Hollow Earth- We Are Not Humanity tape review

Hollow Earth- We Are Not Humanity tape review

Heavy metal-tinged hardcore not unlike Shai Hulud or maybe a less brutal Earthmover (and with a higher-pitched singer, though that’s an advantage here), Hollow Earth’s first record starts off with a clean, menacing guitar piece that transitions well into the first song, which has metallic riffs played over mid-tempo 90s hardcore with somewhat fast drumming.  The shrill sounds and sharp words from singer Steve are features setting the band just a little apart from their contemporaries- the angry yet soft sound not fully dominated by self-loathing or hatred, but instead on intelligent critique is the distinctive beacon the band has.  They make use of the two-guitar setup that is often merely two rhythm guitars layered one over the other; here, there are a couple of non-dominant but present lead breaks in addition to the traditional chugging chords of hardcore.  The lyrics largely focus on a thoughtful, albeit disparaging analysis of humanity as a destructive species, which are higher echelon than the average band.  The first four songs (The Great Forgetting and On the Bounty of Gods are sort of one song) are distinguishable, but still seem homogenous when divided up- in other words, it sounds like a single piece composed of several parts rather than several different, non-related songs- the last song, however, is separate, seeming to serve as the epilogue to the story being told, and is also notably much slower-paced; it is here that the band’s record title is uttered repeatedly “we are not humanity”.  The riff that began the record also seems to play it out- everything comes full circle.
All in all, I’ve never been that into metallic hardcore, but this is pretty instrumentally sound, insightful, and tight record with an overall good story.  Definitely one of the better bands doing this sort of style right now.

Post-review note about the tape release of this record: the packaging is good, the songs are actually listed on the tape as well as the back, but there are no lyric sheets.  I can’t stress the importance of lyric sheets in any band’s release enough- it’s important to know what the band is actually singing about without having to discern the notoriously cacophonous vocals that anything related to punk has.

-Aunty Social

Freedom, Grizzlies, Discourse, Hollow Earth, Sawchuk, and From Hell at the Halfway House, March 7th show review

Show review:  Freedom, Grizzlies, Discourse, Hollow Earth, Sawchuk, and From Hell at the Halfway House, March 7^th, 2012

This was a show to which not attending seemed to be an inconsiderable option- four bands that I was seeing live for the first time, one that I hadn’t seen in about a year and a half, and one that almost always rips, all playing at a gnarly new DIY venue, on a fuckin’ Wednesday!  How could a practicing punk possibly refuse such a show?

My investment turned out to be well worth it; I arrived early, welcomed by a group of younger dudes who dug what I was doing (with the fanzine).  I always get a feeling that what I’m doing is worth the time and effort when people express interest and a desire to participate, and I certainly got that vibe from this small group of folks.  So, I entered the house, high on life and quite a bit of caffeine (source- Mountain Dew), read for what this place had to offer.  People began to pile in as the first band warmed up…

Freedom turned up their amps and blasted out a quick, energetic set of less-than-a-minute songs, one after another.  Armed with a few originals and a couple of covers, the set (though it was over in about ten minutes) lacked no energy in that short span of time.  Aiming for United Blood-era Agnostic Front and Straight Ahead styles of hardcore, these guys have a lot of potential, and this was only their second show!  Think a mix of the two aforementioned bands, and you have Freedom, proud Detroit straight-edge in-your-face youth crew.

Next was another new-ish band called Grizzlies.  These dudes played heavy, chugging hardcore that a few bands of today have been taking up- bands like Harm’s Way, War Hound, the Mongoloids, Take Offense… and it’s not entirely a bad thing.  The band is still in its formative stages, making its own niche of what that band exactly is.  Not my usual sort of jam, but they did a pretty cool Weekend Nachos cover, so I have hope.

Following that was group of touring dudes Discourse.  Having heard the demo, I had mixed feelings on how these guys would do- it was just alright, so would they be just alright live too?  Nope- they killed it, and brought an interesting sound to the table:  Youth crew, but downtuned, dark, and not lacking in speed; perhaps a more succinct description would be Skitsystem meets Bold, or Straight Ahead meets Gasmask Terror.  On top of being a genre that isn’t played out yet, the set just ripped.  What they lacked in the demo, they showed in their live performance.  The band was gnarly as fuck- I’ll be listening for these guys as they progress, and potentially release a 7”.

Next was the first touring band from Detroit, preparing for a sweet two and a half week tour, Hollow Earth.  Though somewhat of a new band, they were already loaded with fresh songs, and were picked up by Panic Records very swiftly.  This style of hardcore that Hollow Earth plays is somewhat new; the likes of Great Reversals and (to a much lesser extent) Fisherking have started playing it here in Michigan, but the melodic hardcore with generalized lyrics about the world ending (in a non-crusty way) has not taken off much.  However, this set was impassioned, if not energetic.  Not a bad band- I’ll be on the lookout.

The second band from Detroit about to set out for a tour was Sawchuk.  I had seen these guys before at the Bohemian House (R.I.P. sorta) in 2010, but after a somewhat lengthy hiatus and some band and member retooling, the band changed and improved their sound, now sporting a 90s hardcore vibe.  Also, the band came with a few 7” EPs for sale, something that they had trouble with before (that is, having merch).  The band powered through an anthemic, slow/ fast alternating speed sound, and to much crowd avail; many people in the room (basement) knew the words to the songs, and one guy, clad in cubicle work-wear, was copy room moshing, grinding his fax off- awesome.  For a band that prefers breakdowns to breakneck speed, these guys ripped.  I would have preferred a Bob Probert or Gordie Howe reference for a band name, but Sawchuk was a killer goalie too.

Closing was From Hell.  What’s odd about these guys is that they are good live, but the demo they’ve got (from 2010) is very “meh”.  Heavy, hard, and dingy, they’ve got a formula for success, and they showed their strong suit here; hopefully they can churn out a record that suits their live presence- Southern Lord, Halo Of Flies, Rodent Popsicle, Overdose On, Hell City, Deer Healer, IFB… they’re worth a 7” investment.

This was a great show, a fun place to hang out at, and I can safely say that THIS is the place to book for Detroit DIY shows, along with the CAID, the Bearcave, the MUG, and Refuge (Dearborn is close enough).  We’re on our way back up!

-Aunty Social