Cruel Hand will be releasing The Negatives via Hopeless Records on September 23rd. Since their last studio release, 2010’s Lock and Key,American four-piece Cruel Hand have been a bit quiet- not like them at all! But now they’re back with their latest album, The Negatives, which sees their usual hardcore sound spattered with moments of punk, metal and Three Days Grace post-grunge. Confused? Check it out and you’ll see what we mean! The intro track, ‘Pissing – Spitting’, has a pretty chilled, upbeat vibe as it begins, easing you into the album without having to try too hard. A punky edge can be heard in this song, and that continues in songs such as ‘Battery Steele’, which is so short and sharp it’s over before you know it, and ‘Why Would I’, which is some sort of hybrid between punk and metal. Think Andrew W.K.- fast, punky sounds alongside a heavier, metal background- and you should get the idea. However, it’s in this song as well as sixth track ‘Heat’ where we hear that great deep bassline that reminds us of the grungy Three Days Grace. As the album goes on, those initial hints of punk and grunge soon wear off and Cruel Hand return to their hardcore roots. ‘Scars for the Well-Behaved’ and ‘Still’ both show off the heavier side of the band, with these songs being perfect head-banging anthems; ‘Scars for the Well-Behaved’ is fast, harsh and angsty, while ‘Still’ has a solid, heavy beat that you can’t help nodding along to. The album’s title track, ‘The Negatives’, is another one with a decent beat, but it unfortunately exposes moments where perhaps the vocals could do with a tiny bit of work, if only to polish them off a little. However, it’s obvious that Cruel Hand have spent plenty of time working on their inspirations, as tracks ‘Unhinged – Unraveled’ and ‘Gasoline’ are the creations of an oh-so-slightly calmer version of nu-metal band Slipknot, while ‘Cheap Life’ almost has the vibe of old-school classics Metallica. Cruel Hand have made a great job of taking several different sounds, ideas and influences, fitting them all onto one album and making them sound right together. However, the unique sound of Cruel Hand gets lost somewhere in amongst the chaos of the album’s versatility and, while The Negatives is a decent record, it doesn’t quite pack the punch that Cruel Hand are capable of.