Released on February 26th, ‘Unstrung’ isn’t a new long player from Hollowed Sky, but rather a collection of their most definitive songs, completely remixed and remastered by the band themselves. And if you’re new to the band like I was a couple of years back then I can’t think of a better introduction to their brand of Alt Rock with tones of Grunge and the occasional Metallic thrust.
What you get here is a remixed four songs from the debut EP and the entire ‘Strings’ EP remixed – a release that the band was not entirely happy with as far as production went. I must admit it always puzzles me a little when bands do this – essentially meld together two EP’s to create an album from them – and I can’t help feeling sorry for the three songs that didn’t make it from that first EP – the rather ‘Live-like’ ‘Breaking Bread’ in particular I thought was worth inclusion.
Reviewing the second EP not that long ago on the site it would seem trite to run through those songs again, only to add that they do sound enhanced here and ‘Strings’ which opened that EP and now opens the album particularly benefits – it’s a hard rocker that has a nice crunchy riff drives it all the way to the solo and gives you the perfect wake-up call.
Similarly the other tracks from that EP benefit from teh make-over: ‘This Hell’ keeps that nice momentum; whilst ‘Bleeding Out’ throws in a nice accent of something punkier and more metallic, whilst the powerful ‘Turning Ill’ still stands out for me, as does the epic ‘Baltimore’ a wonderfully passionate song and still the standout for me.
The four songs plucked from the debut too benefit from the remixing but maybe less so. ‘Breathing Life into the Sun’ still sounds impressively grand in stature; whilst ‘Head in the Fence’ just rides a riff frenzy to a fist-pumping climax! The other two songs honestly are just as good – the wonderful ‘Soviet Red’ was probably my favoutrite from that first EP and it’s one of the best still; and ‘Earth & Sky’ maybe the bands most adventurous song musically veering into Prog territory which I’m sure would see it a great live song.
Great band, great sound and a nice Covid rebirthing!
7.5 /10