Strych9Hollow are an independent metal band from St. Louis, Missouri whom I discovered on the Thrash and Burn 2009 tour. This tour featured a number of underground, hardcore & extreme metal bands, and was headlined by the melodic-death metal band Devildriver.
There were 3 stages with bands playing simultaneously. My friends and I migrated from one stage to another throughout the show. I first saw Strych9Hollow on one of these secondary stages. My ear caught on the heavy-yet-melodic riffs that were pumping out of the amps, while my eye was drawn to the frenzied, headbanging guitarist on stage right. They had a female guitarist that was tearing up the fretboard faster than she was headbanging (which was pretty fast!). The other guitarist delivered metalcore-style backing vocals, while their lead singer had a great ability to switch from melodic singing, to angst-driven screams. These guys (& gal), had all my favorite elements of metal music!
I made sure to grab a promotional sticker from the stage with their name & myspace website on it. Within days of the show, I was a regular listener on their myspace page, and began eagerly watching for a release date for a CD from them...
Their self-produced debut album is 'Dying For A Dream', and it was worth the wait! Hearing this band's official recording is a very satiating headbanger's experience. Their influences from hard-core metal to melodic, classic metal are apparent in their sound. Again, let me say that this is the kind of music I've been looking for! You could easily categorize them as melodic metalcore and they'd fit right in with the likes of Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, or August Burns Red. They are a talented bunch of song writers & musicians.Though most of their songs are metalcore thrashers, they have a few melodic numbers that give 'Dying For a Dream' a balanced attack on your auditory senses. Fast or slow, Strych9Hollow's musical themes and lyrics tend to focus on the dark side of life, casting a haunting or melancholic tone with consistency.
So if you're looking for a fresh take on the melodic metalcore scene, with sound guitar work, good soloing, and balanced variety in vocals and songcraft, then Strych9Hollow may be the band you've been waiting for!
Here are my hand-picked favorites from Dying For A Dream:
-Art of Betrayal
-Beautiful Angst
-Schizophrenia
-Dying for a Dream
-Better Off Alone
-Death vs. the Escape Artist
Don't forget to visit their myspace page for streaming mp3's!
http://www.myspace.com/strych9hollow
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