Southampton’s finest melodic metalcore crew are finally back with their third full length studio album titled ‘Burn in the Flood’ which is due to be released via their very own record label //Hollow Music on May 28th, 2021. With their successful two previous albums, their debut ‘Hartsick’ and their sophomore ‘In Moment // In Memory’, they sure have made their mark in the UK melodic metalcore scene, so I am very excited to give this a spin. I was lucky enough to have a chat with the guys in Our Hollow, Our Home too, take a look at what they had to say here.
Title track and first single “Burn in the Flood” gave us our first taste of new OH,OH back in 2020. The track takes it’s course in true Our Hollow, Our Home fashion with a blistering roar from lead vocalist Connor Hallisey screaming, “GET UP!” which then follows suit in the form of some perfectly fitting melodic cleans from Tobias Young.
The band stated that “Whilst there is an overarching theme of being caught or trapped within your own emotions, on this record – rather than delving into a deep constructive narrative – we wanted to focus on letting each song have its own time in the spotlight, and have each tell its own story. Every time we start writing, we push ourselves harder than ever before, and all truly believe this is our strongest collection of songs to date.
The last year has been tough for everyone, but through all the hardships thrown at us, especially as touring musicians, we dug deep and ended up finding some of the rawest, most open & honest material we’ve ever written. This album was made entirely for our fans. They are a huge inspiration to us and this record has been brought to life by our literal blood, sweat and tears during a time where we honestly didn’t know if the world would even allow us to carry on doing what we love so dearly!
It’s a project which documents our personal growth and the genuine struggles faced in our daily lives, and we wear our hearts on our sleeves from beginning to end.” That being said, tracks like “In Retrospect” and “Nerv” featuring the very talented Oli Duncanson, the new vocalist for THECITYISOURS are great ambassadors for the fact stated by the band that each song has its own story and they wanted to let each track have its own spotlight. On one end of the scale you have “In Retrospect“ which is a melodic tale of what seems to me as regret for something, whereas “Nerv” to me, tells a story of lies, deception and anger.
Lyrically and production wise on this record, it is clear to see why these guys are where they are now and would go as far as saying they are one of the best melodic metalcore bands ever.
My favourite track on the album is “Blood” just for its sheer experimentation and OH,OH switching up and experimenting with different sounds, and this really works for me. I feel like if a band can branch out of their comfort zone, they are progressing as a band, and challenging themselves artistically which is a big thumbs up from me. They experiment with electronics in this one, which then leads into a more ballad-centric. I love the added synths sounds they experiment with and feel like this track might be almost a closure track for Tobias’ late fathers passing that Our Hollows sophomore album ‘In Moment // In Memory’ was dedicated to. I felt every emotion that was in that track, every lyric hit me hard.
As discussed in my last paragraph, “Remember Me” to me feels like it could also be another dedication to Young’s late father. The lyrics “I just need to know you’re still with me // cause I couldn’t bear to let you go // time is short and life is oh so fleeting // and in the end, we’re all just dust and whispers in the wind” tells its own story which is what the band have stated they wanted to do with this album, rather than just focusing on one subject, and running through its course. Ryo Kinoshita, best known for being the lead vocalist in Crystal Lake, is a perfect addition to this track. He builds to the aggression and passion that I feel this track needs. He also builds us up to the breakdown so subtly, Ryo and Connor bounces off each other and make for a great team.
Tracks like “Failsafe“, “Monarch” and “Overcast” are typical Our Hollow, Our Home tracks with the formula of fast-paced, high energy with bone-warping grooves, calming cleans, beefy screams and some dirty breakdowns which is the basic equation for a Our Hollow, Our Home track.
Closing track “Seven Years (Shine A Light On Me)” is a fantastic closer on this magnificent emotional rollercoaster of an album. The track starts with some of the most brutal vocal deliveries of the album, where Hallisey absolutely nails it, battling with Young bouncing off of each other. Playing this one live will be a crowd pleaser, 100%. The crowd will probably be given the opportunity to participate in the “whoa ohs“, however at the other end of the scale, I can see this track having one of the biggest pits and I will be there, waiting for it!
In conclusion, this is a stellar effort from the Southampton’s finest (and one of the best) metalcore outfits in the scene right now. The production is on point and considering this is their third offering that they have done entirely DIY, from the song-writing, producing, mixing and recording, they know exactly what they’re doing! The talent that this band possesses is phenomenal, and I can’t wait to finally see them again in September. These boys will be selling out arenas in no time.
You can pre-order the album here which is set for release on May 28th, 2021 through //Hollow Music.
9/10