Review: “Burn In The Flood” by Our Hollow Our Home

The often used words “highly anticipated” rarely apply as much to any release as they do to “Burn In The Flood” by South Coast Metalcore heroes Our Hollow Our Home. It marks their third album since the colossal debut “Hartsick” in 2017 as the band have stood in defiance of the industry and remain steadfastly independent with clenched fists and open minds since they started out in 2012, establishing a cult following and touring across not only the UK but mainland Europe as well. Having listeners as far afield as Sydney and Chicago could well see them unfurl their wings during this tour cycle, should the album live up the weight of expectation that surrounds it and having a trio of guest appearances with friends made from the Impericon Never Say Die tour can only help their cause as they look to join the likes of Architects, Bury Tomorrow and While She Sleeps as established International acts.

From the very start of this album Our Hollow Our Home mean business, with a distinct sense of purpose and poignancy that runs the whole length and breadth of the record, from the orchestral and synth tinged moments of the title track to the huge, clean crisp and clear drum sound, it has an arena filling sound that sees the band crying out to play at bigger venues, upon bigger stages and in front of bigger audiences. That feeling, that sense that this is epic, continues into “Failsafe” as unclean vocalist Connor Hallisey trades parts with unclean vocalist and guitarist Tobias Young, the pair creating the perfect balance between them. While some Metalcore bands suffer from the clean chorus vs unclean verse formula, Our Hollow Our Home mix their parts up with a lot of variation, using the uncleans to finish lines, augment and underpin sections to create something fresh. Hallisey also adds his fair share of rap-screams confirming that there is so much more to his game. While Our Hollow Our Home have a beating heart of Metalcore, extremes push out and there are moments on the record, like the opening verse of “Monarch” which border on Deathcore, perhaps follow the path cut through the Urban Jungle by Crystal Lake but the clincher is that are also moments of Post-Hardcore and rich melodies within that same cut, making it both distinctive and rounded.

2019’s “In Moment // In Memory” was effectively a concept album dedicated to the emotion around the passing of vocalist and guitarist Tobias Young’s father and that ability to reach tap into that emotion is something that makes the lyrics that more gritty and gives the band that much more integrity. They have still gone through their fair of struggles and mid-album cuts “Better Daze” and “Nerv” are both evidence of that, although the message of survival is clear throughout; both cuts blending light and shade moments seamlessly. Something of a throwback cut “Overcast” has huge breakdowns with riff nods to the likes of Unearth in its swagger and that continues into “Remember Me” which has moments that are up there with the heaviest that the band have produced. Referencing the events of the Dark Souls franchise “Children of Manus” speaks of Manus the Father of the Abyss, whose story goes that upon his death, his soul shattered with several pieces becoming separate lifeforms on their own, known as Children. The cut is dark and brooding, front loaded with DJenty riffs and symphonic touches that roars along as a stand out, jaw droppingly heavier moment with atmosphere for days thanks to a chilling finale. There are a couple of minor miss-steps where less could have been more, for example the ill-advised rapping passage on “Blood” which falls short of what it could have been and stands out like a sore thumb because it doesn’t work; but saving the day with “Seven Years” is a saving grace. Our Hollow Our Home remain Kings upon these shores, it can not be long before they take over the World [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Burn In The Flood
2. Failsafe
3. In Retrospect
4. Monarch
5. Better Daze
6. Nerv (ft. Oli Duncanson of TheCityIsOurs)
7. Overcast
8. Remember Me (ft. Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake)
9. Children of Manus (ft. Lochie Keogh of Alpha Wolf)
10. Blood
11. Seven Years (Shine a Light on Me)

“Burn In The Flood” by Our Hollow Our Home is out now via Hollow Music