Well, by now everyone has probably heard about the breakup of the Hidden Hand. The band split up earlier this month for personal reasons, and let me tell ya, that was a depressing day for me. I've been into the Hidden Hand since day one, and I thought that it was the best band that Wino had been involved with since The Obsessed. The breakup of The Hidden Hand has left a void that's going to be tough to fill in the heavy rock/doom underground.

At least we've been left with an amazing set of releases from the band before they split, you know? Divine Propaganda was their debut in 2003, and anyone into heavy, progressive rock, doom, psychedelia, prog, whatever - this is one of the best debuts of the decade. The Hidden Hand formed immediately after the dissolution of Maryland doom rockers Spirit Caravan in 2002, and the original lineup consisted of bassist/singer Bruve Falkinburg and drummer Dave Hennessy alongside the indomitable godfather of Doom, Scott "Wino" Weinrich. If yer a longtime doom fan, you already know the guy well from his legendary bands The Obsessed and Saint Vitus, and when Divine Proaganda came out, it was an immense statement from the dude. Both Bruce and Wino shared vocals, giving the songs added variety, and the music is a potent mix of traditional doom metal with prog rock, psychedelia and hardcore punk (check out "Screw The Naysayers" if yer in need of a fucking endorphine rush), as well as a heavy political/social message that you don't usually find with this sort of music. Wino's guitar playing is dripping with soul all over these songs, tunes like "The Last Tree" and "Sunblood" are overflowing with emotional riffage, and the rhythm section grooves like clockwork. Check out the proggy, effects-heavy shredding in the band's theme song, and the ambient psychedelic dirge of "Prayer For The Night". So awesome. A totally different beast than his previous bands, The Hidden Hand's Divine Propaganda was a blast of progressive fresh air in the doom scene when it came out and it still stands as one of the most powerful albums of the decade. Like I said, this is an essential album for any serious doom fan's collection. Great silver-embossed packaging, comes in a jewel case with a 12-page booklet loaded with lyrics, photos, and artwork. Crucial.