Sweet Hand Of Fate, the second solo album by noise rocker Matt Boroff, is reminiscent of ’90s bands like Nirvana. This is to be expected, as he toured with them as well as with other established acts like Queens Of The Stone Age and Bad Brains. His sound is composed of whiny guitars, as well as a lot of distortion, but with an unexpected brass section that adds an element of surprise.
“Lost” gloomily opens the release, and foreshadows what the rest of the full-length will sound like. It contains warped vocals and drums that could pass as the intro to a Led Zeppelin track. On “Up Up Up In Flames,” the energy level is raised considerably, and Boroff ends up yelling in an oddly controlled fashion.
The title-track builds up slowly to the chorus, which does not disappoint. It is an angry rock song at its finest, with noticeable drums and lyrics about what could have been, sung in Boroff’s raw voice. “Going To The Hypnotist” is the most naked track on the record; the majority of which is only the singer backing himself, combined with scarce guitars and drums. The closer, “Turns Me On,” ends quietly, with bare vocals that gradually fade into silence.
The LP becomes a little strange in the middle, with songs transitioning abruptly from simple lyrics to screeching, indistinguishable whines. However, Sweet Hand Of Fate is strikingly alluring, and is a nod to the great noise rock of the past.
In A Word: Inveigling
