HANDS UPON SALVATION echo the aggressive edge of 90s metalcore on their new LP “Heresy”!

Yogyakarta’s metalcore / metallic hardcore pack HANDS UPON SALVATION have been doing their thing since 2004 and even though they have brought a lot of comparisons to more famous names, which they probably wouldn’t run from, they have surely a serious gift for leaving their own unique imprint on this particular genre. Much like many amazing records from labels such as Carry The Weight Records, Life.Lair.Regret. Records, or Mark My Words Records, HANDS UPON SALVATION’s new LP “Heresy” makes for a particularly exhilarating first listen, and we’re thrilled to give you the following first listen, along with the full track by track commentary, delivered directly by the band!

“Heresy” by HANDS UPON SALVATION is available digitally and physically on CDs/tapes on August 15th. The record features 9 new tracks and the band’s cover of LIAR of the Belgian H8000 scene.

CDs version of the record will be available from Diorama Records [ID], FTP Inc [ID], and Mark My Words Records [UK], cassettes with green variant will be available from Bound By Modern Age Records [DE] and Jesuiscidal Records [ID] will comes with blue variant tapes. Digital version will be available exclusively from our own bandcamp, other platforms may follow afterwards. There will be some bundle packages of physical and digital album, available from the band and Diorama Records.

Graphic design by Agung Nugroho. HANDS UPON SALVATION is: Guitar: Aar Dimasta; Guitar: Yuan Arie Panji; Bass: Daru Dwi Giyarto; Drum: Yanuar Surya; Voice: Agus Sury

Flames Of Discontent:

the song is about the heat of the social revolution that occurred in Ukraine in 2013, the era where President Viktor Yanukovych and his government policies invited massive demonstrations in Ukraine, centered on Maidan Nezalezhnosti/ Independence Square. His iron-hand triggered a major movement which later became known as Euromaidan Revolution, the social revolution of almost all elements of Ukraine who were dissatisfied with the performance of the government that lost its legitimacy

Lyrics:

Ablaze, the bliss of insurrection
Fire, the wrath and rage of defiance

Scorched, the glorious are overthrown
Scorched, your kingdom is overthrown

Shining, beyond the darkest sun
Rising, among the march of millions

Scorched, our asylums are overthrown
Scorched, the fate of God is overthrown

Are you prepared to face all my wrath?
Do you prepared to fight all my hatred
This is my battlefront, my endless frontline
I won’t be far gone, come here and face me

Bring all your AKs, bring all your shields
And I’ll be here I’m ready for death
I’m on my warpath, I’m on my warpaint
This is my death song, this is my roar
I’m on my warpath, I’m on my warpaint
This is my death song, this is my roar

My torch is flaming, my armor is shining
My hands are stronger, my march is thundering
I’m on my warpath, I’ll sing my brave song
I’ll scream for your death, fear my battle roar

Could you hear me roar?
Could you hear me roar?
Could you hear me roar?

Flames of discontent
Flames of discontent
Flames of discontent
Our flames of discontent

You’re Godless:

This one is about the Tsuyama Massacre that took place in 1938. Tsuyama Massacre was a sadistic murder that occurred in the village of Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan. About 30 people were killed overnight by Mutsuo Toi’s hands using various weapons. The cruel killings based on overwhelming grudge by the stigma and resentment he receives, especially in his practice of the Yobai tradition. Mutsuo Toi eventually committed suicide after killing the victims, including his own grandmother.

Lyrics:

Silence
Embraced

Silence embraced the soul
The weak embodied entity
Your clouded reversal
Deceit, despise, and denial
Unrighteous above all
The wealth, the grace, the honor
Your furious anger
The wicked, the blackest, the godless

The wicked, the blackest, the godless
The wicked, the blackest, the godless

Have mercy on us all
Have mercy on us all

Mercy, have mercy on us all
Mercy, have mercy on us all
Mercy, have mercy on us all
Mercy, have mercy on us all

Silence embraced the soul
Your clouded reversal
Deceit, despise, and denial
The wicked, the blackest, you’re godless

You’re godless
You’re godless

The devoid of faith
Emerged in a silence dark reflections
The fruit of the cynic will rebirth
Coerce and rip you unconscious

Coerce and rip you unconscious
Coerce and rip you unconscious
Coerce and rip you unconscious
Coerce and rip you unconscious

Stir The Shitstorm:

It’s about CIA actions to support American government political agenda and the corporate business interests within those actions. Since decades of the Cold War and even today, CIA’s silent operations left traces of blood in various parts of the world, from the corners of Southeast Asia to Latin America, the Middle East and even their own countries. Counter-intelligence, insurgencies, sabotages, annexations, coup d’etat, conspiracies, and especially the loss of innocents live.

Lyrics:

Shitstorm
Clouded in the wake of boiling rage
Ecliptic horizon by the flames
The potential wealth
Beyond the raging silent
Crisis and deception
Conflict and retribution
False flag intervention

Stir the shitstorm
Stir the shitstorm
We’ll stir the shitstorm
We are your enemies

Intention of millions
Conducted confrontation
Installed propaganda
The black coup d’etat

Mangoose, Chaos, MK-Ultra
Phoenix, Ajax, Fubelt
Timber Sycamore

Shout it out loud

Trails of your massacre
Lies upon the world
From Santiago to Tripoli
From Teheran to Panama
Trails of your massacre
Lies upon the world
From Damaskus to Havana
From Dallas to Jakarta

Stir the shitstorm
We’ll stir the shitstorm
Stir the shitstorm
We’ll stir the shitstorm

The Clandestine:

Inspired by the Black Bloc movements, the all-black anarchist factions, violent organ of demonstrations that originally started from the Brokdorf demonstration in the 70s, then expanded in Germany by the 80s. Their culmination point reached its highest peak at the war against the WTO in Seattle, the G8 Summit in Genoa, the G20 in Toronto and many others. The Black Bloc will remain to be one of the most important elements in street-wars and demonstrations that will remain an anonymous ghost continue to threaten the establishment today.

Lyrics:

Occupy the majority
We’re all the pitch black, we’re all the dark
We’re all the obscured, we’re all the shadows
We’re all the onyx, we’re all the ravens
We’re all the wicked

We’re all the grim reapers, we’re all the unclean
We’re all the grim reapers, we’re all the unclean
We’re all the grim reapers, we’re all the unclean
We’re all the grim reapers

We’re all the clandestine, we’re all the impure
We’re all the clandestine, we’re all the impure
We’re all the clandestine, we’re all the impure
We’re all the clandestine

Concealed, anonymous, large unified mass
We are the dissidents, we are the participants
This is our spray cans, this is our cocktails
We are the autonomies in the wake of your destruction

In the wake of your destruction
In the wake of your destruction
In the wake of your destruction

We’re all the clandestine, we’re all the impure
We’re all the clandestine, we’re all the impure
We’re all the clandestine, we’re all the impure
We’re all the impure

We’re all the grim reapers, we’re all the unclean
We’re all the grim reapers, we’re all the unclean
We’re all the grim reapers, we’re all the unclean

Repulse The Inferior:

Inspired by many themes of defamation, suppressions, annihilations, misjudgments, and especially oppressions against the Chinese minorities who perceived as inferior races based on primordial excuses, racialism, religious differences, political agenda, even personal or corporate reasons in Indonesia. Hatred that constructed and built since Chinezenmoord in 1740, Bengawan Solo Massacre in 1825, Peristiwa Mangkok Merah 1967, Riot and Systematic Rape in 1998 where the name of Ita Martadinata Haryono remains a martyr until today.

Lyrics:

Purge and cleansed in those maelstrom
Purge and cleansed in those maelstrom

The heathens uproars their pledges
The sole sectarian surge
The havoc the framework the endeavors
And repulse the inferior
The clandestine the forebears the absolute
The barbaric incursion
Cycle of ravening debacle
The pact of the false cause
The cynics the leaders the tyrants
The wage of the soaking guilt
The heinous the icons the agitators
They’re all sworn to their purge

Purge and cleansed in those maelstrom
Purge and cleansed in those maelstrom

The imperishable choice of decadence
The imperishable choice of decadence

Notion
Conviction
Significance
Coexistence

Fire Upon The Citadel:

It’s about the bloody war of Puputan Bayu occurred in eastern Java in 1767-1772. Before known as the city of Banyuwangi, the area is a place where Kingdom of Blambangan existed. The last kingdom with strong believes of practicing Hindu in whole Java. The area battered with all-out war by VOC [Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie] and Kingdom of Mataram coalition forces. The mass destruction in Blambangan is the culmination of all intrigues, plot and conspiracies between VOC, Kingdom of Mataram and Kingdom of Mengwi. Total annihilation with fake “jihadist” campaign to established Islamic state in Java led by Mataram that blinded by the VOC.

Lyrics:

Burst of outrage and flames beyond the walls
Echoes the raining arrows and fireballs
Rage of fiery march answers their calls
Curse the sinister who walks his orders

Fire upon the citadel
The siege to defy all words
fire upon the citadel
The concrete to withstand all hordes

The chords of compassion
The chords of redemption
The chorus of preservation
The chorus of deviation

Fire upon the citadel

The onslaught of infamy
The battle hordes of cruelty
The total war of purity
The prevailing cabals of destiny

Fire upon the citadel

Fire upon the citadel
The siege to defy all words
fire upon the citadel
The concrete to withstand all hordes

Prophet Of Reprisal:

Inspired by those who carried exalted interpretations and acted as new prophets with agitations, terrors, visions, and especially absolute doctrines of any actions they justify. Peoples Temple in Guyana, Aum Shinrikyo in Japan, Branch Davidians in America, Order Of Solar Temple in France, Gafatar in Indonesia, all of them are just few examples. The web of occultism, the irrational spiritual hunger, and the loss of reasoning are the dark circles of issues constructed and driven within society, television, the internet, and even whatsapp groups.

Lyrics:

Your pagan a framed cavities
Your venom and effigies
Ignorance and infidelities
Your cosmic hypocrisies

The profound the believers
The sermon the infernal
The profound the believers
The divine the enormous

I will not be condemn

Your superiority your obscenity
Your obscurity your theology
Your agility your insanity
Your hostility and your prophecy

You’re a prophet of reprisal
You’re a prophet of reprisal

I will not be condemned by your hate
I will not be consumed by your greed
And I….will not be condemn!

Heavenshore:

The original song and lyrics belong to Liar, H8000, Belgium. We didn’t play the very first part of the song, the original part was to epic so we didn’t want to play it and literally “change” the whole song.

Lyrics:

*I refuse the disease I hold my pride
a forest of green memories
the clouds close their eyes
And are losing track of time

Broken faith and bitter promises doomed
The lighting’s children and the thunders fall beware
Embracing death without regret
Angels rise and demons fall

A generation of insanity
A burning mark of chaos
I bear the sword, smelted by the heart of my anger
Forged upon my desire, tempered in my hate
Polished with loyalty, tested in my hand

Heavenshore, mighty are the raging waves
Beloved one and grieved ones
Hold your hand above my head
And guide me to the storm

For those stood me near
For those who where me dear
Let our blood unite forever

*With all due respect, we didn’t play the very first part of the song. The original version was just too epic, so we decided not to play it.

Son, Takes Up The Oppressor:

Inspired by them, all those children dogmatized and enslaved by fanaticism, nurtured by fear so that they have no power to think or even resist. From Hitler Youth in Germany, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, FARC in Colombia, to those still trapped in conflicted countries like Rwanda, Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Myanmar and those shackled by ISIS and Boko Haram out there .

Lyrics:

The initial folklore is summoning
All the brothers and sisters to act
And recites on the pledge of
Allegiance and declaration
The call to bear the arms on a long and
Shining twilight struggle

The bloodstained absolution
The well-armed faith will subvert
The regime then overthrow their
Deviant throne
The oppressor the aggressor
This incessant war of liberation
Will raging and glorify our fight

Son, takes up the oppressor
Son, takes up the oppressor
By the will of freedom we’ll be free of the horrors
Son, will you takes up the oppressor

We Came From The Sky:

Inspired by stories about those creatures who have visited and inhabit the Earth in several ages since the formation of Earth into the dawn of civilization with a circle of apocalyptic era. From Evadamic to Andromedan, Alpha Centaurian to Annunnaki, from Procyonian to Ashtar. Believe it or not, the truth is out there.

Lyrics:

Hello we’re coming from the sky
Hello we’re coming from the sky

Condemned, condemned and pulverized
Condemned, condemned and pulverized

The scenic epilogue of abhorrence
Epitomized the realm of vermillion
The horizon of the immaculate affliction
Creation of the poetic envision

We’re not afraid
We’re not afraid of your terror
We’re not afraid
We’ll take back your war

Risen revived from the dawn of civilization
In the recital of impatient
The fragments of elysium

Hello we’re coming from the sky
Hello we’re coming from the sky