REACHING HAND “Threshold”
What’s the deal with Portuguese hardcore bands and appendages?? Prior to hearing this EP from REACHING HAND, the only other hardcore band from Portugal I’d ever heard was POINTING FINGER. Yet their names are pretty much where the similarities end. While Pointing Finger were straight-forward, youth crew revivalists, Reaching Hand blend that style with a much more melodic, modern sound. In fact, the catchy elements of their songwriting are where this quartet shine most, exhibited best during the song “What We’re Missing”.
My only complaint would fall upon the drums, both in execution and production. From the opening build up, it’s apparent something is a bit off with the drumming, consistently feeling a bit awkward throughout. This problem is exacerbated by drums being a little too present in the mix. That said, the less showy drumming works well for this style of hardcore.
While it’s hard to judge a band based on a five song EP, I must say this is one of most promising European hardcore bands I’ve heard in quite some time. I’m eager to hear what Reaching Hand does next, especially if they tighten up some of the loose ends. Oh, and it’s worth mentioning that the layout for this CD (by Desperate Days) captures the band’s sound perfectly.
