From San Francisco, This Is Hand Of Fire | The Thrash Metal Tradition
If there’s one place that has made history in Thrash Metal, it’s the city of San Francisco in the United States—better known as “the Bay Area”—which lends its name to this style of Thrash Metal forged on heaviness, riffs, and speed, and which has given the genre so many important names.
In fact, people often say “Bay Area Thrash Metal” to give an idea of a particular band’s style, as a way to label and describe what we’re talking about. This could very well be the case with Hand Of Fire.
Indeed, the guys from Hand Of Fire are based in the populous city in the American West. Started as a studio project around 2010, it wasn’t until 2015 that Hand Of Fire established itself as a stable band.
Apparently, it all started when Jim Settle (formerly of Tantrum Of The Muse) and Corey Steger (formerly of Underoath) began writing songs for what was simply a studio project, but by 2015, Corey Steger left the project, and Jim Settle put together a stable lineup with Tiago Souza on guitar, Tom Eaton on bass, and Bill Davies on drums.
This lineup released a single titled “Let The Killings Begin,” drawing attention for its sound rooted entirely in Bay Area Thrash Metal and its Christian-themed lyrics—the result of Jim Settle’s desire to create music influenced by his Christian faith and personal experiences.
Finally, they released their only album to date. It is 2017’s “Nuclear Sunrise,” an album we’re listening to as we write this article. What can I say… it’s a fundamentally aggressive, crushing album and among the best you can hear within the Bay Area-based Thrash Metal genre.
And when I say this, I’m not exaggerating. “Nuclear Sunrise” is truly surprising, and what’s most surprising is that it hasn’t gained much more traction.
With just 8 tracks, Hand Of Fire delivers a polished blend of classic Bay Area-style thrash metal, with a quality that rivals the genre’s greatest acts. Right from the start with the aforementioned “Let The Killings Begin,” Hand Of Fire sets the tone with a mid-tempo track, featuring a solid, aggressive foundation and a relentless rhythm reminiscent of Exodus/Slayer. On “Some Will Say,” intricate riffs intertwine with the melodies needed to create one of Hand Of Fire’s finest moments.
Speed and blast beats make their presence felt on “The Prophecy,” a short, straight-to-the-point track. At this point, one of the most notable aspects is the tremendous work done on the guitars, which sound in different tones and feature strumming, thrashing, and riffs all over the place, along with truly excellent solos.
“Reap What You Sow” offers no respite and makes headbanging inevitable, which is a good sign; and almost as a continuation, we come to the title track, “Nuclear Sunrise,” a song that bares its teeth and comes with a relentless, heavy rhythm and the power that many bands of this style have lost along the way.
What Hand Of Fire delivers on “Bleeding Out” is interesting—a track that strays a bit from the script, featuring a heavy, pounding rhythm section with double bass drumming—and “Burn It Down” is among the best tracks on “Nuclear Sunrise,” with well-constructed chords and just the right amount of melody in a song packed with riffs and metal intensity.
“Walk It Off” is the final track, with that emotional charge between cries of protest and a fiery, relentless rhythm, successfully rounding out a great album.
It had been a while since I’d heard something so piercing, so determined, and with a sound that demolishes everything it touches like this “Nuclear Sunrise” by Hand Of Fire. Tremendous work.
But that’s not all. Despite the time that has passed since the release of “Nuclear Sunrise,” Hand Of Fire continues to make waves, and between shows, the band has released a few singles. Among them are “World Of Deception” in 2018 and their latest release, “Death Awaits,” proving that the band is upping the ante toward the fastest and most aggressive side of Thrash Metal, closer to the old school than to modern trends.
If there’s one thing we appreciate about Hand Of Fire, it’s their commitment to the elements that define original Thrash Metal: heavy riffs, raw vocals, and that signature speed of the genre. Lyrically, they maintain that ironic, anti-establishment stance from a Christian and spiritual perspective—which doesn’t stop them from taking aim at injustice and anything that deserves a kick.
The quality in the riff construction, the varied guitar tones, Jim Settle’s vocals, the powerful drum hits, and the foundations forged from pure combativeness—these are all ingredients on the same menu, served hot and heavy.
The band is still active on the underground Thrash Metal scene. Meanwhile, fans are eagerly awaiting a second album, though at this point they really should be thinking about new material. Hand Of Fire has everything it takes to blow things up…
Here are two videos for you. One is the music video for “Walk It Off,” from the album “Nuclear Sunrise,” and the other is the latest track released by Hand Of Fire, “Death Awaits”—a true nuclear bomb of straight-up thrash metal!!!!! And as usual, here are the band’s social media links so you can follow them and stay up to date on their latest news!!!
https://www.facebook.com/handoffire
https://www.instagram.com/handoffireband
