We last talked to this bunch of noise merchants in the run up to, and in the heat of, Bloodstock 2022. Now with a new EP (Trapped in Animated Flesh, out on 7th July) on the way, it’s time for a catchup with the creepy quintet that make up Callous Hands…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re a Birmingham based band, the home of heavy metal.
How did you meet?
Eddy met Jim at school and Kieran through a mutual friend at college. But it was some years later that callous hands would be formed, finding Honcho and Adam through online advertising.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We’ve been playing live since 2019, but we started to put the pieces together a couple of years before that.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
The band names comes from the fact that at least 2 of the founding members work hands on jobs, as well as working on those callouses through time spent in the gym under the iron, but we also love that double meaning to the name.
What are your influences?
When we started out we were heavily influenced by that Nola sludge sound, but as time has passed we’ve been including features of thrash, hardcore, groove and most importantly, death metal. To name some of our collective favourite artists would be bands like Malevolence, Lamb of God and Pantera.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our sound incorporates a wide range of styles, but we always try to find the groove in whatever we’re doing. Not being afraid to push the boundaries whether that’s time signatures or trying different soundscapes is something that has helped us develop the Callous Hands sound. But we always try to deliver everything we do with big energy, and hit hard.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Kieran’s lyrics come from an array of his own life experiences, but themes for Trapped in Animated Flesh derive from the fact that man has a powerful will to survive, even when faced with extreme odds and in the face of adversity.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our live show has always been an energetic one from the get go. We love to feel that electricity between a crowd and the band whether that’s in those small sweaty rooms or on a big stage, you can never get bored of that, and for us that’s what it’s about, we just love to go out and do our thing.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
It’s not really that crazy these days as a lot of guys are doing it, but we usually like to jump off stage and strut around the pit if the stage isn’t big enough.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
We use ESP and a Les Paul through Laneys, a Dingwall through Darkglass for bass and Mapex Saturn with Meinl cymbals on the kit
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We’re digging Netherhalls new album, Process, you should go check it out!
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
The plan for the next 6 months is to get this EP out and get round the country and fill people ears with some brutality.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
We would all be buzzing to support a band like Malevolence, their crowds are always insane, we’d have to take our friends in Kensei with us to open up, they’re killing it at the moment with new music on the way and are killing it in this years metal to the masses run, best of luck to those guys.
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If you want to check out more new music, then fire up our Headline Act playlists on Spotify and YouTube!
Callous Hands: facebook | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | youtube
