Photo by Jehn Mickalacki
With a pedigree that includes members of Spirit Adrift, Slough Feg and Nite, it should come as no surprise that Bay Area-based trio Hands of Goro are spinning powerful trad metal a little on the quirky side on their new single “Uncanny.” The frisky, NWOBHM-inspired track finds the outfit—Tom Draper (guitars/backing vocals/synths), Avinash Mittur (drums/backing vocals), Adrian Maestas (bass/lead vocals/synths)—going all-in on a guitar-harmony onslaught pretty much from the opening licks. In fact, though this isn’t an instrumental, Draper lets fly with the pyrotechnics throughout, as he’s given extended opportunities to show his chops.
“Uncanny” is one of eight tracks on the outfit’s upcoming self-titled debut, Hands Of Goro, which was recorded and produced by the band at the Boatyard and Francisco Studios. Drums and guitars were recorded in two secret rooms located on a dilapidated former naval base, and the vocals, bass and synthesizers were tracked in an underground space in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Mixing and engineering was handled by drummer Mittur. It was mastered by Justin Weis at Trakworx Studio. The album is set for release March 1 on vinyl and digitally via the band’s own BSP Records. Find preorders here.
This is what Draper had to say about the new single:
“This was the first song Adrian showed me when we started jamming. I love how many different parts the song has, especially on the studio version where there’s a veritable orchestra of guitar harmonies throughout.”
