NO HAND PATH — An Existence Regained (review)

NO HAND PATH — An Existence Regained album cover Album · 2011 · Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
J-Man
"Sometimes greatness can be found in unexpected places" - that's immediately what springs to mind when I'm thinking about No Hand Path's self-released debut. This young quintet from Greece has put together an excellent effort with An Existence Regained - an album that any fan of black metal should take a look into. Considering that No Hand Path has generously offered it for free from their homepage, there's really no reason why you shouldn't check out An Existence Regained. Throughout the near-60 minute duration, you'll find evil black metal riffs, melancholic post rock sections, and tons of other things to keep you occupied. No Hand Path still has some room for improvement, but this is a generally stellar effort that I'm glad to have had the pleasure of listening to.

An Existence Regained is actually a pretty unique album in stylistic terms. Although No Hand Path is firmly rooted in black metal, there are plenty of influences from progressive rock, atmospheric black metal, and even post rock. The post rock sections shine during "The Longest Journey", my personal favorite song from the album. What an excellent instrumental track! Occasional vocoder sections even hint towards technical death metal pioneers Cynic. Hearing such a unique sound like this is shocking, especially considering that No Hand Path doesn't currently have a label backing them. The heavier black metal sections are occasionally hit-and-miss for me. Sometimes you'll be greeted with powerful and irresistible black metal riffing, and sometimes it may come across as a bit "generic". If No Hand Path works a bit in the department of consistently memorable riffs, I can sense an even greater second album coming in their direction.

Two of the best things about An Existence Regained are the musicianship and production. No Hand Path is a group of remarkably skillful musicians, and I especially have to give a nod in the direction of Haris for the great drumming! He really nails some of the more difficult parts here with ease! The production is also clear and crisp, yet still has raw and unpolished sensibilities. That's how a black metal album is meant to sound in my opinion.

You could definitely say I was taken by surprise with An Existence Regained. No Hand Path has really grabbed me with their solid debut effort, and I have a feeling it will do the same for most black metal fans. A bit more consistency will do their next effort justice, but this is a generally brilliant effort from this talented young group. 3.5 stars is a fair rating here. I've had a great time listening to this album over the last week - it's not everyday you hear a debut album with this much promise! For a free download, you have nothing to lose!
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed