HOLLOW - suprisingly good

Hollow - Modern Cathedral (Nuclear Blast) 1998

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like this CD. The remind me of bands like Lethal, Siam and Conception. They manage to blend mid-80's Queensryche with a traditional European power metal sound. There are a couple of real standout cuts on the first listen as well. "Crusader" was one such number. This song is an excellent, heavy, mid-paced romp with a hook that could catch a shark. The follow-up song "Lies" is also interesting as it adds in some banjo. This might sound like a bad thing but it really works in much the same way it worked in Aerosmith's classic "Kings and Queens".

Anyone else hear this CD? Thoughts?

Surprised? Man, I told you it was good!

Yeah, Hollow is probably one of the most underrated bands ever. I have both of their discs on Nuclear Blast, and am searching high and low for their debut EP/demo.

I need to find their other two now as well.

I just ordered the 2-pack Architect of the Mind / Modern Cathedral based on recommendation alone. I talked to a person really high on this band and I got completely sold on it. Then looked for a thread here. I have a two week wait ahead of me, so people who know Hollow - what do you think of the band?

Looks like a good deal to me, considering those are their only two albums.

i got both albums and youll be happy

I've thought about picking it up a few times but never dropped the hammer yet. Not sure why. Sounds like something I'd dig.

I had a track from the MODERN CATHEDRAL album on a label promo/compilation CD years ago (the name of the song escapes me), from what I remember they sounded pretty decent, but I've never come across the album in my travels.

The last time I almost bought it, it was during one of those fire-sales at GoHastings.com I think. I already had enough crap in my shopping cart, so that one got shelved. It shows up on ebay pretty cheap now and then too.

In fact, here it is on Amazon for the rock-bottom price of $.89 cents. Get it while it's luke-warm...
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Cathedral-Hollow/dp/B000005ZDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305210037&sr=1-1

Out of nowhere... NEW ALBUM JANUARY 25TH!

http://www.rockshots.eu/release/between-eternities-of-darkness/

Lari wrote:

Out of nowhere... NEW ALBUM JANUARY 25TH!

http://www.rockshots.eu/release/between-eternities-of-darkness/

Wow! Awesome.

Samples!

https://www.amazon.com/Between-Eternities-Darkness-Hollow/dp/B07L16F4GV



Sounds pretty good, although Andreas Stoltz sounds a lot like a girl here, which is odd because I never thought that before but he sounds the same. Haha.

Awesome. I am in .

Yeah, Hollow is pretty badass. Both albums are really strong.

Whoa! New album out of nowhere.

Yeah, this band was pretty good as I recall.

Eyesore wrote:

Samples!

https://www.amazon.com/Between-Eternities-Darkness-Hollow/dp/B07L16F4GV



Sounds pretty good, although Andreas Stoltz sounds a lot like a girl here, which is odd because I never thought that before but he sounds the same. Haha.

Sounds very progressive. Difficult to get a grasp of that tidbit.

As for the sound, in the early segment the vocals seem to be a bit too front. I am guessing this was not recorded with a stupendous amount of money available. So a little "imbalances" and shakiness is to be expected, even with today's digital equipment. It might also mean a dull samey sound if everything on the album is recorded in the same room with the same limited equipment, same amps, mics and setup.

But that's the world we live in. Good music doesn't get the appreciation it deserves.

I might also be wrong, and he does a great job like Arjen Lucassen does. I mean, he did take 20 years to record this album! It could be the best thing since the 90's, eh?

Lari wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

Samples!

https://www.amazon.com/Between-Eternities-Darkness-Hollow/dp/B07L16F4GV



Sounds pretty good, although Andreas Stoltz sounds a lot like a girl here, which is odd because I never thought that before but he sounds the same. Haha.

Sounds very progressive. Difficult to get a grasp of that tidbit.

As for the sound, in the early segment the vocals seem to be a bit too front. I am guessing this was not recorded with a stupendous amount of money available. So a little "imbalances" and shakiness is to be expected, even with today's digital equipment. It might also mean a dull samey sound if everything on the album is recorded in the same room with the same limited equipment, same amps, mics and setup.

But that's the world we live in. Good music doesn't get the appreciation it deserves.

I might also be wrong, and he does a great job like Arjen Lucassen does. I mean, he did take 20 years to record this album! It could be the best thing since the 90's, eh?

I can't imagine much money went into this, so you're probably close in that assessment. But good music reigns supreme. I love albums that sound like they were recorded in a dumpster or underwater, so I have a hard time complaining about production values unless they're really awful. Haha.

A review can be found here:

https://manofmuchmetal.com/2018/12/01/hollow-between-eternities-of-darkness-album-review/

I ordered it last week or so. Might arrive before Christmas.

Lari wrote:

I am guessing this was not recorded with a stupendous amount of money available.

Nothing is.

I just played it in the car today for the first time, and I liked it lots. Gave me chills to hear a new Hollow album after all these years.

Andreas Stoltz's vocals have not aged one bit, and the songs have a ton of potential.

Lari wrote:

I just played it in the car today for the first time, and I liked it lots. Gave me chills to hear a new Hollow album after all these years.

Andreas Stoltz's vocals have not aged one bit, and the songs have a ton of potential.

Yeah, it's pretty damn good. Not the biggest fan of the mix, I guess. Bit too much on the higher end, but that's fine. Just wish it had more oomph, as they say.

Eyesore wrote:

Lari wrote:

I just played it in the car today for the first time, and I liked it lots. Gave me chills to hear a new Hollow album after all these years.

Andreas Stoltz's vocals have not aged one bit, and the songs have a ton of potential.

Yeah, it's pretty damn good. Not the biggest fan of the mix, I guess. Bit too much on the higher end, but that's fine. Just wish it had more oomph, as they say.

Yeah, I just played some songs off of the two older CD's and those are much better sounding records.

There is nothing groundbreaking on this album, but the song Down has a different vibe to previous Hollow material. I like it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, what the fuck have I stumbled upon?!

So I'm listening to Modern Cathedral for the first time, meaning to only sample two or three tracks, and whaddya know the thing sucks me in for the whole ride.

I am breathless! Comparing this band to anyone else is pointless. There are so many exciting twists and turns; nothing is predictable. Cliches are exploited and turned inside-out. The music shifts like a chameleon with super-smooth fluidity. This is top-tier songwriting overflowing with dynamic interplay. Scott wasn't kidding. This dude is HOOKY.

The mix does suffer on all the albums that I've heard so far--the guitar tone leans toward processed over-fuzz and the drums tend to be thin. I AM sensitive to that kind of thing--normally it would instantly turn me off--but the writing is so damn impressive that I had no problems brushing the mix off. Equally impressive is this last album, which, according to Metal Archives, was done entirely by this Andreas Stoltz dude, save for drums.

Call me a fan. I'm going to eat this up over the next few days.

Wow, welcome to the club, corporal! An exclusive club, maybe too much so, because Hollow is great and more people should hear the music.

Lari wrote:

Wow, welcome to the club, corporal! An exclusive club, maybe too much so, because Hollow is great and more people should hear the music.

Agreed. This band (or should I say this dude?) is special. Reminds me of exploring Opeth for the first time, going down windy corridors and not knowing what insane riffage to expect next.