Power-trio led by Scott “Wino” Weinrich.

Wino not only formed The Obsessed, one of the best and most important doom metal bands in the wake of Black Sabbath, but was a key member of Saint Vitus as well. On top of that, the guy founded cult favorite Spirit Caravan (which he disbanded a few years later), played with ex-Pentagram Vic Griffin in Place of Skulls and now leads The Hidden Hand. You could say he’s about the most important musician in the doom-scene of the past 25 years, while several people even credit him with inventing stoner rock. Whatever his contribution may be, it’s Wino the musician that we’re talking about here and as a guitar player he’s worshipped by tons of colleagues, ranging from Dave Grohl (who invited him to play on the Probot-album), Pantera’s Phil Anselmo , Fugazi’s Joe Lally (whom he taught bass) and Henry Rollins , who once gave an accurate description of his style: “[Wino’s] guitar playing sounds like TROUBLE – not the band, the situation.”

Wino has been the author of loads and loads of skull-breaking riffs and ripping guitar solos that incorporate several decades of music history, from Blue Cheer’s muddy fuzziness to Black Sabbath’s titanic bludgeoning. His immense guitar sound is already quite impressive in itself, but his stage presence really tops it off, as he has more charisma than yesterday’s bands combined. Being in The Hidden Hand is not just entertainment, it’s hard work, but you’ll rarely see musicians this dedicated and determined to rip things up. Wino – often in his usual pose, bended backwards – churned out chord sequences that were at once sludgy and complex, Falkinburg assaulted his 4-stringed weapon as if there was no tomorrow and Hennessy topped it off by combining intricate drum patterns with more straightforward hard-hitting
(Taken from live review @ Sojo, July 7th 2004)