Pecks, picks and transports basins and concrete tiles. Being a typical idiom for pure awesomeness only this can describe HolloW‘s new album Mordrake.
In order to enjoy this sinister masterpiece one needs imagination. And to complete my image of a psychotherapist – or just a psycho, depending on the point of view, I suggest you leave an hour-hour and a half of your time and drown yourselves in the atmosphere. Best while alone.

I’m zombified from the very begining. Lament Configuration is a dark symphony, in it are entwined two of my favourite types of vocals – choral and harsh. As mucha as worn out this combination may seem, in the opening song it’s somehow reborn. Not to mention the melody. Cryptic Howling, a rapid piece, with the same luck could have been called ‘Fast and furious’. Then again, those must be the nicknames of the drummer and the guitarist, who speed up from 0 to 100 within parts of the second.
The guttural grunts are the last drop with which the cup is filled perfectly. I’m talking about A New Life, a carafe of bombastic content and diabolical aroma.
Landscape actually represents quite a nice paysage. Imagine a massacre held out through guitar strings; that’s pretty much it. The absolute favourite is, however, Iscariot, a song that guarantees high levels of headbanging, handraising and alongsinging.
I’m going halfway through Mordrake with Sunriser, in it – a wonderful surprise: clean male vocals. This idea comes up again in the rhythmical Snow.
There is not even a hint of doubt after whom Vlad is named. Alike its inspirator, this song is ominous, digs deep within you without asking and just kills it. Literally.
The next thing that bewildered me – Anomie. I thought only the name is in French. Guess how flabbergasted I was when I heard the opening lines. Is there a law that prohibits falling inlove with a song? If there is, I just broke it. Oops!
Birth couldn’t impress me – a regular sympho black schlager without peculiarities whatsoever. On account of this Hate cambered my computer peripherials.
My Mordrake adventure comes to conclusion with Death. A beautiful in its own way track that melts the last wire in the speakers.

For waking me and my neighbours up so effectively
7/10