Death Can’t Keep Us Apart – Left Hand Black
Left Hand Black, the horror-punks from the lesser known archipelago of Sweden, the one outside of Gothenburg, are back with their third album Death Can’t Keep Us Apart.
The band has released two singles leading up to this release, both solid tracks but not tracks that have surprised me. They showcase the band as the melodic horror-punk veterans that they are at this point. The two singles are among the first three songs of the album, which deliver the same sorts of songs throughout most of the a-side. Solid, but nothing surprising or out of the ordinary, both in a good and a somewhat bad way.
But from A Doomed Romance on a Summer Night, closing the a-side something happens. The tempo is slowed down, the opening of the track reminds me of the old song Teach me tiger. In the Centre of My Heart then pushes the pedal to the metal. Almost reminiscent of No Fun At All in the sound. Furious drumming and fast guitars. All These Monsters continues with an almost skatepunk guitar melody while Divided by the Pain delivers more of a metal sound and Why Do I Kill Everything I Love delivers dual vocals and ends with insane double kick drums. Those double kicks are also prominent in In the Centre of My Heart. All this creates a second part of the album which is diverse and exciting.
Lyrically it’s what to expect from horror-punk, with themes of love and death, murder, monsters and octopuses. As with all horror-punk you could just take it literally, or take the metaphorical approach. I would recommend the later though, except from the octopus one, don’t try to read stuff into that. In the end, the lyrics are about love, death and life, although told through a horror lens. There’s a reason horror movies are a classic canvas for bigger questions and themes, they lend themself nicely for that, and the same goes for the music-genre.
In the end, Left Hand Black has crafted an excellent album in Death Can’t Keep Us Apart. It gives the fans what they want, but doesn’t shy away from testing genres and styles as well. It’s an engaging listen and songs that can have a deeper meaning if you want it, or just be a fun romp if you feel that way.