Ebony Tears – A Handful of Nothing – Review

Ebony Tears

A Handful of Nothing (Black Sun)
by Scott Hefflon

I had the volume set to listen to an old cassette of early Armored Saint, feeling wistful after packaging up Engine’s CD for resale when I popped A Handful of Nothing in the CD player. LOUD! Y’know that threat of wiping a smile off someone’s face? Well, Ebony Tears took most of my face with it. Brutal Swedish death metal/thrash along the lines of mid-period Carcass, but with Skogsberg’s skin-ripping production (not that there’s anything wrong with Colin, don’t get me wrong) – all fast, mean, low-tuned riffs, and Kreator-esque vox. Eight songs totaling 30 minutes of pure hatred, slowed down very rarely by artsy noodlings. Nostalgic for the good ol’ days of rawly-produced pure anger? Give Ebony Tears a listen.
(PO Box 14815 Fremont, CA 94539)