The Best Band in Idaho is Rotten Hand
Back in August we asked you to help us find the best unsigned bands in America. After listening to hundreds of submissions, we’ve finally narrowed down our pick for the “You da ho” state. The best band in Idaho is Rotten Hand.
Hailing from Idaho Falls, ID, Rotten Hand deliver a grindier take on the kind of Integrity-style metallic-tinged hardcore that has influenced countless face and hand tattoos over the last 20 years. Rotten Hand understand economy of sound. Spend a minute and fifty seconds listening to “Burning” from Rotten Hand’s split with Rites. The band effortlessly shifts from a furious grind to a feedback-fueled build to a massive breakdown (that would be a breakdown in the cathartic sense; there are no unnecessary chugga-chuggas at work here). I’m a busy man, ain’t got no time for a 10-minute ambient track to prepare me for a blast beat. Fortunately, Rotten Hand understand my time concerns and create no-nonsense, hard-as-nails songs that hover around the 2 minute mark. Perfect. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be out punching the floor in my office.
Here’s what our judges had to say:
Masterlord SteelDragon: “Hardcore is neither my strong suit nor my cup of tea, but I still cast my vote for Rotten Hand. The tone is nasty enough, the riffs are thrashy enough, and the vocals are ornery enough to earn the Steel Stamp ov Steel Approval. They’re never not pissed off, which is something I and many of you can relate to. I dig it so much, I’ll briefly consider forgiving them for combining the two most-used words in hardcore band names.”
Stockhausen: “Rotten Hand delivers a straight-to-the-skull style of gritty hardcore, with plenty of nasty darkness around the edges and nary a frill to be seen. These guys make it clear that there is no nonsense to be had, because we’ve got some skulls to bash.”
Honorable Mentions:
Nailbastard – Totally rocking punk/metal hybrid that is unfortunately very recently defunct 🙁
Deep Creeps – Deeply strange and spastic noise punk from Boise, ID. Check em on Facebook.
The Toilet ov Hell is on an absurd quest to find the best unsigned band in each state of this glorious union. The purpose? To shine the spotlight on bands that deserve more exposure. Also, we’re going to determine once and for all the greatest state in the nation. Each state winner is decided by a collection of 25 judges. After we’ve announced the winner of each state, we’re gonna throw them all in a winner-take-all bracket and leave the votes up to you. Who will be the best unsigned band in the United States? Which state is superior? We can’t wait to find out.
Previous winners:
Alabama — Phylum
Alaska — Terraform
Arizona – Take Over And Destroy
Arkansas – Torii
California – Destroy Judas
Colorado – The Sleer
Connecticut – Autumn’s Eyes
Delaware – Sloss
Florida – Capracide
Georgia – Lost Hours
Hawaii – Darkest Path
