Review Summary: A fun album about the uncovering of some of the world’s most hidden conspiracies. This is a decent edition for collectors of progressive stoner/sludge metal.
Mothman and the Thunderbirds (MATT) is the passion solo project of multi-instrumentalist Alex Parkinson who is apparently a big fan of sludge metal. More particularly the stoner metal area of sludge, Mastodon for example. And I want to apologize in advance for the fact that I will be using band comparisons a lot in this review. Oftentimes, comparing a band to its influences in a review is unnecessary, however, in some cases, the band is clearly asking for it!
Essentially, the first 4-5 tracks are very clearly Mastodon-sounding to the point where any fan of Mastodon can pick out similarities in the sludgy riffs or how the tone of Alex’s vocals sounds similar to Troy Sanders. There are also moments on the song “Nomad” that very much reminds me of “The Czar” or “Divinations” by the way MATT uses the tambourine in the percussion section to back the flow of the rhythm. The album in general charges quickly through the 31 minutes of runtime while providing us with what one would want out of a band of this genre. With a few songs to keep it sounding fresh with more uptempo melodies, and with others that have softer acoustic sections. Aside from the fuzzy riffs, and the overall stoner metal vibes that this album has, what else does Into the Hollow have to offer?
Well, the subject matter of the lyrics and aesthetics of the album are based loosely around common American cryptids and other conspiracy theories, i.e. Mothman, Bigfoot, aliens, and other eldritch beings. Many of the songs revolve around these big natural conspiracies like a “Hollow Earth”, “Hollow Sun”, and “Infinite Ocean” which blur the lines of what is real and what is not. One of my personal favorites is the song “The Simpsons = Real Footage” which is conceptually the most hilarious idea ever. There is no limit to what people claim to have seen when nobody else is around. The fact that most of these beings have only been seen in vague anecdotes, and fuzzy/144p videos shows that their existence is more dependent on those who make them real rather than existing in their own right. And a lot of this album gives a bit of satirical commentary on the existence of these big conspiracies.
Musically speaking, this album does well when looking at the riff department but the overall sound of the album barely does anything to form its own sound. This means that a lot of the compositions on the album could be found very similarly elsewhere and with better quality. But on a positive note, MATT never writes to the point where it is downright plagiarizing other bands, which unfortunately cannot always be said. And there are a few tracks that vary the album enough to keep it from becoming stale.
This album is meant for those who want more to add to their collection of progressive stoner/sludge metal. For fans of those big fuzzy riffs, or for people who have an interest in conspiracy theory culture. This Into the Hollow provides a sufficient musical description of progressive stoner/sludge metal while making an effort not to rock the boat when it comes to experimentation.
