by Dave Campbell
Instrumental music can be polarizing to some fans, especially to the gatekeeping Metal community. It seems more palatable to Progressive Rock fans, who are used to long instrumental passages on some of the songs they love. Let’s take a deeper look at this. Vocals and lyrics are immediately accessible to most fans. You can sing along with them, and the lyrics can often echo things that you are thinking about and feeling. I often find deeper meaning when lyrics and vocals are absent. Texture, dynamism, and even emotions are more easily digestible to me from instruments and not from vocals. That love probably started for me in 1985 when I first picked up the guitar, and when I discovered the landmark “Surfing with the Alien” album from JOE SATRIANI. In his hands, he made the guitar sing, and if you listen closely, you can often mirror what could have been a vocal pattern in some of his rhythms and lead breaks. With all of this in mind, we explore ‘The Hidden Hand,’ the 4th full-length album from Akron, Ohio-based Post-Rock/Progressive Instrumental band IF THESE TREES COULD TALK.
“Archons” is the leading song – opening tracks often present a tease of what might be to come over the course of the album. An archon is a Greek term that generally refers to a leader or a magistrate. When you listen to the track, you understand why they chose that title. “Moon Machine” has a big guitar sound that is solemn, dark, and even regal, and I get a visual of a funeral procession for a loved monarch. The riffs are firm, powerful, and even a little cold at first. They soften a little, and become more pliable, but waves of frigid cold are still very much present. I get a distinct sense of sadness in this song, or possibly loss, even regret. It speaks to me as someone who looks back on their life and wonders what happened. “Sea of Glass” also has melancholy tones, but they are a little warmer. It’s as if someone threw you a life preserver and invites you inside the cabin for conversation, or just to listen to your pain. Some of the guitar chords are absolutely towering, and they play into the themes of the album, particularly the emotional quality.
“Blurry Creatures” is a veritable wave of sound that, like the ocean, never lets up, and you can hear the dynamic effect of three guitarists in the band’s songs. It’s like a combination strike that first hits you in the face, then the stomach, and follows it up with a swift kick. Once they are finished with you, it does retreat into softer tones, but there is still a degree of tension in the song that you just can’t shake. “Silence Between Mountains” has two movements. The first is a short song that uses silence to speak. Silence can speak as loudly as words in many cases, and here, they sound like someone who just doesn’t have anything else to say. Maybe they can’t find the right words, or maybe they feel defeated in a sense. Segueing into part two, it continues the sentiment. The phrase that comes to mind is “why bother?” In other words, silence can be a weapon, and measuring the distance of it between two mountains can be a whole lot of mileage. When someone feels defeated, silence is often the response.
“Metanoia” is defined as a profound, transformative change in one’s heart, mind, or way of life, and you can immediately feel the album turning the corner from despair and despondence and into action. The human will is an amazing thing. No matter how often you are knocked down and kicked repeatedly, there is always something deep inside you that urges you to get up and keep fighting, and that sort of resolve is reflected well in this song, especially in the roar of each guitar chord.
“Film” is a cover song from . Suddenly, the dark clouds part and make way for bright waves of sunshine. It’s such a pretty song, and I can see why the band holds it in such a high regard. The corollary from the cover song to the music of IF THESE TREES COULD TALK is that it’s still just a bit reserved…a bit melancholy. What’s the saying…no matter how dark the night may be, there will always be a morning? That is at least one assurance we have in life.
“Endlessly Connected” is the final song originally written and performed by APHEX TWIN, and after the heavy, emotional weight of some of the previous songs, it serves as a reminder that we humans are, in fact, all connected in subtle ways we don’t even understand. It could be that we all face some of the same things in life…victories, celebrations, births, deaths, and struggles. That’s what I like to think it means.
‘The Hidden Hand’ is a captivating instrumental album that speaks volumes without saying a word. The album’s title can, in fact, have several meanings. It could refer to some of the darker cards we are dealt at birth…genetic predispositions, histories, and other forces at work in our lives that we can’t see or quantify. It could also refer to lawful and good forces that are at play, shaping and guiding us to continue working on ourselves and moving forward collectively. A hidden hand of help, if you will. There is a constant interplay of these two things happening at the same time on the album…unseen forces of both good and evil that never rest. Do you believe in destiny, or fate, or that we all have control of our own lives? “Hidden Hands” poses that exact question; there appears to be no right or wrong answer. It’s something that each of us has to discover for ourselves.
Released on July 10, 2026 on Metal Blade Records
Order here: https://ifthesetreescouldtalk.bandcamp.com/album/the-hidden-hand
Tracklist:
1. Archons
2. Moon Machine
3. Sea of Glass
4. Blurry Creatures
5. Silence Between Mountains, Pt. 1
6. Silence Between Mountains, Pt. 2
7. Metanoia
8. Film
9. Endlessly Connected
Lineup:
Tom Fihe – Bass
Jeff Kalal – Guitars
Cody Kelly – Guitars
Mike Socrates – Guitars
Zack Kelly – Drums
