Release Date: March 03rd 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/
Hollow: Tracklisting
1.Crow 04:15
2.Facemint 05:45
3.Slither 02:47
4.Tunnel 04:02
5.Trip 04:20
6.Blister 03:35
7.Soma 08:44
Review
Hollow is the debut album from Doom/Stoner Metallers Bog Monkey which showcases the bands fun blend of fast-paced and heavily distorted grooves with a Punk Rock aesthetic working superbly well with the intense Noise Rock fusion being played on the album. The album can be quite catchy and deceiving with it’s Hardcore vibes that allow a subtle Psychedelic and Industrial beat being injected into the action especially on the turbo-charged opening song Crow.
Crow allows Bog Monkey the chance to experiment and play some epic distorted guitar solos with a thumping rhythm section, perhaps being the most prominent creative force of the band. The band play similar sounds to bands such as Kowloon Walled City, No Spill Blood and The Melvins but with a more Doomed Out WEEDIAN presence. The guitars are quite progressive and spectacular FUZZY when the faster sounds appear. There’s a great sense of melodic movements within this song but it still has all the hallmarks of a great underground release.
Second song Facemint opens with a freaky 80’s pounding industrial sludgy beat with some frantic Psychedelic beats with glitches and noises being added to great effect. The music is a mixture of Doom, Stoner and Noise Rock grooves which once again is melodic but ultimately chaotic. However, Bog Monkey have devised a winning creative formula in embracing the WEEDIAN underground scene that hits the right notes with excellent SONIC experimentation going on with this song.
Third song Slither is a more Psychedelic and Trance Punk kind of song with the band offering a track that showcases their warped musical creativity down to a fine art. The atmosphere is perhaps best suited to the Post-Whatever and Noise Rock environments but there’s still a subtle Doom/Stoner Metal undergroove that makes itself more known towards the later stages of the track. The harsh screamed out vocals gives this track a more menacing edge.
Fourth track Tunnel is played at a slower pace which allows the whole album to flow at its own nightmarish pace with the Industrial and Doomed Out beats merging into something heavier and aggressive. There’s a lot more AMPLIFIER DISTORTION on this track that allows the vocals to have a more visceral presence to them especially when they merged into almost death based growls but still fully understandable. The music has a scattered approach but Bog Monkey still finds the time to play some beautifully heavy and down-tuned extended jams along the way.
The second half of the album sees Bog Monkey play strands of Thrash Metal with high amounts of guitar shredding appearing on tracks such as Trip, Blister and Soma which is perhaps the standout track on the album with it's many different bass heavy sounds. The eerie Industrial/Noise Rock hybrid sound is perhaps more used but as with the other tracks, there’s still flashes of first-rate Doom/Stoner Metal themes on the album.
Hollow is an intense and bleak-natured album but it’s one that also has its fun moments even if they’re more dark-natured in tone and scope.
Bog Monkey has delivered the goods with Hollow. The production values are excellent with the band being allowed every opportunity to show off that they can do. Despite the short thirty three minutes runtime, Bog Monkey covers a lot of ground and never outstay their welcome.
This is first class entertainment from the Doom/Stoner Metal Underground scene with an album that has plenty of bite to it but one that also is jam-packed with exciting grooves to impress the most jaded of listeners with.
Words by Steve Howe
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