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| Somehow HollowBusted Wings & Rusted Halos2003 Victory 
  Review by: greg0rb See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on February 25th 2003 Be sure to check out Midtown’s latest album, “Busted Wings and Rusted Halos,” it is sure to…wait, this isn’t Midtown? You sure? Sub is to hoagie, as Midtown is to… Somehow Hollow. Same thing, different moniker. It’s uncanny how similar these bands sound. They even go as far as having a lead singer that sounds like he has a cold, like that one guy (Heath maybe?) in Midtown. You’d think that since all four members were in Grade by the point of their demise, they’d head a little more that direction, but no. In conclusion, if you like Midtown, you will like these guys. Yeah, I guess I should take up a little more space here… so how ‘bout that weather / local sports team? Ok, I suppose there are a few subtle differences I could go into. The hooks here are not quite as memorable as those of Midtown, though there are some good ones such as in the chorus of “Walking Clothed Foot” (yeah, they have some dumb song titles). Somehow Hollow throws in some slightly hardcore guitar licks, such as an almost Thrice-sounding (though not as insanely fast) dual guitar riff in the bridge of “How Winter Killed our Souls.” Somehow Hollow tries again to hint to hardcore with the double-bass in the middle of “Darkest Day,” but it just seems forced and makes the whole band sound sloppy.
There is no screaming on this album whatsoever, in its place are lots of vocal harmonies and they are pulled off well, like in the opener “Kamloops”, one of the best tracks on the album. Most of the other tracks are pretty good, except maybe “Never Let You Go” which even almost saves itself in the interlude. This album isn’t half-bad, but Grade transforming into Midto - I mean, Somehow Hollow, is just another sign that Victory may eventually become Drive Thru II.
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I bought this hoping it would capture some of the talent of Headfirst straight to Hell on guitar and the lyrics and style of under the radar. It didn't. Although not a bad album, kind of disapointing but not a waist. Kyle come back. Also, get a more creative drummer. As for Victory, they still have good hardcore acts, Atreyu and Dead to Fall are awesome. Rock on you bastards! I guess this is the latest trend. Canadian bands breaking up, then some of their members regrouping to form bad, generic bands. the only wings this bitch has are on her maxipads... shes no angel- i saw this bitch doing coke and giving handjobs at phi kappa phi last night! i ordered this from ebay thinking it was a used copy of a girls gone wild tape... dude below..."riiight" your fucking self. i agree with the guy. if you think that sexism in music isn't an issue, even in our oh-so enlightened punk/hardcore/whatever scene you're a fucking idiot. something definitely needs to be done about girls being on the cover of punk/hardcore albums, let alone as the topic of song lyrics. not only does it make all of us look like sexist assholes, but it's stupid. punk and hardcore aren't cute or pretty, they're fuckin ugly as sin. get it straight kids. write about knives and drugs and gay sex for a change. "that is truly a horrible album cover. i dont know whether im being sold a record or an eyeliner set." the guy below me knows whats up. and the cover??? what the fuck? i bet this is what maria carie sees in the mirror after a meth trip comparing any band to midtown means you listen to midtown. disqualifying you by default of the privilage of reviewing records. why? because if you listen to midtown you know absolutely nothing about music. that is truly a horrible album cover. i dont know whether im being sold a record or an eyeliner set. That is one of the worst album covers of all time. nice...the Midtown similarities are lost on someone else...hmmm Goddamn what a shitty review. Fill up your sink with cold water and douse your head in it FOOL! Give up the Crystal Meth! Midtown? Midtown? What the fuck is that? This band sounds nothing at all like Midtown. Not even for a Millisecond. Wow thats a joke. Please don't do any reviews anymore, this one was terrible. The worst thing I have ever read. As for Somehow Hollow they are equally bad, not as bad as your review but close. Does anybody else hear the Dave Smalleyness (nice word huh?) in the vocalist from Somehow Hollow. What I wouldn't give to have a nice little recording budget from Victory records. Seriously! I would release something infinitely better than this. For fuck sakes I would right a song about how bad this review was. shouldn' her wings be lower on her back ok, I finally got my copy off of ebay (yes, this was intentional), for I feel the virus these four guys are who had the nerve to infect one of the greatest bands ever with there presence and then kill it did not deserve my cash. But, I decided to get the album because one of the things I loved about Grade were the killer guitar riffs that only came in second to the genius of Kyle Bishop. ANYWAYS.. I saw promise in these guys after listening to Kamloops and decided that maybe they had something good to offer. I was wrong. after the 3rd track, I was gagging to this guys voice and the harmonies that seemed repetitive. The only thing that makes this album worth listening to is the guitars and even they are not as genius as the last Grade album! To sum things up, I find listening to this album enjoyable by mentally blocking out the vocals and imagining the genius that Kyle Bishop might have brought to each song. I still have some respect left for Brad Casarin. yeah bud...i have heard them and I can't stand midtown's first or second album...but I really like Somehow Hollow...so I am not sure where the similarity is but it seems to be absent...just my opinion though so don't get your panties in a wod Anonymous dude two posts down... I said this album was pretty decent, and I DO like Midtown. I just happen to think somehow hollow sound a hell of a lot like them...you've heard midtown havent you?! So similar. 3 of the 4 guys who were formerly in Grade were simply touring with the band. They never wrote anything. They just hopped onto the sinking ship for the last tour. And the other guy was around for only the last album and since he was the new guy, presumably had little input into writing new material for it. The only reason this band got anywhere is because they keep riding the tag 'featuring former members of'. There is no redeeming qualities to this music. Absolutely fucking terrible. yeah...cause the cover art is the most important aspect of an album?!?!?!...you tools...this is a decent album...a hell of a lot better than midtown could ever be...what is up with the dude that did the review...did Midtown say something about his mom??...anyway...this is a good album, no it is not Grade but it is pretty good...and no it does not sound like midtown so if anyone is turned off by that don't believe it! to the anonymous guy a few posts down... yes they were all in Grade at the same time, for the last leg of the band's existence...like i said in he review. I'm attracted to this girl for some reason. 'what the fuck is up with the cover?!' broken chords, halfway gone, and witch of glen cedar gate are worth checking out, for those of who interested in this band. if you like all the similar sounds referenced (most of which are correct), definitely give this a try... Ya see that makeup? They're advocating beating your girlfriend obviously. I wouldn't even label this is as "Grade becoming Midtown" ... I mean, first off, these members were only at one point in the band, probably never all at the same time. And besides that, the vocals made Grade ... on another note, I just can't listen to this, it's downright bad. what the fuck is up with the cover?! They're EP on East End Industries was ALOT better. If you want a good example of how good they CAN be, look for "someday" of their first EP. and i did not mean to give this album a rating of 10. wooops. worst cover art ever! hahahahaha!!! that's just funny... Worst cover art ever. HAHAHAHA Grade is crap and Somehow Hollow is too. I mean have you seen the sticker to sell this crap? When you see a sticker that drops big names bands to descibe their sound, you know its crap. I could go into a big rant on how Victory is going to shit, but I won't. Instead I'll keep this short: Somehow Hollow is terrible. wow, yea i heard 'kamloop's' on a sampler and i thought it was midtown at first. whatever, fuck this shit. What is Mariah Carey doing on their album cover? all of the guys in this band should have called it quits after grade put out under the radar. the follow up with the dumb cartoon artwork was the worst record with the worst production quality ever. grade ruined everything. under the radar is crucial, this band ruins everything. Agreed, it's not very good, and I DO see where you're coming from with the "singer with cold" comparison, but these guys sound NOTHING like midtown. |
