ALBUM REVIEW: Mana – Idle Hands
Gothic aesthetics have been enjoying a glorious comeback in the world of rock-music. What was once a dirty little secret commonly associated with high-school outcasts and middle-aged eccentrics who live for SISTERS OF MERCY, has become common place. Not since the 1990s, with groups such as CRADLE OF FILTH and TYPE O NEGATIVE, has ‘goth’ been such a desirable subculture. Similarly, traditional heavy metal, after nearly two decades of being assigned exclusively to dragon-fighting nerds, has earned its well-deserved reputation as an art-form which remains both timeless and shameless. There has, arguably, never been a better time for a group of merge such obvious bedfellows, and IDLE HANDS have already left fingerprints on what is sure to become a burgeoning amalgam subculture in the future.
Formed in the embryonic stages of said zeitgeist, IDLE HANDS were birthed in Portland, Oregon in 2017, and rapidly released a debut EP entitled Don’t Waste Your Time. The appropriately-titled 19-minute piece showed a band with undeniable promise and irrepressible talent. Combining TRIBULATION’s delightful love of the macabre and German expressionism with GHOST’s gift for earworms which teem eternally, IDLE HANDS quickly designed their winning formula. In a meagre 4-months after the release of the EP, the band entered the studio once again to produce what would become their debut album Mana; clearly confident they could keep the pace up without suffering the dreaded ‘second-album syndrome’. What they have produced is a genuinely great piece of work which, should all justice be on their side, will likely propel the band into bigger rooms and deserved further acclaim.
Nightfall opens Idle Hands with a sublime piece of solo-lead work, swathed in reverb and seducing any listener who possesses chips in their will, before giving way to a rollicking opening song. While possessing the pace and rigour of MISFITS at their most clandestine, it also boasts an accomplished, Gothic atmosphere which would make KING DIAMOND swell with pride. Vocalist/guitarist Gabriel Franco’s range is a flawed but ultimately very charming half-way house between Nick Holms at his most emotive and Petr Steele at his most commanding, and his level of conviction is unquestionable throughout the record.
Throughout much of the album, the group maintain a level of pace comparable to this, but it is when they let the songs ring out a little more that their chops really shine. The finest track comes in the form of It’ll Be Over Before You Know It, a noticeably stripped-back affair. The piece stomps like a funeral march, as each member of the group puts in their most emotive performance on the entire record. It’s the most stirring moment on the album, and acts as a light-bulb moment for attentive listeners. It’s clear this is where the strengths of this group lie, and in the future the group would be wise to explore this aspect of their sound further.
One of the few short-comings of this album is the production job. Zack Ohren has worked on numerous big-name metal albums, but here he seemingly doesn’t put in his best work. IDLE HANDS don’t sound as explosive as these songs warrant, and often the mix feels a little ill-advised; the bass trembles in the background while the vocals lack the weight the performance suggests they ought to boast. The thought of what this group could achieve with an Andy Sneap or a Brendan O’Brien is positively enthralling, but here, you can’t help but feel the band were a little short-changed this time around.
To conclude, IDLE HANDS may not have released a perfect album with Mana, but it is likely the finest debut album of the year so far. A bold, accomplished album which revels in its influences, Mana is a record which will satisfy its niche target immeasurably. It’s clear the band will craft something truly great in the future, and while this may not be the finished article, it is important that one keeps an eye on these upstarts.
Rating: 8/10
Mana is out now via Eisenwald.
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