SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND? (PART TWO)
FROM the Annapolis region of Maryland USA, HOLLOWED SKY are an indie, alternative-rock/metal band with Charles Rupertus (bass), Jay Orem (vocals), Joe Bradshaw (drums) and Stephen Berchielli (guitar) making up the numbers.
Formed in November 2016, this week sees the group release their latest album, ‘Bound By Nightmares,’ and even though they may not be from your preferred genre, they deserve you give them more than a perfunctory listen.
Agreed, for some, it may not be the easiest album they’ll ever listen to, but those with the patience will undoubtedly be rewarded and lead promotional track ‘Virtuoso’ isn’t the worst place to start.
“Regarding ‘Virtuoso’ being the lead track, it was tough for us to decide and even when release day was only a few days away we were still struggling & debating,” said guitarist, Berchielli.
“Virtuoso is the song that perhaps got the best response from friends and people close to the band, which is why we leaned that way, but our plan is to promote each track equally, with Twitter being our primary means of promotion.”
The band formed in November 2016 as Berchielli, Bradshaw, and Rupertus were coming off joint extended musical hiatuses after their previous projects had fizzled out. The friends were initially only looking to jam, but as the sessions began to develop structures, they decided to find a singer and following the arrival of Orem came aboard, the foursome decided to head into the studio.
A self-titled EP followed in 2017, with a further release in 2020, a full-length compilation album with improved mixes (Unstrung) in early 2021, and two singles in October and November.
After that, work quickly began on recording ‘Bound by Nightmares.’
“We began writing the album in May 2020 after a forced break brought on by the beginning of the Covid crisis,” added Berchielli. “We continued writing music and arranging the instrumentation during the 18 months that followed, and the lyrics and vocals weren’t completed until we went about recording the album which was self-recorded and produced from late November 2021 through early April 2022.
“We think it is safe to say this is our darkest, heaviest album, to date. Our influences are all over the map, but here are just a few: Tool, Zeppelin, Nirvana, Incubus, The Sword and Deftones.”
‘Bound By Nightmares’ standout track: January.
Learn more about Hollowed Sky: www.hollowedsky.com
