Review by Sonny for Hidden Hand, The - Divine Propaganda (2003)

So let's talk about Scott "Wino" Weinrich for a while. Is there really anybody who better exemplifies the ethos of stoner doom metal than Wino? From his lead-heavy, bluesy, stoner riffs and cigarettes 'n' whiskey-soaked vocal delivery to his biker tatts, uncompromising attitude and well-documented crystal meth addiction, there are very few who could stand alongside this guy for sheer metal cred (maybe Lemmy, but that's about it).
Beginning his music career with not one, but two legendary doom bands in The Obsessed and Saint Vitus, after leaving the latter Wino formed Spirit Caravan, a stoner doom three-piece, releasing a couple of well-received albums either side of the Millenium. Spirit Caravan split in 2001 and Wino formed a new trio the following year called The Hidden Hand and that is where this album comes in. Divine Propaganda is the 2003 debut album of the new band, who went on to release two more albums before splitting in 2007.
The album kicks off in strong style, it's first three tracks laying out an impressive calling card. Bellicose Rhetoric and Damyata are trademark fuzzed-up stoner doom with a bit more of a groove going on than Saint Vitus or The Obsessed. Damyata is typical of Wino, a song about environmental disaster, not via a pathetic "why doesn't somebody do something" whine, but in a "we are all fucked" warning - "Oh, I feel the sky is cracking, oh, I feel the ice melting, oh I feel the mountains falling, oh, I feel the world dying". On third track, Screw the Naysayers, Wino even turns on his own fans, hailing his new band and urging everyone to get over the split-up of Spirit Caravan - "Caravan has slipped away, The Hidden Hand is here to stay, screw the naysayers". The track is only 72 seconds long and is basically a fuzz-drenched punk track, a legacy of Wino's time with the Obsessed when they used to open for DC hardcore bands like Bad Brains, Black Flag and Minor Threat.
At this point I should just say, this album isn't only about Wino, Bruce Falkinburg does a fine job on bass and backing Wino up on vocals and a particular shout out should go to Dave Hennessy who's drumming is absolutely first class, battering the shit out of his kit like a young Bill Ward or John Bonham.
The album continues to mix heavy, doom-laden stoner grooves with faster, trad metal and punk influenced tracks, occasionally throwing in the odd psychedelic or blues influence, such as on The Last Tree or Sunblood respectively, so there's enough variety on display to satisfy any fan of fuzzed-up metal and any die-hard fan of Wino and his previous bands shouldn't be disappointed.