Self-titled debut EP out on March 1st!
HANDS OF GORO formed in November 2016 with the shared desire to strike fear of the infamous half-man/half-dragon into the heart of humanity. Hailing from opposite sides of the pond, founding guitarist Tom Draper (Spirit Adrift, ex-Carcass and Angel Witch-live) and bassist Adrian Maestas (Slough Feg) conspired to form a band that would spearhead a sound known as the Third Wave Of British Heavy Metal (TWOBHM). In 2020, the two recruited drummer Avinash Mittur (Nite, Wretched Stench), completing the current lineup.
As society slowly re-emerged from pandemic life, HANDS OF GORO set about simply recording two songs in the summer of 2021. Between unearthing old numbers and writing new ones though, the planned humble seven-inch grew into a menacing full-length, which now arrives as the band’s eponymous debut album. The eight songs on Hands Of Goro thunder with elements of anthemic, epic, traditional heavy metal with torrents of harmonized savagery and brief ventures into the likes of punk, classic rock, and more.
With evident intrinsic influence from their metal-fertile home region flowing through its veins, the beast writhes with a slightly whimsical originality that will attract a wide range of diehards from the more traditional realms of the heavy metal spectrum.
The shadow of the four-armed beast is cast. Goro will dominate over Earthrealm.
Hands Of Goro was recorded and produced by the band, captured at The Boatyard and Francisco Studios. The drums and guitars recorded in two secret rooms located on a dilapidated former naval base, and the vocals, bass and synthesizers tracked in an underground space right off the dirty streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Mixing and engineering was handled by the band’s Avinash Mittur, the tracks were mastered by Justin Weis at Trakworx Studio, and the album was completed with artwork by Christie Crapeticio and photography by Jehn Mickalacki and Raymond Ahner.
(Photograph by Jehn Mickalacki)
https://handsofgoro.bandcamp.com
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