HARDHANDED: MISSOURI'S HEAVIEST NEW HOPE IS READY TO BREAK YOUR NECK (AND YOUR HEART)

By Jay Cyn

If you've been paying attention to the Missouri underground lately, you've felt it. There's a new kind of heavy brewing between St. Louis and Columbia, and HardHanded is standing right in the middle of it.

They tore up MO Fest. They landed an opener slot for VCTMS at Off Broadway. And they're not just coming up, they're kicking the door clean off. Their sound sits somewhere between death metal aggression and modern metalcore angst. The kind of thing that makes you wanna start a pit and rethink your whole life at the same time.

But the thing that really sets this band apart isn't the breakdowns. It's the writing. Their release OFT VOL. I doesn't mess with fantasy or gore. These guys hold a mirror up to the ugliest parts of being human and don't flinch.

The standout track is "Nothing," and it's the kind of song that strips away all the tough-guy hardcore posturing and leaves something raw and bleeding. It builds with this heavy, atmospheric tension before the vocals rip through, dragging guilt, isolation, and the weight of disconnection into the open. When the vocalist screams about being a neglected prodigy in a world that couldn't care less, you don't just hear it. You feel it in your ribs. No sugarcoating. Just a battle cry for anyone who's ever felt completely alone in a crowded room.

If "Nothing" is the internal collapse, "20 CHVRCHES" is the warpath. Downtuned riffs that hit like a freight train. A rhythm section built to turn a crowd into a human blender. Lyrically, it goes straight at hypocrisy, institutional rot, and the kind of emotional warfare that leaves scars. It's a middle finger to every system that demands obedience and offers nothing back. And when that final breakdown drops, you're not just listening anymore. You're part of it.

HardHanded is exactly what the scene needs right now: real musicians who aren't scared to bleed on the mic. Do yourself a favor. Learn the words, stretch your neck, and get to their next show early. You're gonna want to be up front for this one.