Hollow Earth

We Are Not Humanity EP

Written by: PP on 13/06/2012 03:48:39

Hollow Earth is a hardcore/ambient metalcore hybrid from Detroit that features Mike Moynihan, the current lead vocalist for Shai Hulud on vocals as well as two touring members of the pioneering hardcore/metalcore hybrid from the 90s. I say current because that position in the band has always been a revolving door, but either way, that's sure to draw some attention to the band straight from the get go. Indeed, they only formed in November 2011, but have already signed to Panic Records and have put together a six rack EP "We Are Not Humanity", which predictably sounds a lot like Shai Hulud's material given its variation from slow and ambient metalcore to piercing riffs and aggressive barks on the faster tracks, while also borrowing stuff from Architects, Turmoil, and perhaps also Buried Alive in the process.

At first, the band sounds like your average generic metalcore/hardcore hybrid, especially on the first two tracks of the record, which offer nothing but monotonous screaming and slightly ambience-driven guitars. But they get better by the song, and once they reach the final combination of "On The Precipe" and "The Great Remembering", that's where the band's true strength lies. The former is a frenetic hardcore assault that hits you like a brick wall much in the same way as the opening track from Shai Hulud's "Misanthropy Pure", whereas the second is a mid tempo onslaught where the band slowly constructs an ambitious and epic-sounding barrage of hardcore riffs and bleak, gloomy melody supporting the harsh screams. This is where the band are at their best, but to be frank, with only two stand out tracks on the EP, it's difficult to rate them higher than just barely over average, because essentially that's what the rest of the tracks are: part of the grey, faceless mass within hardcore.

Download: On The Precipice, The Great Remembering
For the fans of: Architects, Shai Hulud, Turmoil, Buried Alive
Listen: Bandcamp

Release date 17.04.2012
Panic Records

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