Review by Nina Schirmer
With their debut album Lionheart, it is clear that Hollow Bones are set to accomplish greatness. With a mix of melodic metalcore and hardcore, the short nine track album is a powerful and passionate release, intensified by its vocal work and heavy breakdowns.
The first song on the album, “Wandering Sparrow” kicks things off with a build up to intense vocals leading to some breakdowns, but ending on a softer more melodic sound which then leads into a more intense track, “The November Diaries.” The melodic guitars throughout the song compliment the intense vocals really well as they flow back and forth between the softer parts of the song to the heavy breakdowns and fierce vocals. The ending of the song is very impressive with the band’s guitarist and clean vocalist, Sharon Malfesi adding in some screaming vocals, giving Hollow Bones a really unique sound because of the unfortunate lack of female vocalists in the hardcore scene.
On the third track, “Lionheart, Execution,” really powerful clean vocals help set the song apart, mixing very well with the lead screaming vocals. What really stands out about the next track, “Altruistic Lung” is the passion that you hear through lead vocalist, Patrick Anthony and how his vocals intensify throughout the song.
The fifth track on the album, “Drytooth” is very heavy and a more emotional song. Lyrically, the song is about losing someone you love and how the pain of their death lingers on and is nearly impossible to escape. The album then transitions to “I Watched the Snow Fall and Bury Your Bones” which highlights some of the more melodic sounds the band intertwines with their music.
The album then moves through to “Lionheart, Sonder” starting off with the strong lyrics, “Where do I find the strength to live in this world?” – a question many people can find themselves asking during a difficult time. The next song “Wolfcrone” starts out with a striking and softer sound similar to what a newer Bring Me The Horizon song might sound like, but it then transitions quickly back to their hardcore sound.
The song “A Murder of Crows” ends Lionheart in a very intense way with multiple breakdowns and powerful vocals. All of the hard work and dedication that was put into this album definitely paid off. The talent of Hollow Bones really shines on Lionheart, paving the way for a really bright future.
Rating: 4.5/5
Listen to “The November Diaries”
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