Album Review: A Hole Inside – The Face Of Ignorance

Being one of the most over-populated and simplistic genres, it takes a lot to find a decent metalcore band. A quick browse through MySpace reveals reams of look- and sound-alike bands, content to stick rigidly to the confines of a genre that is swiftly becoming the hair metal of the new millennium.

Sweden’s A Hole Inside differ very little from their peers, offering the simplistic down-tuned riffs and thudding double-pedal that you’d expect from a modern metalcore band. “I Don’t Have My Life As A Job”, the opening track of their latest EP “The Face Of Ignorance” (available for free download from their MySpace) opens with a riff that feels ripped straight from a Killswitch Engage b-side. So far, so generic. However, the vocals are where this band fall down, and they fall far. Seemingly attempting to take influence from the rawer style of fellow Swedes Refused, vocalist Marcus Carlzon unfortunately ends up sounding out of breath and strained, which loses any power they may have been hoping to achieve.

Second track “An Act Of Desperation” is similarly vocally-lacking, and the more melodic edge to this song suffers greatly at the hands of equally irritating and nasal clean vocals. Musically the band are competent enough, with the more anthemic-sounding “Bottoms Up” and “Turn Yourself Over” being particular highlights, the latter bordering on a symphonic metal sound. Despite this, the band never travel far from the clichés and security of the metalcore scene, leading to the five songs on offer here quickly becoming tedious. Completing the modern-rock checklist, the EP ends with “Fade Away”, a predictable acoustic ballad that is just as uninspired as the heavier songs.

The band are also let down by their weak grasp of the English language, with confusing lyrics such as “Sorry I Don’t Have My Life As A Job” creating an uncomfortable listening experience and leaving the listener struggling to decipher any meaning that may lie behind the struggling vocals. Overall, A Hole Inside end up becoming just another bargain-bin metalcore act, and the weak screaming only helps to draw attention towards the awkward lyrics, and away from the rest of the band’s competent musicianship.

2/5

The Face Of Ignorance by A Hole Inside is available as a free download here.

A Hole Inside on MySpace

Tom Connick