Georgian atmospheric sludge five-piece Dead Hand released their split with exclamatory fellow Peach Staters Machinist! in March through Nefarious Industries. It’s a beast. A short beast, but a beast just the same. Machinist! offer two tracks in “Bask in the White Light,” which fosters almost immediate post-hardcore sludge lumber and caps with quotes from Fahrenheit 451, and “The Nail,” which is presumably named for what they hit on the head in their blend of noise, lumber, loathing and bite — actually the title comes from the lyric “I am Jesus and you are the nail,” but for the sake of argument, let’s roll with it — and unleashes its furies with corresponding efficiency and thickness. When Dead Hand enter this thickened, churning fray, they do so amid the chuggoplod and harsh doom of “Muirgeilt,” a single inclusion running a seven-minute gamut of extremity in purpose, bridging death-sludge with atmospheric heavy along a linear course that breaks almost exactly halfway in to a stretch of bass, spooky keys and drums like all of a sudden someone invited John Carpenter to the party. Please, come right in.

The surge back is satisfying and sudden, as “Muirgeilt” pushes into its angular, consuming final stretch with its riffs dystopian and its vocals more gurgle than growl, becoming shouts in the last minute forward push, some gang shouts to let you know where they come from. They started angry and they end angry, which is fair enough when you do anger so well. In the video below, which is Dead Hand rendering “Muirgeilt” live in the mood lighting of their rehearsal space, one of course gets a better sense for what everyone is doing at any given moment, with the arrangement between vocalists, the keys and guitar, what looks like and may or may not be some kind of theremin-esque device going on there, and so on. Yes, the sound is rawer than on the finished studio version — if the words “rehearsal space” didn’t signal that loud enough I’ll say it outright — but the tradeoff is personification of viciousness, faces to the rage, and that’s worth the viewing in itself, let alone the bootleg vibe of the thing, which is enjoyable in its own right and gives its own sense of atmosphere to the proceedings.

The split’s out on 10″ vinyl and DL, and you can stream it down by the bottom of this post. The band offered some words on the video and more below.

Enjoy:

Dead Hand, “Muirgeilt” live-in-studio premiere

Cliff Carr on “Muirgeilt”:

It was recorded in mid-February at our rehearsal space at my house. This song had a different drummer on the recording. Although Carson [Pace] is playing 90 percent of what Craig [Harper] played on the recording, he steps it up in the end and puts his own stamp on it. It is what we wanted to do originally but Craig couldn’t play double bass that fast.

Live performance of “Muirgeilt” off of our split with MACHINIST! from the DEAD HAND practice space. Out March 19, 2021 on Limited 10 inch glacier blue vinyl and digital worldwide via Nefarious Industries..

Order the Machinist! / DEAD HAND split at: http://nefariousindustries.com/nef-62

“Bask in the White Light” and “The Nail” recorded, mixed, and mastered by Lee Dyess at Earthsound Studio in Valdosta, Georgia.
machinistga.bandcamp.com

“Muirgeilt” recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Washburn at LedBelly Sound Studio in Dawsonville, Georgia.
deadhandcollective.bandcamp.com

Dead Hand are:
Clifton Carr – guitar/vocals
Shannon Harris – synth/vocals
Stephen Williams – guitar/vocals
Carson Pace – drums
Andrew Seth – bass

Machinist! & Dead Hand, Split (2021)

Dead Hand on Bandcamp

Dead Hand on Instagram

Dead Hand on Facebook

Nefarious Industries website

Nefarious Industries Bandcamp

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Jeff Hill of Machinist!

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I guess when people ask me what I do I most commonly respond “I’m in a touring band.” Then they normally ask what we sound like and I say “metal” and they say “oh like skillet.” And inside I die and outside I say “yeah man.” But at its base I’d say I’ve come to be most comfortably saying I’m an artist that makes art with his friends. That’s really what it is. It’s gross, sweaty, loud art but it’s art.

I started writing poetry in middle school. I was in a couple of puddle-of-nickel-creed-back bands in high school but I became comfortable on stage through drama and debate. I was a drama kid and I had a wonderful teacher and mentor named Phillip Wertz who taught me so much about engaging the audience and telling stories. I went to college and joined a band. We went on the first and worst tour I’ve ever been on and I fell in love.

Describe your first musical memory.

Riding in my dad’s Buick listening to a Jim Croce tape that came out of this leather tape collection box that rode on the floorboards. I remember listening to “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” and thinking dad’s giant Buick was the coolest. It was “19 feet 2 inches of American steel” and it had a 455 rocket under the hood.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Dang. I’d say probably The Fest a few years back. I mentioned I had to leave right after our set to go take my little girl trick or treating and the capacity crowd started chanting my little girl’s name. I still get chill bumps thinking about that.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Our van broke down in Lexington, Kentucky, once in a 9 degree winter. We and False Tongues (the band we were sharing the van with) were stuck in a house for three or four days with this guy named Nasty Nate and his family. 80 percent of the people on the tour and in the house smoked cigarettes inside because there was ice and snow outside. I’m from South Georgia. I’ve seen snow like four times in my life. It’s one of the few times I’ve wanted to quit being in a band. But I didn’t. And we made it.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

For me it leads to peace and balance. I couldn’t exist without writing words.

How do you define success?

These days it’s making stuff that I like with my friends.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

I wish I hadn’t seen a lady in a Cat In The Hat hat shit in a Solo cup in the middle of the street in front of Churchill’s Pub in Miami, Florida.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I’d like to write a children’s book.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

To remind us that we are more than cogs in a capitalist machine. It’s escapism but also it gives us a connection to other human beings.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

The federal legalization of Cannabis and the expungement of charges and release of our brothers and sisters who are trapped inside of a for profit prison system. I’m looking forward to the abolishment of the system that grinds people into a place of desperation so that rich bastards can watch unreal numbers increase on screens. I’m also looking forward to The Matrix 4.

https://machinistga.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/machinistga
https://www.instagram.com/machinistga
https://www.instagram.com/machinistga
https://twitter.com/machinistga

Machinist! & Dead Hand, Split (2021)

Machinist!, “Bask in the White Light” official video