“Bone-crushing industrial beats, heavy bass, massive guitar. A mix of classic industrial sounds, Godflesh-styled lyrics and beats fused with Scorn’s brand of droning lyrical gloom and misery. Hands of Ash the first true industrial concept album.” -M. Arrival

Hands of Ash was the second CD released by my band Trust Obey. Beginning in 1990, I self-released a number of solo cassette recordings as Trust Obey that focused on dark, grinding explorations of sound with titles like Rip Saw, The Veil, and Locust.

In 1993, I enlisted guitarist Brett Smith to join Trust Obey in order to perform live. Brett brought so much to the Trust Obey sound that he became a permanent member. One of our best-known projects was the first Trust Obey CD, “Fear and Bullets: Music to Accompany the Crow.” This album was released by Kitchen Sink Press and Graphitti Designs as a soundtrack to The Crow comic book written by James O'Barr. The CD was packaged with a special hardcover edition of the graphic novel.

Shortly after the Fear and Bullets release, I signed Trust Obey to Trent Reznor’s label, Nothing/Interscope Records. We were the third act to sign to the label after Marilyn Manson and Prick. Trust Obey recorded Hands Of Ash for Nothing Records in the fall of 1995. The album was released by Fifth Colvmn Records the following year.

The Bandcamp edition of Hands Of Ash includes the bonus track "Larvatus” (available in the download version of the album). Originally the last track on the 1996 release, it was left off last the reissue. If you’re a fan of mid-90s whisper-scream industrial vocals and vaguely biblical gothic lyrics you’ll be happy to see the song included once again on the album.

Also included as a bonus track is a Part II to Hands Of Malice. When Trust Obey performed live, Hands Of Malice was usually the last song we played. Live, the 16-minute-song would devolve into an extended exploration of feedback and noise. The version here was recorded in-studio with David Chapman on trumpet. Much like our live performances, we let the tape roll until it ran out…