Cover art by Jerry Mack |
Scarlet Hollow - What If Never Was is album that resides in the borderland between progressive rock and progressive metal, somewhat close to the province occupied by Porcupine Tree. Their musicianship is impeccable, but Scarlet Hollow never descends into Dream Theater style prog noodlery. Allison VonBuelow has a clean and unpretentious voice that is often allowed to carry the melodies without walls of keyboards to back her up; in fact for a progressive band keyboards are using quite sparingly. This coupled with the clean and smooth production makes it possible to enjoy each instrument, where especially the drumming stands out. Diego Meraviglia knows when to apply complex fills and when to things keep simple and heavy. Check out one of the darker tracks As The Blade Falls below for a good example of his work, then go to the Scarlet Hollow Bandcamp to hear the rest of the album.
[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]