Mothman and the Thunderbirds is a solo musician from the US who released his debut independent album, Into The Hollow, on May 21st, 2021. This would gratify Devin Townsend, The Armed, Astronoid, and Moon Tooth fans.
Introduction:
Mothman and the Thunderbirds, Into The Hollow: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins of Into The Hollow
Let’s start by discussing the first three sins of Mothman and the Thunderbirds and his album, Into The Hollow.
The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: Features amplified-progressive guitar-driven sound of the guitars, with spacey synthesisers and clean guitar chords. The Second Sin, The Vocals: Involves a mixture of clean, distorted, rough shouting and guttural/triumphant vocal melodies. The Third Sin—The Percussions: Delves into the vast world of various drum strikes/fills and (progressive) beats/tempos.
The Fourth Sin: Overall Discussion: A journey thought-provoking exploration of cryptids, conspiracy views, cryptozoology…
As soon as the listener presses the play button, one is welcome to the opening title track, Mothman Takes Flight, with a welcoming of a duet of vocals and a sludgy progression of the guitars and drums.
As the journey continues with the second track, Hollowed Earth, and the remaining ten songs, the listener is taken on a thought-provoking exploration of cryptids, conspiracy views, cryptozoology, and folklore based in Philadelphia. These themes are interwoven with lyrical discussions on anxiety, isolation, global warming, war, and manufactured consent, offering a diverse and intellectually stimulating experience.
Into The Hollow is an impressive album that treats listeners to a diverse collection of eleven songs that span thirty minutes. Each track stands out with its unique style, ensuring the listener never gets bored or hears repetitive sounds. The album seamlessly blends stoner metal and heavy rock, infusing them with an innovative twist that captivates the audience. It skilfully incorporates the foundational elements of heavy rock while capturing the raw energy of stoner metal, the aggressive tones of sludge metal, and the dynamic, guitar-driven sound of progressive metal, creating a unique and exciting musical experience.
Mothman‘s music is a rich tapestry of this fruit of art, blending the composition of intricate lyrics, powerful vocals, and mesmerising instrumentals. Their unique sound is built on a foundation of harmonies, melodies, and a touch of experimental and progressive rock influences. The music takes the listener through diverse groovy rhythms, showcasing a multi-vocal range that perfectly captures various emotions.
With elements of light and dark, heavy and mellow sections, and an array of tempos, the music also incorporates folk and acoustic elements and the collaborative talent of guest musicians.
The result is a captivating blend of sounds and moods that sets Mothman‘s music apart, engaging and immersing the listener in a unique musical journey.
Into the Hollow achieves greater depth and complexity by including guest members. Specifically, Jason Roberts contributes lead vocals on tracks three and four and vocals on track five. Jason is known for his solo work as part of the blackgaze/doomgaze act Breaths, which I have reviewed previously. Additionally, Kirby and Joe Sobieski are featured on the sixth and eighth tracks, while Sam Parkinson expertly performs the guitar solo on track seven. If you’re seeking a unique and innovative approach to stoner metal, ‘Mothman and the Thunderbirds’ are the perfect choice. Each song’s distinct artwork offers a fresh perspective and a unique identity. This, combined with top-notch devilmanship, production, and songwriting, makes for an intriguing and exciting album
The album comes to an end with the last song, Hollow Sun. We want to give a shoutout to Mothman and the Thunderbirds for letting us review his album, Into The Hollow. Now, we’re going to wrap it up by talking about the final three sins and concluding the review.
You’re Listening to “Rolo’s Basilisk”
PlayThe Last Three Sins
Let’s discuss the last three sins, our thoughts on Mothman and the Thunderbirds and his album, Into The Hollow.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia: Is that for us, Mothman and the Thunderbirds exceed the conventions of stoner or progressive metal bands, offering a distinctive, fresh, and innovative musical experience that defies the norm, inviting the audience to explore and appreciate a new musical direction.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork:
The artwork was designed by Drahma R. The artwork he has created for this release, is dark and creepy and not your typical stoner/sludge album cover; but the artwork works for me.
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish:
Nothing to disrelish within the musical spectrum of Mothman and the Thunderbirds, and his album Into The Hollow.
This concludes the Mothman and the Thunderbirds, Into The Hollow review.
Track-Listing:
- Mothman Takes Flight
- Hollow Earth
- Nomad
- Indrid Cold
- Infinite Ocean
- The Simpsons = Real Footage
- Ageathan Riders
- Cloud Giant
- Squonk
- Rolo’s Basilisk
- Hollow Sun
Mothman and the Thunderbirds is:
- Alex Parkinson – guitars, bass, vocals, vocoder, programming, mixing, mastering
- Jason Roberts – guest (lead) vocals on verses 3 and 4 (track five)
- Kirby – guest (lead) vocals on track six
- Sam Parkinson – guest guitar solo on track seven
- Joe Sobieski – guest (lead) vocals on track eight
