PSALM ZERO – Force My Hand 7′

The debut 7" from Psalm Zero shows a band with the repetitive industrial edge of Godflesh, but also a hardcore pedigree, as reinforced by the barking vocals. But there is also a post-BM sensibility about some of the picked, discordant guitar lines and the maddening repetition of short phrases. The clean vocals are the strongest point – evoking ‘Simon and Garfunkel meet 80’s goth’ at times. I absolutely love the first half of title track ‘Force My Hand’, until the barking vocals step in and ruin it. I mean, why create such a cool vibe just to smash it on the floor? Track 2, ‘Willpower’ is a quirky, mostly acoustic number that almost makes the grade but is ultimately too off kilter for inclusion in such a short release. An album can carry a track like this, but it is strictly a B side curio and not a track I’d go out of my way to have.

There you have it then – a new band with the potential to be stellar or just to wander off down blind alleys and never be seen again.

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