I’m not gonna lie – I was SO excited when Victoria Grace Howell nominated me for this blog tag (thank you, Tori!) that this was my reaction.
OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration… But music is one of my many loves in life, along with writing, books, and tea. So if you’re a music fan as well, fair warning: This post features YouTube videos. It also features links to more YouTube videos. I tried not to go overboard… but you still might be here a while. 😉
First, like any blog tag, let’s start with…
If you’ve followed my music tastes over the past couple years, The Mariana Hollow may already be a familiar name to you. This alternative metal quintet from London, United Kingdom was hands down my favorite discovery during my tenure at Sonic Cathedral. Muscular rhythms, oceanic guitarscapes, evocative lyrics, and a gritty yet impassioned female voice – this unique amalgam has always made TMH a stand-out act.
Recently the band released two videos for “The Unburned”: one featuring the band, and the lyric video highlighted below. Maybe I’m biased, but how cool is the lyric video?! The archaic animations look like they came straight out of the medieval / Westeros era and make countless references to George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Fire And Ice saga. “The Unburned” itself was inspired by the character Danaerys Targaryen. Musically, this song is like one of Dany’s dragons prowling the desert before taking flight. It builds slowly, shouldering the gravity of its riffs and a thick sultriness, as Rebecca Spinks sings with a storyteller’s passion. It’s a truly unique song from TMH’s repertoire – and if you like this track, I highly recommend you check out other songs by this band!
“The Unburned” is taken from The Mariana Hollow’s 2013 EP Scars, Not Wounds. You can read my review of the EP at Sonic Cathedral here.
The Mariana Hollow faced the tough task of replacing one of their founding guitarists last year. It didn’t take long for the British alternative metal band to rebound, however. Within a few months, they recruiter a new lead guitarist, jumped back into their local gig circuit, and started writing new material. Scars, Not Wounds is TMH’s first release since making that transition. The five-track EP shows the band moving from their original guitar-driven sound to one that highlights the distinctive voice of frontwoman Rebecca “Spinky” Spinks. And for the most part, this new direction could be quite promising for TMH.
Click here to read my review of The Mariana Hollow’s Scars, Not Wounds EP.
Here’s a video of The Mariana Hollow performing the title track from Scars, Not Wounds earlier this year in London. The sound quality is pretty decent (not too bassy or overdriven), and shows Spinky’s vocal charisma and magnetic stage presence.
Coming Soon: I passed the 25,000-word mark for my novel-in-progress last weekend! So, stay tuned for a new “Chronicling The Craft” article later this week.
We’ve reached the end of the Sonic Cathedral Retrospective countdown! I’ve been listing my 20 favorite artists that I’ve covered in my five years of writing at the Sonic Cathedral WebZine. And today, it’s time to reveal the top five – including the artist I chose for #1!
First, in case you’ve missed the previous installments, here they are:
Part 1: Artists #20 through #16
Part 2: Artists #15 through #11
Part 3: Artists #10 through #6
So if we left off at #6, that means we’ll start tonight with…
I’m thrilled to announced that I’m one of several fans featured in The Mariana Hollow’s new documentary, “Scars, Not Wounds.” You may have read other posts here about The Mariana Hollow. This alternative metal quintet from the United Kingdom is one of my favorite musical discoveries of the past few years, on an artistic level as well as a personal level. (You’ll find out more in the next installment of my Sonic Cathedral Retrospective countdown, coming later this week.)
“Scars, Not Wounds” chronicles the making of The Mariana Hollow’s new EP of the same title. It also focuses on the major line-up change that led to the evolution in TMH’s sound. The band also took time to interview fans about why they like The Mariana Hollow’s music. Those fans include Mark Ashby of ProgTopia Radio, members of UK bands The Neon Choir and Breed77, photographer Thanira Rates, and some of TMH’s regular gig-goers in the London area. You can catch me twice in the documentary (2:37 to 2:47, and 24:42 to 24:58).
Prepare to listen, laugh, and learn. Be ready to lose yourself in the heavy, oceanic music of The Mariana Hollow. And most of all, enjoy! (NOTE: This video contains some adult language and may not be appropriate for young audiences.)
Coming Soon: As mentioned yesterday, I’ve got one more installment of the Sonic Cathedral 5-Year Retrospective countdown, as well as a new review coming at Sonic Cathedral and the next “Chronicling The Craft” article. It’s going to be an active week here, so stay tuned!
Hello!
I hope your New Year has gotten off to a promising start. The end of 2012 was a busy time for me, between various writing projects, the holidays, and other things. However, I made sure to consider which albums from 2012 I considered as some of my favorites.
I always make two lists: a personal one that combines all of the music genres I listen to, and one for Sonic Cathedral that focuses exclusive on female-fronted rock and metal. Now that the Sonic Cathedral Best of 2012 article is online, it’s time for me to share my picks for both lists! And – ready for a shocker? – for the first time in a couple years, my #1 picks for both lists are different albums. Then again, that just goes to show how incredible some of 2012’s albums were.
So, here are the lists!
My Personal Top 10 Albums of 2012
1. Anathema – Weather Systems
2. Beyond The Bridge – The Old Man & The Spirit
3. The Mariana Hollow – Velvet Black Sky
4. Xandria – Neverworld’s End
5. Astral Tears – Hypnotic
6. Lyriel – Leverage
7. Kamelot – Silverthorn
8. Ideal Zero – Ideal Zero EP
9. Atoma – Skylight
10. Arjen Lucassen – Lost In The New Real
My Sonic Cathedral Top 10 of 2012
(click here to read the full article by the SC staff)
1. Beyond The Bridge – The Old Man & The Spirit
2. The Mariana Hollow – Velvet Black Sky
3. Xandria – Neverworld’s End
4. Astral Tears – Hypnotic
5. Lyriel – Leverage
6. Ideal Zero – Ideal Zero EP
7. Leah – Of Earth & Angels
8. Venturia – Dawn Of A New Era
9. Vajra – Pleroma
10. Akoma – The Other Side EP
One of two articles I had hinted about last week is now online at Sonic Cathedral!
If you’ve visited this blog before, you may recall me talking about The Mariana Hollow. I’ve covered this UK alt-metal quintet several times at Sonic Cathedral, the previous article being a review of their second album Velvet Black Sky. (A glowing review, to be specific!) And now, I can say I’ve had the privilege of interviewing all five members of The Mariana Hollow for the second time! We talked about the making of Velvet Black Sky, upcoming touring plans, and stories of missing snares and “hairy” gigs. Insightful yet entertaining – my favorite kind of interview!
Click here to read my new interview with The Mariana Hollow.
More news and updates coming soon – including a new review at Suite101, as well as a big announcement regarding my poetry!
~ Sara
Hello!
After a hectic January, I’m finally catching up with two new reviews at Sonic Cathedral. And after what has been a sour start musically to 2012 (sorry, Nightwish and Lacuna Coil fans, but I don’t like their latest offerings at all), I’m so thrilled to have covered two phenomenal albums – two that I’m sure will battle it out at year’s end for my favorite album of the year!
First up is The Old Man And The Spirit, the debut album by German progressive metal project Beyond The Bridge. This concept album features two very different singers – metal veteran Herbie Langhans, and up-and-coming jazz singer Dilenya Mar – as the title characters. Musically, The Old Man… is, as quoted from my review, “a page out of Arjen Lucassen’s Ayreon book.” Progressive metal combined with various genres, salient melodies, and skillful arrangements galore. However, Beyond The Bridge have accomplished something that Mr. Lucassen – or any other artist whose album(s) I’ve reviewed – has never done before. I could tell you what that is – but that would spoil the end of my review. *wink*
Click here to read my review of Beyond The Bridge’s The Old Man And The Spirit.
The second album is Velvet Black Sky, the upcoming second album by UK alternative metallers The Mariana Hollow. You’ve probably heard that name mentioned numerous times on this blog – to the point that you might be thinking, “Pfffft! She’d never say anything bad about that band!” However, I gave Velvet Black Sky the same thoughtful and honest treatment that I’ve given all of my reviewed albums – and not only is Velvet Black Sky superior to The Mariana Hollow’s debut CD Coma Heart, it’s “the wake-up call that rock and metal fans will be sorry to miss.”
Click here to read my review of The Mariana Hollow’s Velvet Black Sky.
I’ve got much more coming at Sonic Cathedral in the next few months. So, as always, stay tuned!
~ Sara
Well, things have gotten busy on the personal side again. For good reason, though! So finally I have a few minutes to let you know what I’ve been up to with Sonic Cathedral this month. Continue reading
So 2010 has come and gone – which means it’s time for those ever popular end-of-the-year lists! So Sonic Cathedral recently posted its best-of-2010 list. And what an interesting list it is. It features a healthy mix of veteran musicians (Arjen Lucassen, Tristania, and Tarja) and popular newcomers (Diabulus in Musica, Seven Kingdoms, Magion, The Mariana Hollow). Click here to see who made the cut!
Also, here is my overall Top 10 list for 2010. Continue reading
Sara Letourneau 