The Hollow Men - Throne
Something so similar surrounds this opening bass & drum beat, as the guitar floats in and the words are released it brings me back to the early days in the '90's. One of my favorite times in music. Euphoria starts the release off, and you would be hard pressed not to think it could be a long lost recording from the "grunge" days, like I've heard them before beside an Alice In Chains or a Helmet. Is this a good thing, you bet, two of the better bands from that period.
They pick it up more with Top of the Food Chain, with its smooth guitar-bass mixture, the vocalist pipes, on this song is great, a perfect match for the grind that the song builds through its, almost 6 mins. It's always nice to hear a heavy band with good clean vocals, with solid melodies. It just keeps getting better with Out in the Cold, another heavy grungy song, crunchy catchy cosmic bliss, this baby is one meant for the good old days when people would watch videos on TV to catch the next great up and coming band (no not the Justin Beiber kind either..). I'm not sure if this is The Hollow Men's goal, but I could certainly picture this song getting radio play.
Although Throne may be their "popiest" number, it's certainly not a pop song. With a touch of Screaming Trees (another top band I like), this song just rolls along at a certain slick pace, a groove that doesn't stop. It majestically had me hooked in, head bobbing, and knee bouncing. Another beauty by them. Soldier has a killer riff, it drags you in, and does not let go, and you can't help but feel like you want this song to go on & on. The drums compliment this song so well, allowing the bass & guitar to rip it up, yet keep it structured perfectly. I hear abit of Eddie Vedder in the singing, which compliments this song even more.
This Is Not A Love Song is a straight up balls to the wall rocker. Straight to your heart, it's 2 mins of pure punk power. We end it off with Bleed. Another poppier number, although it's far from being a pop song. I'm almost at a loss to describe it; it's got such a nice roll to it, rocking, yet mellow in its delivery. The singing once again is exceptional, although I'm not sure who is singing here (as both the guitarist & drummer are listed as vocalists).
All in all this is a great release. I was very much surprised how the production, the songs, the lyrics were all well thought out. I'm not sure how well they go over in the Netherlands, but these guys have a great future ahead of them. Although I know it's not every bands dream to get "huge" these guys certainly have the potential. They show no weakness in anything they do on this record. If you're a fan of Alice In Chains, Helmet, Screaming Trees etc... you would do no wrong getting this, and make no mistake, they certainly are not ripping these bands off; they are just building on what these bands left behind.
by William Bissonette
Myspace
Website
Track List
01 Euphoria
02 Top Of The Food Chain
03 Out In The Cold
04 Throne
05 Soldier
06 This Is Not A Love Song
07 Bleeding
