Album/EP

Hauntologist - Hollow (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Jan 12, 2024

7 min read

Hauntologist – Hollow
Released: January 9, 2024

Lineup

The Fall // vocals, guitar, bass, keys
Darkside // drums

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Artists embarking on their inaugural studio endeavour are not commonly associated with traits such as ‘innovative’ and ‘self-assured.’ So, by this very token, Poland’s Hauntologist cannot be considered your typical extreme metal act. To weave together such stylistically disparate ideas as Hauntologist does on Hollow demands not just audacity, but an ingenious touch. It seems almost paradoxical that they manage to achieve such a cohesive sound from elements that, on the surface, are so stylistically at odds; but that is exactly why Hollow deserves your attention.

With a lo-fi sound that is deeply rooted in themes of melancholy and hopelessness, Hollow embodies these concepts in a way that induces poignant feelings of anxiety and paranoia. Whilst quintessentially a black metal record, ‘Ozymandian’ and ‘Golem’ draw extensively from ambient music, featuring expansive, textured soundscapes that are more concerned with cultivating atmosphere, than presenting memorable riffs.

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On Hollow’s most experimental moments, Hauntologist venture into noise music (see ‘Waves of Concrete’; an eerie interlude structured around a voice recording), and post-metal (with dense layers of expressive guitar on ‘Deathdreamer’). There are even traces of folk-influenced, alternative rock (particularly the wistful melodies prominent on the title track, and ‘Gardermoen’).

Hollow concludes on an ambiguous note; the final track, ‘Car Kruków’ offers little in the way of reassurance or finality. Perhaps that inherent mystery is the very allure that draws you in to replay it all from the beginning, driven by a need to decipher and make sense of it all.

Immerse yourself in the experimental enigma that is Hauntologist’s debut album, Hollow.