtures, and bleak commentaries on existence seen in their previous works; instead, ‘Model Citizen’ churns out an anthology that explores characters in different walks of life. The scope is a polarizing collage that ranges from mundane labours, to the plotting and execution of cursed crimes. These tropes are then paralleled with multi-vocal meandering sermons and subterranean growls.


What remains constant throughout is HAMMERHANDS' staple of thick-as-molasses riffs and thunderous percussion. The monolithic expanse from their debut ‘Glaciers’ and the hazy frontiers of 2016’s ‘Largo Forte’ prevail, but HAMMERHANDS have a newfound maturity in Model Citizen's lyrics and themes. This album is a runaway train - hurtling heavy with cargo and no brakeman in sight.