REVIEW: Heart In Hand – ‘Almost There’

May 5th, 2013

Kriston McConnell

ARTIST: Heart In Hand
ALBUM: Almost There
GENRE: Melodic hardcore
LABEL: Siege Of Amida Records

Heart In Hand are a UK melodic hardcore outfit who’ve been together since the fall of 2008. Almost There, is their upcoming full length album. It will be their their third release in total, and it’s their sophomore full length. They’ve been making waves in the UK and have recently started to gain popularity in the US as well. If you’re a fan of hardcore, this might just be a band you want to check out.

Almost There opens with “Proposal,” a beautifully played guitar intro that leads us right into the first full length track, “Almost There.” The song starts off with some typical punk elements, including some fast double time drum beats coupled with Charlie’s yelling vocals. The song slows down a bit, but maintains the same level of passion and intensity throughout the entire track. This same passion can be heard in each track of the whole album. You can hear it in the lyrics, and you can feel it in the melody of the guitars.

The album features a number of different guest vocalists, each bringing their own unique element to the track they sing in. The first track is “Cuts And Bruises,” featuring vocals from James Leatherbarrow of Death Of An Artist. One of the best tracks, “Maybe,” features vocals by Mikey Chapman & Sam Douglas of Mallory Knox (who you should check out if you haven’t). They bring in some clean vocals that really sets the track a part of the rest of the album. The last song with guest vocals is “Broken Lights,” which has Dani Winter Bates of Bury Tomorrow. His heavier screams compliment Charlie’s yells.

A little bit less than halfway through the album it takes a brief two minute instrumental break with the track “Vows.” While most of the album rides at break neck speeds, “Our Atlantic” takes you on a bit of a slower journey. The track starts off with some slow guitar chords and muted screams in the background. The track picks up and you can hear those yelling vocals at full volume. The track still takes the slow route, and is chock full of passion. This is a song you will want to listen to over and over.

The very last track is “The Latter,” and it is, not too surprisingly, an instrumental track as well. It seems to be a build up off the previous two instrumentals, and feels like the most appropriate ending to this record. It’s usually not the best idea to end an album on an instrumental track, but the ending for Almost There is practically perfect.

Almost There has quite a few catchy verses and memorable breakdowns that will make you want to listen to the record over and over again. Some of the songs feel as though they’re filler, and to be honest they get a little repetitive, but there is still is plenty of original content to keep the momentum going throughout the album. If you’re a hardcore fan this is definitely something you must pick up. If not for the lyricism, then at least for the melodic guitar riffs and breakdowns.

SCORE: 8.5/10
Review written by Kriston McConnell