THE HOLLOW MEN (Food Chain) CD
The Hollow Men are three Dutch guys who deliver a mixture of different Rock styles that make me think of the 90s immediately. That is mostly because of the vocals that remind me of a few singers from some so-called Alternative Rock bands. That might sounds worse than it really is. The vocals are deep and warm and fit in very well with the sound of the trio. Sure there are some hints of Grunge in The Hollow Men’s music but mostly it is rock in quite a few different ways. For example there is some Stoner-kind of stuff. The guys do not deliver such a thick sound as, for example, Kyuss used to do, but still there is a certain relaxed vibe in songs like 'Top Of The Food Chain' or 'Euphoria'. The prominent bass sound and the crunchy guitar is something I really dig.
'Out In The Cold' sees a change of the vocal style. I am not really sure if it's guitarist Remko or drummer Martin or if it is the other way round. Well anyway, with the new vocals, the overall vibe of the song is different. Actually the band does not change too much of the riffs but this one has a nice southern rocking vibe to it and I really like this side of the band. With 'Throne' the memories of 90s rock returns heavily most probably due to the vocal lines and somehow that song really does not hit with me though it could be a hit. But with 'Soldier', heavy riffing sets in that is so good that it makes me forget the previous song, while the vocal harmonies and the bass-only part ensure variety. But then 'This Is Not A Love Song' sets in and the vibe changes again. This one has a big time punk edge, a certain amount of happiness and unleashes more memories of the 90s. Maybe these guys grew up with Bad Religion? The last track is called 'Bleeding' and is more Americana kind of stuff, reminding slightly of some of Rich Hopkins’ work. The song itself is pretty damn cool. But when I look at the CD in it is entirety I cannot help but wonder what this is. I am the last man to condemn diversity on an album but the way The Hollow Men try to deliver diversity puzzles me a bit. Nevertheless I can say that songs like 'Bleeding' or 'Out In The Cold' are damn cool and worth checking out.
(Thorsten Frahling)