(c) Henrik Klausen Dale
Just as they got down to their first album, the world closed its gates. Hand melee around the brothers Martin and Filip Wennberg had just released two EPs, which processed the hardcore and punk past of earlier bands and at the same time slowed down the tempo. With stoner riffs and sludgecore energy it was great. In the meantime, Ripple Music has grabbed it and made its belated debut „Ultraritual“ a wonderfully drinkable, fatalistic stage.
In second place lurks a little tidbit in “Cro-Magnon Vs Neanderthal”, which sums up Håndgemeng’s stirring peculiarity. Thrilling riffs, a lot of dirt underneath and hardcore punk vigor successively break down the leisurely song. Martin Wennberg aka Hellvis Presley verbally dissects the track with angry, hoarse screams, beneath which a weird mixture of bulky insertions and brooding catchiness rears up. It is not for nothing that the accompanying text reminds us of Kvelertak, who must have been the inspiration here. Slightly psychedelic to fuzzy inserts put an unreal filter over the events and spread successful alienation.
And that’s just the beginning, as the quartet from Oslo continues to dissect itself and its sound with growing enthusiasm. In the overly long finale “Occulation Of Mars”, which takes up almost ten minutes, things get loud, ugly and uncomfortable. At least that applies to the distorted first half, excessively loud and full of warts, before instrumental idyll sets in and a minute-long, prog-like finish with meditative clear vocals begins … until the next brutal explosion. The title song doesn’t know such a worm appendage, instead it strives for grueling heaviness with tasty undertones. The opening “The Astronomer” also lives from the balancing act between riff violence and almost grooving clumsiness.
Of course you have to mention Mastodon in this context, you can hardly avoid that with this sound. No, Håndgemeng don’t copy, but they also don’t hide their inspiration. In addition, they audibly appreciate the chaos of their Norwegian compatriots, escalating with growing enthusiasm. “Ultraritual” is edgy, powerful riffs, brutal and complex at the same time, sometimes looking for its own direction and doing everything right. Rugged and at the same time intoxicating magic emerges between the chairs – sometimes it can be so simple.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 03/10/2023
Available from: Ripple Music (Bertus)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/haandgemeng
Category: Magazin, Reviews
