ALBUM REVIEW: The Price Of Dreaming – Hollow Front
There’s a certain, intangible sadness to The Price Of Dreaming. The latest album from Grand Rapids sluggers HOLLOW FRONT is metalcore at its most earnest. Even when you can’t decipher the lyrics, there’s a wealth of emotion that screams bitterness and heartbreak. It makes the album a gut-wrenching listen, but it is a good one nonetheless. And the openness and fragility are just enough to make it stand apart from legions of identikit bands.
Make no mistake; while they might bring a hefty dose of chug to the breakdown party, HOLLOW FRONT aren’t your typical mosh band. There’s a keen melodic edge underpinning everything and there are more synths on this album than TERROR have heard in their lives. There are spoken word parts that owe a debt to the original 1980s emo scene, plus grandiose choruses and guitar lines that might as well come with their own tear ducts. KNOCKED LOOSE, this ain’t.
However, HOLLOW FRONT are very good at taking metalcore to soaring heights and shattering your heart into pieces at the same time. These songs are made for bellowing out while crowd-surfing and providing catharsis during your first teenage break-up. The title track for instance has a hook as good as any you’ll hear from a 21st-century metalcore band, while Comatose manages to mix intense fury with a rich, all-enveloping chorus.
Self Sabotage is another early highlight; it starts with a riff that could have been lifted from the Stranger Things opening titles, then escalates into a scintillating four minutes built around a massive vocal line. It’s paired nicely with Thick As Blood, a lung-bursting four and a half minutes of raw, emotive pain with some understated guitar work and the gnarliest breakdown on the record.
Best of the bunch though is Treading Water (which has the added bonus of a music video that resembles a mini action movie). This one is reminiscent of early 00s POISON THE WELL, but with a glossy, modern sheen. It’s fast, hard-hitting and likely to be a fan favourite before the summer ends.
HOLLOW FRONT certainly have some big guns in their arsenal, but there are a couple of flops that stop The Price Of Dreaming from getting our full recommendation. Better Off for instance just doesn’t gel. It’s a screaming cry of agony, but the lyrics are a bit hackneyed and it accidentally sounds like it’s wrapped up in its own self-importance. The album starts to become formulaic in the second half too; there’s a formidable closing duo in the shape of Heritage and Running Away, but there are a few placeholders along the way too. Two Worlds Away for instance is a derivative ballad that’s only one harsh vocal away from being a BTS song.
For the most part though, HOLLOW FRONT do a grand job on their third full-length. They’ve come on leaps and bounds from their scrappy early days and their heart on sleeve approach is very endearing. The Price Of Dreaming isn’t a runaway success, but it hits more than it misses and should earn them a lot of new friends.
Rating: 7/10
The Price Of Dreaming is set for release on May 27th via UNFD.
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