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I got this band's demo at a Slough Feg show nearly 5 years ago and had just assumed it never went further, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this album land in my inbox. The five songs from the demo are included on the album, so there are only three new songs. I really liked the demo and the new stuff is very much in the same vein, though things sound less hard rock-ish this time around. Hands of Goro are pounding away some old-school-tinged heavy metal here, though without that "it could have been released 40 years ago" feeling; rather there's a hint of a more modern heavy metal sound here as well. Having been flooded with the '80s revival stuff for the past couple of years, having something that colours outside the lines a little is certainly welcome. Some of the raw and crunchy guitar work reminds me of Canada's Hanker circa Snakes and Ladders, very air-guitar worthy stuff right there. Hands of Goro's metal doesn't lack in crunch and heaviness, but is also very melodic and catchy as hell, be it the music or the slightly rough vocals that give it a bit of a late '70s/early '80s vibe at times. Probably what I like the most here is how raw and DIY the music is despite its melodic backbone. It's on the short side, but it's a lot of fun.