Hands of Thieves Reveal Death Metal and Dark Intentions on a Beastly Debut

The act of punishing theft with forcible amputation of the hands seems as old as society itself. While barbaric and highly uncommon in the western world, there are still few forms of non-fatal punishment as gruesome or brutal. It's fitting, then, that Portland extreme metal act Hands of Thieves conjures an image of a pile of discarded body parts. With their "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to fusing black, doom, and death metal with jagged elements of grind, the band seems to be more of a surprisingly functional collection of hideous refuse than anything else. On paper, it shouldn't work. On record and in a live setting, the band seethes and roars like a furious beast trying to escape its own skin, defying all expectation.

Released last year on cassette from Bay Area label Transylvanian Tapes, Hands of Thieves' Feasting on Dark Intentions is a monster of a debut, thrashing about within the confines of each of its four songs. Whether it's the noisy, shifting lurch of opener "Wrath Weaver," the strangely catchy war-march vibes of "Sun Worker," or the glorious resonance that leads into "Conduit of Grief," Hands of Thieves rarely keeps things predictable or straightforward, displaying consistency in energy and force alone. It's currently being prepared for a vinyl release courtesy of Baneful Genesis Records, allowing this rapidly rising band to reach an even broader audience.

With the release nearly upon us, Noisey is sharing a stream of the whole damn beast to crush you in the most wonderful of ways. Preorder the vinyl from Baneful Genesis Records here—it drops February 14 (just in time for Valentine's Day!).

Ben Handelman is peckish on Twitter.
Photo by Alyssa Herrman/Foto Phortress.