Sextile’s debut album A Thousand Hands is a journey through a post-apocalyptic landscape. The punky guitars, murky keyboards and menacing tribal drum beat conjure up images of urban decay and dystopian cityscapes. If there was a Blade Runner reboot, Sextile could write the score.

Bray Keehn’s vocals have an angsty wail to them, occasionally slipping into a ranting John Lydon snarl on tracks like Smoke in the Eye and Truth and Perception. Drummer Melissa Scaduto provides lead vocals for Mind’s Eye, her mellow delivery contrasting Keehn’s and blending with the melodic keyboards to create a doom laden chant.

The album begins with a punk sound but has industrial rock sensibilities. Keyboards become more prominent as the album progresses with Into the Unknown’s synth faintly reminding you of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, furthering the post-apocalyptic theme. The synth invasion culminates in the final track Introvert, a moody synth instrumental that illustrates the death of the world A Thousand Hands introduced us to.

On the first listen the higher energy guitar-driven tracks like Can’t Take It and Smoke in the Eye are the stand outs, but on repeat listens you appreciate the more intense sounds of Truth and Perception and Shattered Youth. The best of A Thousand Hands lies in the middle ground in the track Flesh which combines the urgency of the guitars with the disconcerting keyboards.