Tuesday, June 18, 2013

... HOLLOW LEG "Abysmal" (NEW Album review !!!)

Damn, after Shroud Eater last week, here's another burning new album coming out from Florida with Jacksonville's HOLLOW LEG return !!! 
Their debut album "Instinct" was released already two years and a half ago and there's been about as much time since the addition of Junior Bruce's members Scott (vocals) and Tom (bass) to complete the original duo consisting in Brent (guit) and Tim (drums).
This new strengthened team is now back with "Abysmal", their new album due to be released on July 30th !!!

First thing that catches immediately attention is the sound which is much much heavier, thicker and louder; I wouldn't say more refined too but rather filtered  - to keep only its heaviest and tensest substance... It seems that the bison became a mammoth - as hungry as a hyena at the gates of hell !!! 

And vocals by Scott perfectly fit with this new developed relentless tone; they are basically not far from Brent's type of screams on "Instinct", the guy has just heightened the delivery with more force, diaphragm and COMMAND... 

The opening title track sets clearly the tone of the album, a pummeling low-end attack with repetitive riff building themes, that's what you can expect from Hollow Leg, but they're never in rest of energy and fire in their sound, the variation is in the vocals, the heaviness of the guitar and some occasional bursts of dynamic radiance ! 


"8 dead (in a mobil home)" is my fave of the album, it starts in a slow droning manner and is maybe the most hammering and mesmerizing of all the tracks... The band manages to be immensely crushing with just a simple megalithic riff, harshly ominous and Scott sings a bit differently in its first part, more gravelling; I wish the solo at 04:00 was longer, just like most others, but Scott carries on with piercing screams ("preparing the ground" !) while new bassist isn't just shadowing Brent's riffs, he manages to set down some counter-riffs of his own. Tim's drumming seems a bit more pulsating, accurate on fluctuations from slow and crushing to more punchy. 

Other most memorable songs - transposing you in slow-headbanging trance - are "Pompeii" (there's a special touch to this one, hazy with a more menacing tone, like an imminent and irreversible drama was going to happen), "Ride to Ruin" with nice southern bluesy hints (not particularly present in the band's sound though) or "Cry Havoc" (the first song available on streaming for a few weeks now)... 


There's no filler here, each song will definitely tense all your muscles , this is awesomely slow-hardcorish Sludge/Doom METAL to suffer with a smile !!! Don't miss "Abysmal" next month on Last Anthem rds... 


 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hollow-Leg/128288623854274








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