Cruel Hand
At Anaheim’s Chain Reaction last Saturday, Cruel Hand from Portland, Maine exploded on stage alongside Bane, Trapped Under Ice, and Alpha & Omega. If you’re a fan of hardcore, you would’ve loved this show.
Chain Reaction is a club open to all ages, and at this show, the audience ranged from teenagers to thirty year olds, male and female.
And when Cruel Hand began to play, the entire audience was captivated by their music. No, that’s not quite right. They were completely moving to the music. It started with slight head bobbing, some rocking, then head banging, and eventually constant moshing and crowd surfing. The last two were specifically requested not to be done at the venue, but still, the crowd loved Cruel Hand’s music enough to break some rules.
I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of hardcore, and I really couldn’t understand what Chris (vocals) was singing, but just watching him on stage, leaping, singing with all his might, and engaging the audience definitely garnered my respect. One of the first things Chris did after the band began to play was leap into the crowd and sing alongside his fans. And within that first song, the audience began moshing while crowd surfers climbed onto the stage and even pushed the band to take their leaps.
Personally, I felt bad for Chris while he was being tossed around on stage by some very enthusiastic fans, but the entire band kept rocking with an incredible energy that filled the club. Chris even lifted the mic to audience members to sing, some of whom were grabby and unwilling to return the mic. The band stayed professional and even went as far as to state that the West Coast Hardcore fans knew how to rock properly.
Chris definitely sang with incredible tenacity and a deep glottal growl. Nate, Seger, and Jeremy played with all their might, and they did a fantastic job, but Chris definitely is their front and lead. He pulled the audience in and had incredible energy on stage.
Perhaps I’m not the best judge of their merits. But I can honestly say this: Cruel Hand blew the crowd away.
