Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Crisis - The Hollowing (1997)
After finding out that today (as of this review) is the 25th anniversary of two obscure yet relevant Revolution releases with one of them being that Damaged album I've reviewed, here's the other release, Crisis' The Hollowing! Their fanbase is divided by female vocalist Karyn Crisis. She can go all over over the place with her vocal range, from operatic highs to tough rasps to brutal death growls. Add in some pig-squealing and this album would be in deathcore territory, though fortunately that's not the case.
Her voice is a d*mn essential element for Crisis that helped them stand out, but what about the other aspects? The lyrics are written in multiple perspectives guided by her vocals. As for the music, f***ing h*ll, this is more than just metalcore! It's mixed with the sludge metal that you might find in bands like Eyehategod, along with pieces of thrash/death/doom/hard rock here and there. All of this has shown the band at its best; not too accessible, yet not too repetitive or bizarre. And it's a great step up in my ongoing metalcore search, despite not having this band in plan before finding this release in the Anniversaries page.
First track "Mechanical Man" opens the heaviness for business, a fast kick-A standout! "In the Shadow of the Sun" almost has the melodic death-doom vibe of Insomnium, while mainly standing by the sludge metalcore sound. Same thing for "Fires of Sorrow", though more sinister. "The Vision and the Verity" has good lyrics, "I cut out my heart, just the other day, held it in my hand, said it doesn't work that well anyway". See, nothing gory or satanic, despite what outsiders might believe. There's also cool guitar here.
One of the best songs here, "Kingdom's End" is amazing, especially the one-minute outro. Cool guitar distortion interplaying with the vocals repeating a f***ing brilliant lyric, "when this chemical lung gives out, I'll be living at my body's mercy". After that is the soothing intermission, "After the Flood", with construction-like background sounds. "Sleeping the Wicked" has helped put the band neck in neck with Candiria as the most experimental standard metalcore band of the late 90s. But if you think the band sounds awesome there, check out the next track...
"Surviving the Siren" is the greatest of the bunch, with every one of Karyn's vocal styles here; operatic singing, monstrous growling, and banshee-like shrieking. The lyrics seem to twist around The Odyssey, specifically the part with the sirens, in which lust can lead to doom. The drumming gets crazier and descends into chaos as the song progresses, and the only light in the darkness is the beautiful chorus sung by Karyn. You really gotta stick around for that song and have it stick to you! "Take the Low Road" is the last total highlight, having solid death/thrash elements, especially in the drumming. Another underrated track! "Discipline of Degradation" continues the slow metalcore sound similar to the more groove-ish side of Earth Crisis. "Come to Light" is the instrumental finale, then it's followed by a pointless hidden track of studio outtakes.
All in all, I say the only reason this band had a bad rep is because of those 80s metal/grind purists out there. Don't believe them! The Hollowing is filled with great music and evocative atmosphere. Karyn Crisis can almost surpass Julie Christmas as the best female vocalist in the heavier side of metal!
Favorites: "Mechanical Man", "In the Shadow of the Sun", "Kingdom's End", "Sleeping the Wicked", "Surviving the Siren", "Take the Low Road"