19th July 2023

Exclusive Interview: Callous Hands talk “Trapped in Animated Flesh”!

A second EP recorded, mixed and mastered by Neil Hudson (Phobetor, Disinherit, From Eden To Exile) at Initiate Audio & Media and a second Groove Metal rage fest from Birmingham quartet Callous Hands is *ahem* what we have on our hands. Their last record “Earth Mover” took them to hitherto unexperienced new heights and opened a lot of doors for them, so what do they hope that “Trapped in Animated Flesh” will do for them?

The new record is an absolute powerhouse! When your debut “Earth Mover” was so well received did you feel any pressure going into writing for “Trapped in Animated Flesh” or did you just want to create the best representation of the sound you envisioned? “Our aim following Earth Mover was to take what we’d learned during the writing and recording process about what sounds work for us as a band and push those boundaries a little more whilst trying to add some different elements to the mix without overdoing it”

“The Great Unknown” has an absolutely huge chorus of unclean scream-a-long power; were you ever tempted to try some clean vocals with it or do you consider yourselves strictly a no clean singing outfit? “I wouldn’t want to say that we’re a strictly no clean singing outfit, it just isn’t really what we’re about, but that’s not to say we couldn’t be tempted to have a dabble somewhere down the line”

How important has playing Bloodstock and opening for Memphis May Fire and Ashen Crown been for the band’s momentum up to this point? What are your fondest memories of those shows? “Some of these experiences helped cement us as a band. It gave us the drive to push for more. Being able to pull in a crowd on a Sunday after everyone’s nursing a Bloodstock hangover was our personal highlight. We got there with the support from the people in the local scene. Without this it wouldn’t be possible”

If we are made up of our genes and our influences, what is in your jeans and who would you consider your influences? “Intensity is definitely in our genes as a band and we like to bring the aggression through our music, this is something you can find in some of our collective main influences, being Lamb of God, Pantera and Malevolence to name but a few”

As a band what would be more important to you at this stage of your career? A one off huge festival like Brutal Assault (Czech Republic), Hellfest (France) or Summer Breeze (Germany) or 20 shows across Europe opening for Bleed From Within? “20 shows across Europe opening for bleed from within would be amazing. We love festivals but feel the experience playing a tour like that would be more worthy for the band. We’d be a great fit with them musically and we would have a good laugh on the road”

What’s next for Callous Hands? “Our aim is to get in front of new audiences around the country and spread the Callous Hands sound”

“Trapped in Animated Flesh” by Callous Hands is out now so you can find it everywhere you’d expect it to be and some places you wouldn’t.