Artist: Our Hollow, Our Home
Debut Album: Hartsick
Release Date: 3rd March 2017

 

Ryan Simmons

Our Hollow, Our Home, possibly one of the biggest unsigned metalcore acts in the UK right now, and they chose to be independent, the band is proud to finally present their debut full-length record “Hartsick”. We recently interviewed the band, in which they talked about their debut album as well as the band. You can find it further down this page.

The album starts with a short, ambient, yet heavy track named “The Sea Will Sleep”. Starting off with a punch this track hits hard, packed full of classic Metalcore elements familiar to any metal fan. This track definitely sets the tone for the album and shows us how Our Hollow, Our Home really deliver a fearless Metalcore attack.

The next track “Lone Shark” showcases a more melodic side to the band, beginning with a strong, catchy vocal melody, followed by beautiful lead guitars to complete the mix. The song then takes a violent turn as they return to their familiar Metalcore style, with galloping drums followed by technical riffs to satisfy your ears, this song delivers perfectly. As the song progresses their sound becomes more defined and the band begin to come into their own with a unique vocal style and innovative chorus patterns, really challenging the genre and showing just how strong this up and coming band really is. The closing sections of this song really reflect this also, emulating a mature sound, this band is not afraid to approach it’s softer side when it is really needed.

Following through with a similar sound, “Throne To The Wolves” packs a punch but with huge clean vocal melodies which really grab your attention. This is certainly one of the more emotionally charged songs on the album, giving us amazing piano sections which follow into huge lead guitars, allowing the melodic side of the band to really shine through. This song is one of my personal favourites as it is packed with such astounding vocals and melodies, it definitely has something for everyone.

 

We are then hit with one of the lead singles from the album “Worms Wood”. What more can be said about this song, packed with riffs and an unbelievable chorus, this is without a doubt one of the stand out songs on “Hartsick”. It really showcases how this band can reach out to their audience, providing us with a classic Metalcore and then quickly throwing us back into the defined Our Hollow, Our Home sound of big soaring vocals and melodic guitars.

 

The next three tracks “Hartsick”, “Feast For The Crows” and “Karmadillo” are hard-hitting Metalcore anthems. These songs are not for the faint-hearted, delivering a brutal and punishing attack at every turn without fail. This marking the halfway point for the album, we begin to realise that “Hartsick” is an incredible feat for a young and newly established metal band. Not many bands could create a unique and defined sound within the genre like Our Hollow, Our Home have achieved with “Hartsick”. Not only this but they maintain consistency throughout their songwriting, showing that they are willing to step out of the usual circle which the genre of Metalcore is often associated with.

 

As we enter the second half of the album, we are faced with the short beautiful and epic track “The Wild Will Wait”. This is more of an interlude to the album, breaking up the constant attack allowing the listener some time to breathe and take in some of the astounding guitar tones and melodies without the vocals to mask them.

Shortly after this our ears are fueled with the powerful sound of “Pride: Lieoness” and “Pride: Of Might And Mane”. These two tracks really contrast each other, the first showing us a completely new side to the band which is much softer than what we have previously heard so far and the second a more familiar sound but with more technical rhythms than anywhere else on the album. Both songs are a nice new addition to the defined sound of the band, allowing them to experiment a little with their honed in sound.

The album comes to a close with the final three tracks “Web Weaver”, “The Forest Will Fall” and “Fox Blood”. These songs really round off the album with the familiar style and sound of the band. The track “The Forest Will Fall” acts as a catalyst for the final song “Fox Blood” allowing the album to end with a huge bang. The dramatic build up of the tracks leads perfectly into the punishing Metalcore attack of the final track. We are certainly left picking our jaws up off the floor once this album ends with a breakdown, it hits you where it hurts but is layered with a breathtaking orchestral melody. Again, this is the final reminder of the unique approach this young band has to what is now, such a familiar genre.

Overall Our Hollow, Our Home have delivered an astounding piece with “Hartsick”. This is certainly a band to watch over the coming months as their unique approach to the genre makes them instantly recognisable and their songs consistently deliver something perfect for every listener. Although this is an up and coming band do not take this lightly, Our Hollow, Our Home have reached far beyond the horizons of most modern Metalcore acts of this era with “Hartsick”. I would describe the album as a statement to the genre and a huge asset to Metal.

Track List:
1. The Sea Will Sleep
2. Lone Shark
3. Throne To The Wolves
4. Worms Wood
5. Hartsick
6. Feast For The Crows
7. Karmadillo
8. The Wild Will Wait
9. Pride: Lioness
10. Pride: Of Might And Mane
11. Web Weaver
12. The Forest Will Fall
13. Fox Blood
14. Throne To The Wolves Acoustic (Bonus Track)
*For fans of: A Day To Remember, Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive

 

Teri Morris

Even with short notice, Connor (Vocals), Tobias (Guitar/Vocals/Programming) and Josh (Guitar) from the band kindly took some time out of their busy schedule to be interviewed by me. Here it is;

Hello, Our Hollow, Our Home!

Hey, what’s good Music Matters!

Thank you for accepting our interview today.

Not a problem, thank you for having us for the interview.

You must be excited about your debut album release.

Connor:  We could not be more excited! As cliché as it sounds, we have truly put so much blood sweat and tears into this record to make it the best it can be, so that our first full length is a project that we ourselves can be proud of, but more importantly is the album that we believe our fans deserve, and at the same time showcases what we are about to new audiences the best way possible. 

Awesome! I believe “Feast For The Crows” was released in November 2015. The song received great responses. Did you expect this?

Connor: Yes that’s true, and to be honest we didn’t really know what to expect! As it was our first release since our debut EP “//Redefine”, we had no idea what reaction the track would get. But the positive feedback we received was absolutely incredible, we have some amazing fans and we can’t put into words how much we appreciate the support they give us.

Since then, you released 3 more tracks “Throne To The Wolves”, “Worms Wood” and most recently “Karmadillo”, they are all included in your debut album. When did you decide to make the album Hartsick?

Tobias: The whole concept for ‘HARTSICK’ came about fairly early in the writing process, however it was initially intended to be a 6 track EP. We had “Crows & Wolves” recorded from the single sessions and were looking to rerecord them along with a further four songs. It quickly became apparent to us that we had, what we considered, too many solid tracks, and rather than split it up into two EPs, to actually just roll other whole process into one. The underlying concept between the songs was an idea Connor and myself came up with when we renamed “Feast Fort The Crows” as its working title was intact “The Ishita Sink” which is an area on game Destiny!

Oh I see. Haha I know you love games! Could tell us about the journey of making Hartsick?

Tobias: For me, its been the most exhilarating, frighting and most of all enjoyable thing we have ever done as a band. It was a long hard road, and it took a long time to get everything exactly as we wanted it. Every aspect of the record, from the way it sounds, to the artwork, to the musics videos that have gone along side it all tie in together, and that’s something we always saw in the grand vision we had for our debut album. 

Great to hear. Were all the songs already written when you decided to make an album?

Tobias: Not all of them no, we had about 65% of the record written when Mike, our manager and myself first had the discussion of perhaps doing an album instead of the EP we had originally planned. Once we took the idea to the rest of the band, the rest of the songs came together fairly quickly.

Do all the songs on Hartsick contribute to making one story, or a message if you like, throughout the album?

Tobias: Yes and no, there is a huge theme that runs through the record, but each song means something very different to us. Connor and myself always write our lyrics to be interpreted by the listener, but you will find that parts of some songs…. might just reference others!

Okay. It will be interesting to find out what all listeners think! Could you explain about Hartsick a little more?

Tobias: Fundamentally, it’s what we feel “Our Hollow Our Home” is in its finest form to date, id erg you all to take a listen and experience it for yourselves. I know I speak for everyone when I tell you that we are all immensely proud of it.

For sure! Do you have a favourite track or favourite part of the album? I love the third quarter section especially.

Josh: That’s a really tough one to answer, for all of us! For me, my favourite tracks change almost weekly. I think I’ve thought each track was my favourite at one point or another!

Yeah, hard to pick one!
Going to some random questions now! 

Connor: That’s cool!

Could you tell us how you all met up and became a band?

Connor: Well originally we were just five guys from varying backgrounds and situations who all shared a similar passion and goal to create heavy music that we wanted to listened to. The line up has seen a couple of minor changes, but the original reasoning behind the band’s formation still remains and we still strive to complete that goal to this day!

Fantastic! Who are your influences? Does everyone in the band listen to similar music?

Connor: We all listen to a pretty wide range of music and draw influence from multiple genres and artists that in turn help us define our sound further, but we all of our music tastes do vary quite a bit haha! Overall the music we jam in the van when we are on tour can range from hip hop to metal, to power ballads and even straight up pop music!

That’s great! How did you decide on Our Hollow, Our Home as your band name?

Connor: The name of the band came into being from the situation we felt we were in at the time of it being formed… not being able to break out of our local scene, our ‘hollow’ as it were, and we decided that no matter what, we would make the best of that situation when we formed from the remnants of several local bands, starting over and going harder than we ever had before, making that ‘hollow’ situation ‘our home’. I believe it was Toby who was the first person to suggest the name!

I see. It’s an unique name, it’s working! How do you normally go about writing your songs?

Tobias: It’s just sort of happens to be honest. I’m the primary song writer, I’ll come up with the first 90 seconds or so of music, and put it to the rest of the guys, ask for some input and the go back to it. Songs like “Pride: Lieoness” was wrapped up in 48 hours from the initial clip I sent to the finished pre-production version, where as we were a little stuck with where to go with the second half of “Feast For The Crows” which ended up taking around 2 months to finish!

That is interesting! You are based in Southampton. Could you tell us what the music scene is like down there?

Josh: Pretty damn rad. We’ve got so many awesome venues here, and tons of decent local talent. We are proud to say that we are from Southampton. It’s definitely shaped this band and many others. I don’t think you’d have even half the bands in Southampton if you didn’t venues like The Joiners or The Talking Heads. The Joiners especially has given us, and so many more, a platform for our music, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Massive love to Pat and Ricky.

Nice. Well, I heard about your UK tour to support the album release in March, then the hometown show in early April. You are probably thrilled as much as the fans are!

Connor: Definitely! We couldn’t be more excited to be hitting the UK hard with Sworn Amongst this March in support of the album. We are playing a fair few places we have never done before, so we can’t wait to see some new faces in the crowd and spread the word of Hartsick around the country!

I’m excited for you too! You have fans all over the world. Are you planning to tour abroad this year?

Connor: The responses and support we receive on a daily basis from our fans is nothing short of humbling, and to be getting it from fans overseas is just so awesome. We hope to one day play to anyone and everyone that digs what we do, and hopefully the release of the album will give us the ability to tour countries and places we have never visited before. That’s our ultimate goal to be honest! We will definitely be seeing a lot more of Europe this year, so keep your eyes peeled for more tour announcements.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Josh: Can you give us a definitive date for the release of Rick & Morty season 3?

Haha my answer is no!

Josh: No? We thought so…. 
In all seriousness though, we will be touring this album till everyone has heard it! We won’t stop, until we physically can’t go on any longer!

Thank you very much for your time! And good luck!

To find out more about Our Hollow, Our Home, visit their sites using the links below;

Official Website: http://www.ourhollowourhome.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ourhollowourhome
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourhollowourhomeuk/
iTunes: https://itun.es/gb/nExc5
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zrSK4adBQJaCJuhGNKJEl
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OurHollowOurHome