Seasons Hollow are currently a small band looking to create a big impact. The five-piece that call Hereford their home have been working away and recently released the efforts of that work the form of the four-track EP, To Suffocate Silence.
The list themselves in the hard rock/metal genre, and with the opening track ‘Last Confession’ they definitely fit the role, nothing over-complicates its role, controlled and intelligent use of playing as well as silence in the form of chuggy riffs through both guitars and bass, a steady and solid drum beat with nice swells leading to the chorus, and a voice perfectly matched to give that rock vibe. Nothing is over played nor does it dwindle off showing great musicianship between members. Following up is ‘Broken’, a much more open sounding track, the leads could do with being brought forward in the mix a little to give it a bit more presence, but the crunch is solid with some great hooks in the build up to a no doubt crowd-pleasing chorus live, it’s one I expect an audience of fans to be singing back louder than the vocalist.
The mix of the EP does need a little more power behind it, everything seems to be a little flattened which makes it feel like something is taken away, almost like a blunt knife, it just doesn’t quite have that edge that it should. ‘I Was Blind’ seems to really take that into its favour though being a softer track. It plays great and showcases their talents well. Bringing the EP to a close is ‘Song 7’ , taking the badge for the longest track on the release, it also brings them more into the metal side of the band, some great attacking ideas from all here without an over-reliance on constant double pedal use or guitar work. It does bring something more guttural vocally, and it also brings a guitar solo to the table, neither of which take anything away from the song either which is great to hear after not having any of it in the previous three tracks.
Overall they wouldn’t usually be my sort of thing, and the mix is a little dull for me, but then for a band that is unsigned and without previous releases as a unit, they’ve done a good job. Seasons Hollow are a solid, cohesive band together and their talents aren’t wasted on each other, with any luck To Suffocate Silence will have enough in it for them to get picked up and give them enough to get a follow-up release that will sharpen that knifes edge the band deserves to have. In saying that, I do have no doubt that in a live show, that knifes edge is more than sharp enough!
